Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
Palo Alto authorities will impose new temporary restrictions on access to Foothills Park nature reserve starting this Saturday, due to the increase in the number of visitors since it opened to the general public last month.
Thus, the city council will close the doors of the park temporarily on weekends during peak hours - from 10:00 to 15:00 h - as well as on holidays, and is preparing to consider additional measures to limit visits.
These measures include charging a parking fee, as well as reducing the number of people who could be in the park at the same time, where the current limit is 750, according to an announcement issued by city authorities on Thursday.
The 1,400-acre reserve, which was long restricted to visitors, has reached its limit of 750 people several times since it officially opened to the general public on Dec. 17.
The busiest hours in the park have been between 10:00 and 15:00 on weekends, which creates safety problems and dangers on the road, so a large number of visitors have had to be turned away.
"This temporary measure is to help manage the number of visitors to the park and provide a safe, enjoyable and consistent experience for visitors," the city announcement said.
It should be noted that among the closures and limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic are the Interpretive Center, the canoe rental, the fountains, the Oak Grove group barbecue sites and all individual barbecues, except for the Orchard Glen picnic area.
While the trails, bathrooms, picnic table area - only one home per site, only the Orchard Glen barbecues - and park benches remain open, some with limitations.
The city of Palo Alto encourages visitors to respect other visitors and to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from people who do not live in the same house, as well as to be careful of snakes, ticks and poisonous oak.
