Garin Regional Park facts for kids

Looking west from the park, with the city of Hayward and the San Francisco Peninsula in the distance.

Garin Regional Park is a fun place to explore in Hayward, California. It is part of the East Bay Regional Parks system. This park is right next to its sister park, Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park.

The land for Garin Regional Park used to be a ranch owned by Andrew J. Garin. He sold it to the park district in 1966. Inside the park, you can find a special historical spot called "Ukraina Honcharenko." This was the home of Agapius Honcharenko, a person from Ukraine who moved here. It is now a California Historical Landmark.

The park is located behind the California State University, East Bay campus. It also connects to Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park to the south. Some hills in the park are as tall as 1,500 feet! There are many trails for walking and exploring. Some old trails are fenced off, but they lead deep into the forest.

A wide view of a watering hole near a ridge in Garin Regional Park.

Garin Regional Park is a popular spot for high school cross-country running. The Hayward Area Athletic League uses it for races. It is the home course for Moreau Catholic High School. Because the trails are very hilly, race times here are usually slower than on flatter courses. The 2-mile and 3-mile trails climb up the hills at the front of the park. From these hills, you can see the entire San Francisco Bay!

The park also has a small, old apple orchard. It grows special kinds of apples called heirloom varieties. Every late summer, the park hosts the Garin Apple Festival. You can taste different kinds of apples there.

Ukraina: A Historical Site in the Park

Ukraina was the home of Agapius Honcharenko and his wife, Albina. It is also where they are buried. This special spot is inside Garin Regional Park. It became a California Historical Landmark on May 15, 1999.

Honcharenko lived on this 40-acre property for 43 years. This was during the late 1800s and early 1900s. In 1902, a group of Ukrainian Canadians moved to the area. They tried to create a community, or a "commune," on the property. However, this group eventually broke up because of disagreements.

Honcharenko continued to live and work on the property until he passed away in 1916. After his death, the Meillke family owned the property until 1991. Then, the East Bay Regional Park District bought the land.

It took about 30 years for Ukraina to become a historical landmark. This was because different groups disagreed about Honcharenko's background. Eventually, it was decided that he belonged to the Ukrainian community. The Ukrainian American Honcharenko Committee then named the place "Ukraina."

Today, you can visit the gravesite of the Honcharenkos. You can also see the old foundation of a chicken coop. There is also a small grotto that Honcharenko used for religious purposes. This grotto is a small cave, about six feet by three feet. It was carved out of a sandstone cliff. You can even see old wall paintings inside the grotto!

Honcharenko's house stood on the property until the 1950s. The Meillke family had to tear it down because people were damaging it. However, some olive trees that Honcharenko planted are still growing there today. About 400 people of Ukrainian descent came to the dedication ceremony in 1999.