Rita Peppers was suddenly a kid again. Memorial Park does that.
“Me and my friend would go down to where the hollow log is. That would be our hangout,” she said as the summer sun filtered through tall redwoods down to a picnic table the 66-year-old shared with her husband, Barry, and their grandchildren, Carson, 4, and Nathan, 9 months old.
The memories flashed back: “Swimming in the creek with the ice-cold water that would go through my bones but we’d still play in it. The movies. Hanging out at that hollow log. I have to say that hollow log left an emphasis on me.”
Not far from where the Peppers enjoyed lunch (raspberries, watermelon and PB&J), about 250 people gathered Thursday to celebrate the park’s 100th anniversary.
“Today’s celebration has a special meaning to me both as a frequent camper at Memorial Park and as a veteran,” Warren Slocum, president of the Board of Supervisors, told the crowd from a wooden stage that has witnessed countless skits and ghost stories.
After acquiring 300 acres between the hamlets of La Honda and Loma Mar for $70,000, the County opened Memorial Park in 1924 to honor local residents who fought and died in World War I. Over decades the park has grown to 673 acres with protected old-growth redwoods, picnic and camping areas, a nature center, camp store and campfires.
The ceremony included the rededication of the park and the unveiling of a plaque honoring all San Mateo County residents who have fallen while in service to the country.
“The first Memorial Park campers made the challenging trek on newly built dirt roads and experienced towing redwoods and starlit skies in quickly constructed facilities,” Slocum said. “Now, 100 years later, the tradition of summer camping and picnicking here continues in the improved campsites and new facilities completed last year.”
Did you know U.S. military veterans are offered free entrance to all County Parks?
Memorial Park is a popular spot both for first-time and return campers, known for its family camping sites and the Tan Oak and Mt. Ellen nature trails. Winding through the park is Pescadero Creek, a home for steelhead trout as they migrate upstream to spawn and then move back to the sea, along with tributaries.
The summer temperature is pleasant and occasionally a cool fog drifts in from the ocean. In winter, the air is crisp and the ground and plants are moist as the park averages about 40 inches of rainfall each year. Animals seen in abundance include Steller’s jays, acorn woodpeckers, western grey squirrels, raccoons, skunks and, of course, banana slugs.
More than eight miles of hiking trails snake through the park and its showcase redwood groves.
“When you come to a park like this, there’s a sense of serenity that comes over you. And I think the reason why that is is the trees,” said San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller, whose District 3 includes Memorial Park.
“When you look at the trees around you, you just see history in them. There’s a sense that comes over you that they’ve seen it all and they’ve persisted. And in that nature gives you hope and settles you down and allows you to concentrate on the things that are important to you: Your family the next generation coming, just loving the person next to you.”
Opening Memorial as the first County park a century ago gave rise to what now includes more than 23 parks and nature preserves, from San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean.
“As we enter our second century, we will continue to advocate that parks are for everyone from everywhere. World class trails and campgrounds will always be in our DNA,” said Nicholas Calderon, the County Parks director.
“Revitalizing park facilities to meet the public’s evolving recreational interests will make parks more inclusive and accessible for everyone,” Calderon said. “This may involve installing inclusive playground features, bike and skate pump tracks and, yes, even pickle ball, to more urban parks.”
Recent improvements at Memorial Park, including new restrooms, picnic tables and much more, were paid for in part with the half-cent Measure K local sales tax.
Later this year, San Mateo County Parks will open Tunitas Creek Beach, its first coastal recreation beach.
Back at the picnic table, Rita and Barry Peppers, the grandparents from Pacifica, were enjoying making fresh memories with Nathan and Carson, who reminded a visitor, “I’m 4. I’m 4.” They had already spied fish in Pescadero Creek, a treat the 66-year-old Barry Peppers remembers from his childhood.
“I probably came here the first time, either 1959 or ’60,” Barry Peppers said. “I probably just started walking when I first came here.”
“It’s just a great park,” Rita Peppers added. “I love the redwoods.”
