photo credit: Noah Abrams/KRCB
The Spring Lake Regional Park swim lagoon.

We're about a month into summer, and so far meteorologists say the Bay Area is experiencing one of the coldest starts to summer in decades.

But, when it does heat up, Santa Rosa's got the perfect place to cool off, especially if you're looking to make a splash.

"Spring Lake is the living room of Sonoma County," said Mark Morley.

Morley is a parks program manager for Sonoma County Regional Parks. He said if you're looking for something easy, fun, and cool on a warm summer's day, Spring Lake is the place to go.

"So many people converge here each year to experience, especially in the summertime, to experience just activities that maybe they wouldn't be able to experience otherwise," Morley said. "I am really proud of how Regional Parks makes a lot of these opportunities accessible and does it in a way that's really affordable for most community members."

There's something for everyone, not just on or in the water, said Sidney Stroud

"I'm a park aide here at Spring Lake, this is my third year working at the lagoon," Stroud said. "[Spring Lake] has always been a local hot-spot for me growing up, whether that was riding bikes or running."

The main draw, Morley said, for kids from across Sonoma County, and even parents, is the swim lagoon.

"There are no sharks, there's a few geese," Morley joked. "You can go, you know, sit under the shade and enjoy your lunch or zone out on your cell phone, whatever floats your boat, while the kids play on the inflatable water park. We have lifeguards guarding it at all times, including a lifeguard who's on a paddle board."

Another big part of summers at Spring Lake is training for the next generation of lifeguards said Maverick Cheney.

"Yes, there's two sections, there's the recruits who are getting on-boarded to become lifeguards," Cheney said. "They're like 16 and above, and then we are a part of a junior lifeguard camp. And our CIT's, like our counselors-in-training are called lifeguards-in-training."

Sidney Stroud said, "watching these professionals do their job and save lives has been inspirational."

Cheney said there's plenty to keep coming back for, year after year.

"I have been doing life-guarding for about five years now, so a long time, longer than I thought I'd be at any job," Cheney said. "I did camps when I was nine, and then I became a counselor, and so the Junior guard camp is a great place to kind of get introduced to it. Then I became a lifeguard at 17 years old. I would've done it sooner, but COVID, couldn't do it."

Cheney said Spring Lake lagoon is a great place to learn for new lifeguards.

"So you start off, we're doing morning rotations, learn about CPR and first aid, and then usually a game or two," Cheney said. "We got our amazing counselors leading some really fun and energetic stuff, and then we get to hop into the water park after lunch. We play on that for like 30 minutes every single day."

"Finally, we come in, we start doing water skills, like water rescues, getting on surfboards," Cheney said. "I mean, we really hit all bases. You're using a tube and you're bringing your drowning victim in and it is some fun stuff. And then usually finish off with a game or two."

You can find out more about classes, swim sessions, summer camps, the Environmental Discovery Center, and all that Spring Lake has to offer on the Sonoma County Regional Parks website.