Hazel Meadow Day Use Area

HELIX staff provided restoration design services for Hazel Meadow Day Use area within the Sly Park Recreation Area in El Dorado County, California. The restoration project was designed to balance the ecological recovery of the site with managed recreational access. We prepared a conceptual plan and construction documents for a boardwalk, viewing platform, drainage swale, and foot bridges. An existing trail that runs through the middle of the meadow was relocated and replaced with separated alignments for equestrians and pedestrians/cyclists. Areas were planted with native species and a floodplain was enlarged to facilitate erosion control. Access to the reservoir shoreline through the meadow was replaced by an elevated boardwalk. The boardwalk terminates at a platform structure that incorporates seating and interpretive signage. The project complied with the Sly Park Recreation Area Master Plan Design Standards and Guidelines including requirements for the use of sustainable products. Project staff also developed and designed the interpretive signs along the boardwalk.

The California Rural Water Association awarded the El Dorado Irrigation District the California Environmental Protection award for the successful Hazel Meadow restoration project at Sly Park. Project staff were recognized for their contributions to the success of the project.