The Elk Grove Regional Park is located within the city of Elk Grove and is overseen by the Cosumnes Community Services District (CSD). Its 122 acres include picnic areas, an Aquatic Center, baseball and softball fields, a dog park, horseshoe pits, a multi-use trail and a manmade lake.
- Easy to Locate? Yes
- Pet Friendly? Yes. Dogs MUST be on a leash.
- Easy to Walk? Yes. Paved walkways and well-maintained trails. Zero to very little elevation gain.
- Is there a Fee? No.
- Are there Restrooms? Yes. At various locations along the trail that surrounds the park
- Is there Accessible Parking? Yes.
- Other Notes: It’s pretty but it’s too “manicured”, too “Stepford” for me. There are gorgeous heritage oaks (including Black Oaks and Interior Live Oaks), Coast Redwoods, pine trees, Weeping Willows, and others trees on the grounds that provide a lot of shade, but they’re trimmed up so high you can’t touch the leaves. So, nature is around you, but you can’t really interact with it very much. I’d prefer something more “scruffy” that I can explore, not just stand in as though it’s a museum.
See my FLICKR account for more albums of photos taken at this location.
The pavilions and picnic areas can be secured by reservation. The park is well maintained and generally tidy even after a busy weekend.
In and around the lake look for resident geese and ducks, Yellow-Billed Magpies, Black Phoebes, Robins, and other birds. The spot is also occasionally visited by colorful Mandarin Ducks.
According to the CSD: Elk Grove Regional Park has been a gathering place since the late 1800’s. The property was sold in 1903 with plans to cut the beautiful Oak trees for lumber. Thankfully, a young woman by the name of Jennie McConnell decided to sell shares to the citizens of Elk Grove for $5 each in order to purchase the property to turn it into a park. After purchasing, the community built an open-air dance platform, a baseball diamond and horse trough. The park quickly became a place for the community to get-together for picnics and events.
In 1936 the Elk Grove Park District was formed, the first in California, by resident votes to maintain the park with a minimal tax. In 1960, the operations and maintenance of the park was transferred to the County of Sacramento and it became known as the Elk Grove Regional Park. Sacramento County acquired 94 more acres and built the Pavilion, softball complex, group picnic areas, the horse arena, Strauss Island and renovated the pool. A 7.5-acre lake was added including a ½-acre island.
How to Get to the Park
From Sacramento:
- Take Highway 99 South
- Use Exit 286
- Take the 2nd lane from the left to turn LEFT onto Elk Grove Blvd.
- Turn RIGHT onto East Stockton Blvd.
- Turn LEFT onto Park Way
- Turn RIGHT onto Park Road
- Turn LEFT into the parking lot