Skypark

Best 4^th of July in the County key is to go to the Parade first park and then straight to Skypark afterwards. Key is the further away from skypark you park the faster you get out afterwards. The Scotts Valley Police Department works very hard to be sure that everyone has a safe & fun 4^th… The staff of the park are awesome!!! 2016 is the 50^th Anniversary of Scotts Valley so have fun

Best Dog park in Santa Cruz, I see a lot of dog joy there. The variety of clean multi-​use areas, great sky view, makes it pretty much have it all that one would want in a park (OK, it’s not Golden Gate or Central Park, but this is Scotts Valley). Any place I want to go over and over gets 5 stars.

This review is for the Fireworks show held at Skypark on 4^th of July. Bring lots of cash. A bag of popcorn is $ 6. It cost $ 2 for a child to slide down a slide only ONE time and $ 15 to roll around in a clear plastic human ball for 5 minutes. You have to buy tickets when you first come in and use those for all the food and attractions. You can’t return the tickets if you buy too many. The lines for food are LONG and they run out of food every single year. It’s convenient and one of the few fireworks shows in the Bay Area. We will continue to come, but bring our own food. Prepare your children ahead of time if you can’t afford a lot of rides or games. They will get disappointed, it’s very expensive.

My family has lived in Santa Cruz for 5 generations. There are a lot of great parks that have been bulldozed over. Skypark is a park that is one I’m glad that has grown and will hopefully remain a safe family oriented park. The skate park is always full of extremely kind kids and adults. Respect is definitely a high priority. We drive all the way from Capitola about 5 miles away (30 minutes in Santa Cruz traffic) just to skate here with our boys.
One piece of advice for non locals. Absolutely DO NOT pay to or attempt to attend the Fourth of July fire works show. It’s a nightmare. Not worth it. Go down to any of the public beaches along Eastcliff drive and you can see free ones all night long. Or if you must. Park down off Scotts Valley Drive and walk into the Nob Hill parking lot where you can see them perfectly for free then walk back to your car and drive back to the HWY via the Granite exit. That’s where all the locals will be.

Pros:
— Only place is Santa Cruz area that offers a public display of fireworks. Decent showing for a smaller town.
Cons:
— Only place is Santa Cruz area that offers a public display of fireworks means it gets as crowded as Disneyland on New Years Eve (overstatement, but you get the idea). Entry into the event was hectic even before the park gates, with lines of cars waiting to get in. Traffic was gridlocked for hours after the event with the huge exodus of families leaving from adjacent lots.

I wish the dog park had grass, it would be nice to have a cooler place to play on hot days for my dog. Very well kept and it is always a pleasure walking or riding a bike on summer days.

My boyfriend and I went here for the 4^th of July event. We paid for tickets to the event and were told it would be fun. We were also told that there would be no trouble finding a parking space if we came late and there will be a free bus shuttle for people who parking a distance away. Well, the event started at 6pm and we came around 8pm just about 30 minutes before the fireworks. There was no parking nearby. The closest was a long walk away in a residential area. There was no bus shuttle to take us anywhere.
The event itself was not that great with supposed patriotic music with one song that bashed our president Obama. There was very few food stands and other stands that mostly appealed to little kids. It was crowded and it appeared that there was no security to check to see if people had tickets and as the tickets were basically pass bracelets, I noticed there were many people who were not wearing them so most likely did not pay to participate.
And as Scotts Valley does not allow the general public to shoot fireworks, I was shocked to see a few people who did shoot some of them at the event and nothing was done. This was especially dangerous as there was so many people at the the event that night. The only highlight I found was the firework display put on by the city itself. That was spectacular.
But then I have been to other firework displays in the past that have been for free that have been equally spectacular but with better parking, security and more activities for adults to participate in. After this event, I have shared my concerns with the Regional Park District staff though emails. It has been about two weeks and I have not received any reply. My boyfriend and I will not be going to next year’s 4^th of July event held here and most likely will not go to any other event for that matter here. In a way I feel we were deceived when we paid tickets for the event and should have been able to get a refund.
Pros:
–Great location for events
Cons:
–popular location for events that gets too crowded very quickly
–limited parking close by
–no security at events (as of the 4^th July event mentioned above)
–lack of clarification regarding event info

This review is for the dog park, the rest of the park gets 5 stars.
While this park is very well-​maintained and the separation between large and small dogs is a great idea, this park has some major issues.
Being the only dog park in Scott’s Valley, I’ve worked with many dog owners at this park to improve their dog’s off leash recall. It seems that because it is the only dog park in the nearby area, every dog owner brings their dog to this park to get their wiggles out, regardless of how friendly their dog truly is. For some reason, every time I have visited this dog park, there has been a dog fight that led to drawn blood (never between dogs I’ve been working with, but without fail someone always gets into a squabble). Bad vibes all around.
Personally, I think the park is a bit too small, and the separation of fence between large and small dogs encourages prey drive and fence aggression. Too often have I seen dogs (big or small) running alongside the fence barking and mouthing at a dog on the other side. A visual barrier of some type between the fences is much needed to discourage the fence biting.

Massive park!
Bike paths
Bocce ball
Soccer fields
Large and small toddler playgrounds
Swings
Huge oak trees
Skate park
Dog area
Covered picnic gazebo
Bathrooms
I prefer small parks as ones this big are hard to keep the kids close but it’s an amazing, well used, always busy park.

Good park and well used. We stopped by on our way to relatives for a holiday get together. We were early so we let the kids play for about an hour in the park. The play structures are pretty extensive. One area is meant for bigger kids, one for little tots. Had the usual amenities of today’s play parks. Slides, swings, climbing structures. The little kid play structure is over sand which I didn’t care for (the sand got everywhere), but my daughter loved that. I would have preferred a separate sandbox.
There were tons of kids and people. People were very friendly and it was obvious a lot of people knew each other. More of a small town vibe here, which was a nice change.

