Highlands County Park - Ben Lomond, California

Joseph D.

Beautiful park with a nice field for recreation, and walking trails for a stroll by the river. Great place to pick some blackberries in the summer. Good facilities too. Great place to bring your furry friends, but be respectful and keep them on leash (except maybe for a quick photo shoot lol). Nice little skatepark design by Wormhoudt, though it’s not the best for young kids or those new to skateboarding, and it’s also showing signs of its age.

Dale H.

Beautiful park with an excellent playground and a large picnic area for groups to reserve. Also has a lovely trail that leads to a shallow part of the San Lorenzo River with a wide, squat waterfall. Though, I went shortly after a storm and the water was deeper and moving much faster than normal.

Angel H.

A Shady Place to Play, Swim, Catch Fish and crayfish - Highlands County Park
The feature of this park is not the playground, but the skate park(the left side of the parking lot (high school direction) and the river. The ideal place to play in the water to escape the heat in summer!

Parking lot: one big (next to skate park) and one small (Highlands Park Senior Center), the parking lot of senior center is shaded and cooler in the afternoon.

Bathroom: one big (located between highlands house and highlands senior center), very clean with washing facilities. The small one (located next to the playground, a mobile toilet), can't wash hands, and smells. It is recommended to use the toilet close to the large parking lot

Recommendation: small waterfalls (see Figure 1-4), flat beaches (see Figure 5-6)

Recommended reason/activity
1. There is a natural deep pool along upstream of the small waterfall. The water reaches the adult's waist, which is ideal place for swimming.
2. The water downstream of the small waterfall is shallow, with many large and small stones, and the water is very clear, which is very suitable for children to play.
3. There is an entrance on the left side of the playground (opposite to the small waterfall) to the flat beach, turn left at the first fork, and continue along the middle road when you see the three forks, and you will reach the upstream flat. There is a lot of sediment, and there are a few of small crayfish.

Tips:
1. The trail leading to the river is short, and it is recommended to wear sandals
2.It is almost covered by the shade of trees on the way, so don't worry about exposure to the sun. After 4 pm, the riverside is cooler.
3. We haven't seen a mosquito in the afternoon, you can bring anti-mosquito spray if you are worried.
4. Those who like to play in the water bring a small bucket and a small fishing net. Today, We caught a few small fish here and saw 2 crayfish. All set free when we left
5. There are many people at the small waterfall on weekends
6. It seems to be no fish and no crayfish in the downstream of the small waterfall. Beware of the flat big stones in the water, which are slippery.
There is free parking, roller skating, water play, and a whole day's time~

Gladys D.

Great area for kids, play structure, tennis courts, baseball field and a trail to the river. and you can reserve the club house for events as well picknic are by the Park

Alycia

I photographed a wedding here and it's the PERFECT spot. Super quiet, easy to get to, and really romantic. Can't wait to shoot another wedding here!

Jaden W.

Beautiful place to take a short hike and a dip in the cold river on a hot day! Restrooms available. Can find quiet spots along the river when it's really busy 🙂

Ev S.

Clean & beautiful. Just to a very short walk with my pup to enjoy. Huge, gorgeous tree.

Eric D.

Went there to walk my dog. Easy to find parking. The park is clean with a short walk through the back side of the park to the San Lorenzo river. Easy access to the river in several locations. Not crowded at 2pm. Some dogs off leash but owners are considerate. The river water does not look completely clear but my dog played in it with no apparent problems. I would recommend this place for dog walking and dog playing/swimming in a safe river environment.