Sempervirens Fund Wins Approval for New Facilities at Silicon Valley’s “Hidden Gem,” Castle Rock State Park

Conceptual drawing of new facilities and entrance for Castle Rock State Park by Callander Associates.

On September 30, 2014, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved major new facilities and infrastructure to modernize Castle Rock State Park. The project is an integral component of Sempervirens Fund’s Great Park Campaign.

Here’s an excerpt from the San Jose Mercury News article discussing the project and Castle Rock’s important Silicon Valley history:

“If Silicon Valley had an official state park, it would be Castle Rock.”

The 5,200-acre preserve, located on Skyline Boulevard at the Santa Clara-Santa Cruz county line, was born when technology pioneer Russell Varian began efforts to purchase the land in the 1950s. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison hiked there with Steve Jobs in the 1990s and discussed plans to remake Apple.

Now, a Los Altos nonprofit group is trying to make the park more accessible to the public. The Sempervirens Fund is proposing a $7.7 million plan to build a visitor center and a grand entrance, among other features.

Read the full San Jose Mercury News article here: Castle Rock State Park: Grand new entrance proposed for Silicon Valley’s hidden gem

And learn more about the Castle Rock project and the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors decision in the Santa Cruz Sentinel: Grand entrance for Castle Rock approved