My 13mo son and I love this park.
David K’s entry covered the amenities. I’d like to add that there are many paved paths for kids on bikes. The bathrooms and water fountains here are in good shape. I like that the dog park is close. All in all this is one of my favorite parks in the area.

An assistant of mine recently attended the Scott’s Valley Hop n’ Barley BBQ Festival the last weekend of June and she has only great things to say about the park !
She boasts: The park itself is a great size to host a festival like this, and the adjoining dog park allows ALL of the family members to have a great time! The lawn/​grass was green and soft; perfect for going shoe-​less and bringing a blanket and umbrella to enjoy the afternoon — which everyone did. The facilities were clean and there was plenty of services provided for the volume of people in attendance.
There was even enough room for a Lacrosse tournament on the same complex!
All in all — this is a wonderful park to spend the day with a picnic or attend an event hosted there !

Perfect place for the entire family. And I mean the entire family, even your dog!
My little ones love the entire park, the swings, the playsets, everything. Walk 100 yards to the skate park for the older kids. Walk another 50 yards to the dog park that my dog LOVES! Plenty of room to throw the ball around, play fetch and great for your dog to interact with other dogs if your dog gets along with other dogs.
Lots of grass fields for soccer, football and baseball.
Just an awesome well taken care of park. Love this place.

As many others have said, this is a great park and community gathering space. Two large playgrounds for the kiddies. Tennis courts and a walking trail next door. Excellent skate park. Two dog areas. Lots of athletic fields. Several rentable areas for parties/​events. BBQ and picnic tables. Plenty of parking. Convenient location.
We recently hosted a birthday party for our two year old twins in the Birthday Gazebo (between the two playgrounds). It was really easy, affordable ($ 20/​hr), and all the little kiddies had a wonderful time without having to be entertained by us.
Our kids love the two playgrounds. Plenty of things to climb/​swing/​slide/​jump/​dig. Lots of great community events held here. People tend to be happy and friendly.
Skypark is one of those great places that makes it really nice to live in Scotts Valley. See you there!

Huge gorgeous park with EVERYTHING! We had my son’s birthday here and it was amazing! There are two huge play areas, tons of picnic space, a skate park, huge fields, an amazing running trail and clean bathrooms. I called to see what the prices were to rent out space. They told me the tot area was available, which is a covered area in between both play areas, which rents for $ 20 per hour, but you can’t have alcohol. Being that we had a tiny family party of 10 people, two tables would be more than enough. We decided to take our chances and come early to find a spot. We ended up with a shade and a small BBQ for free. Which is never a bad thing. Love this park!

This park has everything but the kitchen sink. Actually, it has those, too!
big kid playground
little kid playground
acres of soccer fields with 4+ sets of mobile goals
bocci ball courts
two dog parks (one for big dogs, one for little dogs)
a HUGE skate park with some wicked ramps and lines
covered seating areas with small café tables and checkerboards
covered seating areas for large groups with picnic tables
small bbqs, big bbqs…
Did I miss anything? It’s pretty well maintained and have never seen drunks, punks, or other delinquents hanging out (way to go SVPD).
Oh and it’s conveniently located near the bus terminal, library and strip malls with lots of restaurants and grocery stores. So it’s easy to make a day out of a trip to the park. And I read in one of the other reviews it used to be an old airfield — so cool!
By far, my two year old’s favorite park. It’s got enough to keep us coming back for many years.

2^nd Annual Hop n Barley Festival
Nice day in the park to enjoy, well sample many different types of beers. The tickets were only $ 25 a person if you bought them online in advance and definitely worth it. Also we didn’t have to wait in the long general admission line. There was free parking, but the field was too bumpy for my car. It was an overall nice experience to spend time with family and friends. My only complaint would be that there were not enough food vendors, but I really wasn’t that hungry

I live in the neighborhood across from the park and it is indeed awesome — tons of space for anything you want to do; great for kite flying too with consistent afternoon breeze.
Also worth mention: Highlands Park in Ben Lomond for facilities (inclu really fun skatepark), playground, scenery, and creek.
Two really great parks within 10 minutes of each other.

this is a beautiful park and most of the dogs are very friendly and eager to play. I went there today and there was a big brown boxer that kept trying to mount my dog, he just would not leave him alone. There were about 10 other dogs but this dog would not leave my dog alone. The owner did nothing, not at all appropriate behavior in my opinion. I will just try to go a different time and hope the annoying boxer and his inconsiderate owner are not there.

As a City Planner, I have a special appreciation for Skypark.
Acres of Soccer Fields, a Skate Park, and Dog Park. All of this on an old converted air-​strip/​runway. In planning terms, we call this «adaptive re-​use». Tucked right behind the bus station, some newer townhomes, and a strip mall with grocery stores, this is a great location to have events, take your dog, or tear up the concrete with your board.
I am especially a fan of the Dog Park, which has two separate sides. One for dogs under 25 lbs (like mine), and one for all dogs. We went twice this weekend, and both times found that there was constant doggy traffic. There’s a canopy area for when the weather is foul, and I overheard someone saying the park received 2500 to put up a more permanent shelter structure for dog owners.
Two complaints about the dog park:
1. The ground cover is all compost/​shredded bark material. While most people are good at picking up poopy, it also camouflages a lot of it, and one of these days I’m sure I’ll step on a land mine.
2. Some people can’t control their dogs. I had a dog sneak up and take a piss on my leg the other day while I was chatting with some other owners. GRRRR!