Difference between revisions of "Hollister Hills State Vehicle Recreation Area (SVRA)"

Revision as of 13:11, 29 March 2020

The Hollister Hills State Vehicle Recreation Area (SVRA) is located just south of the City of Hollister in San Benito County, California (Image 1). The park became a designated SVRA as part of the California Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreation program, a state-wide effort to reduce the negative environmental impacts of OHV riding.^[1]

Image 1. Hollister Hills SVRA located in San Benito County, California. ^[1]

History

The Hollister Hills State Vehicle Recreation Area (SVRA) began as 600 acres of privately owned land purchased by Jesse Whitton after an expedition through the area with John C. Fremont in 1846.^[2] In 1959, Jesse Whitton's great grandson, Howard Harris, inherited the land and created a privately operated motorcycle park in the 1950s.^[3][4]

Off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation became increasingly popularized in the 1970s through the onset of dirt bike and motocross racing,^[5] and the desire to ride motorcycles off paved roads surged.^[5] Unmanaged and unrestricted OHV use began raising environmental concerns, resulting in recognition of the need for designated spaces for regulated OHV recreation.^[4][6] In 1975, the Hollister Hills SVRA was acquired by the California State Parks and became the the first of nine SVRAs in California.^[4]

Park Amenities

The park encompasses 6,800 acres of land and a total of 152 miles of trails, 128 of which are designated for OHV use only.^[4] A map of all trails within the SVRA can be found here. While the park is popular for its OHV trails, it also provides several other amenities and recreational opportunities including:

• Hiking, biking, and equestrian riding trails
• Motocross tracks
• Camping
• Special events including:
  • Weddings
  • Film shoots
  • Four-wheel drive vehicle training for local agencies

Environmental Issues and Sustainability Practices

the California Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreation program

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Smith D, Chow K, Luna L. 2016. Six year summary of watershed studies at Hollister Hills State Recreational Vehicle Area: Fall 2010-2016. The Watershed Institute, California State Monterey Bay, Publication No. WI-2016-12, pp 94. http://ccows.csumb.edu/pubs/reports/CCoWS_HHSVRA_Summary_Fall2016_170111.pdf
2. ↑ California State Parks. 2020. Hollister Hills SVRA. http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1179
3. ↑ California State Parks. 2020. Hollister Hills SVRA. http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1179
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Lee E. 2020. off-road paradise. https://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=29942
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} TMS Parts. 2019. The History of dirt biking and motocross. https://blog.tmsparts.com/history-of-dirt-bikes/
6. ↑ Cordell H, Betz C, Green G, Stephens B. 2008. A national report from the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment (NSRE). https://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/ohv/IrisRec1rpt.pdf