Carmen T. Mendoza

Cottonwood Park is a wonderful place to meet, walk, sit, grab a book, read, watch various species at the ponding basin, and run on a beautiful, tree-lined path. This park serves as a wonderful backdrop for Fall pictures and its trails meet two other trails so one can extend the walk/run distance and add some hill work. The park has benches to stretch or read a book and there is a place to sit closer to where it meets the Sugar Pine Trail. Just across the corner of Alluvial and Clovis, the park meets the Dry Creek Trail, one which features a kids' zone and exercise stops.

The Dry Creek Trail in the fall is an awesome place to go for a walk or run. There are definitely times that are more high traffic, e.g., nice weather, weekends, but it is manageable even in a crowded day due to the space to either side of the trail if you adhere to social distancing. Be aware that the majority of the folks are not wearing masks! There are a couple of stations for dog duty bags and a bathroom by the children's park. Many people take their dogs for a walk there and the majority are well behaved (90%). Some stretches are cooler than others due to the shade the trees provide. There's also parking at Sunnyside and Shepherd.