Ferndale Park
Tucked discreetly north of Irving Road and west of River Road in Santa Clara, Ferndale Park is easily overlooked unless you are trying to find it. It is easy to feel like you might be trespassing while traversing the preserved, natural meadow, meandering from the shade of one lonely tree to the next. The park’s north, west and south boundaries abut the yards of single-family homes, and mouthwatering barbeque smoke fills the air on warm evenings. Indeed, the park does feel like an extension of the private yards that surround it, and you may hesitate to keep exploring for fear you have somehow wandered onto private property. Give yourself a few minutes and the tranquility of this preserve, although it feels out of place and is by no means advertised, will reassure you that your presence here is perfectly legal (between 6:00 am and 11:00 pm), and you have permission to watch the sun set.
Ferndale Park (undeveloped)
Access to the park is limited to pedestrians and there are no obvious parking areas. These are clear indications that the area is most frequented by and meant for the residents living in its immediate vicinity. The only markers denoting the area as public property are the “Park Rules” signs posted at the abrupt dead-ends of Dahlia Street on the north and south perimeter and adjacent to the makeshift parking space on Ferndale Drive. The park features no benches, playgrounds or marked paths but makes for a scenic, natural escape from the sidewalks and fences for the dog-walker or group of after-school kids. Improvements and developments would diversify the ways in which visitors enjoy it, and the future of the park is in fact a topic of neighborhood discussion. Plans for its development are available on the City of Eugene’s website and include a number of projects. While playgrounds and sidewalks are included in the proposal, there is also an evident interest in preserving the existing trees and patches of natural grasses.
Regardless of the specific changes the space will see in the years to come, it is easy to admire the park as a humble communal space and a serene, unexpected getaway less than half a mile from a congested and noisy River Road. For any local resident who lacks the yard space for playing catch, or simply appreciates a refreshing dose of undeveloped meadowland, Ferndale Park is a local perk nestled in what otherwise seems like the average suburb.
