The hills behind Cal State East Bay hide one of the East Bay's more unusual stories. Garin Regional Park and its neighbor, Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park, began as 19th-century ranches. Today, the East Bay Regional Park District says, they cover more than 5,800 acres with more than 35 miles of trails through narrow valleys and rolling hills.

From ranch to park

The park is on the old Garin Ranch, which Andrew J. Garin sold to the park district in 1966. It borders Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park to the south, and its summits reach about 1,500 feet. From the hills near the entrance you can see the whole bay.

The park keeps a small historic orchard of heirloom apple varieties and hosts the Garin Apple Festival in late summer. Local high schools also race here: it's a cross-country course for the Hayward Area Athletic League and the home course of Moreau Catholic High School. Because of the hills, race times tend to be slow.

Ukraina

Inside the park is Ukraina, a California Historical Landmark dedicated on May 15, 1999. It was the home and final resting place of Agapius Honcharenko, a Ukrainian political émigré, and his wife, Albina. Honcharenko lived on the 40-acre property for 43 years, until his death in 1916.

In 1902 a group of Ukrainian Canadians moved in and the property briefly became a commune, which broke up over management disagreements. The park district bought the land in 1991. What remains are the couple's graves, olive trees Honcharenko planted, the foundation of a chicken coop and a small grotto cut into a sandstone cliff, with wall paintings, that he used for religious purposes.

The dedication took about 30 years, partly because Russian-American and Ukrainian-American communities disagreed over whom Honcharenko "belonged" to. About 400 people of Ukrainian descent attended the 1999 ceremony.

Plan your visit

The main entrance is at 1580 Garin Ave. in Hayward. Starting Nov. 1, gate hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Parking is $5 per vehicle when the kiosk is staffed. Note that Dry Creek Garden is closed until further notice because of storm damage.