Kid-Friendly Hiking Trails & Nature Walks

Explore the best kid-friendly hiking trails & nature walks options for kids and families in Capitola

Enchanted Trail Trailhead

Enchanted Trail Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic trail

Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Pogonip Open Space

Pogonip Open Space

Scenic sloped park with hiking & biking. Scenic open space offering a hiking & biking trail network amid redwood & oak forests & slopes.

The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park

The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park

Outdoor destination for hiking & biking. Hiking, biking & jogging trails on varied terrain rising from sea level to steep coastal mountains.

Powder Mill Trail

Powder Mill Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Natural Bridges Monarch Trail

Natural Bridges Monarch Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Moore Creek Preserve

Moore Creek Preserve

Open meadows with trails & scenic views. This 246-acre greenbelt offers hiking trails through grassy plains with views of the Monterey Bay.

UCSC Upper Campus Natural Reserve

UCSC Upper Campus Natural Reserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Garden of Eden - Henry Cowell Redwood State Park

Garden of Eden - Henry Cowell Redwood State Park

Wooded hiking area with a swimming hole. Picturesque wilderness area featuring a riverside loop trail & a natural swimming hole.

Wilder Beach Overlook

Wilder Beach Overlook

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Wilder Ranch State Park

Wilder Ranch State Park

Picnic areas, trails & horseback riding. Natural landscape with diverse activities including hiking trails, picnic areas & horseback riding.

East Glenwood Preserve

East Glenwood Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Bear Mountain

Bear Mountain

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Redwood Grove Loop Trail

Redwood Grove Loop Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

West Glenwood Preserve

West Glenwood Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Soquel Demonstration State Forest

Soquel Demonstration State Forest

Natural area with mountain biking trails. Scenic forested park featuring redwoods, natural springs & a series of cycling trails.

Fall Creek Unit

Fall Creek Unit

Forest hiking trails in a canyon. State park offers hiking & other outdoor activities among redwoods & Douglas firs in a wild canyon.

Coast Dairies State Beaches

Coast Dairies State Beaches

Beaches & bluffs along the Coastal Trail. A series of small beaches with bluffs & rock formations following a stretch of the Coastal Trail.

Loch Lomond Recreation Area

Loch Lomond Recreation Area

Reservoir park for fishing & boating. Scenic 175-acre reservoir park for fishing, boating & hiking (seasonal & can be closed by drought).

Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve

Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve

Hiking trails, wildlife & dramatic views. 18,000-acre wilderness area in mountainous terrain with hiking trails, wildlife & valley views.

Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve

Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Lexington Reservoir County Park

Lexington Reservoir County Park

Hiking, boating & fishing destination. Scenic park & reservoir featuring hiking trails, picnic areas, a boat launch & shoreline fishing.

Almaden Quicksilver County Park

Almaden Quicksilver County Park

Natural landscape with pedestrian trails. County park with a history of mining offers hiking, biking & equestrian trails amid wildflowers.

St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve

St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve

Demanding trails in a dog-friendly space. This 270-acre site welcomes dogs & provides challenging trails for hikers, bikers & equestrians.

Elkhorn Slough Reserve

Elkhorn Slough Reserve

Marsh preserve with trails & ample fauna. Tidal salt marsh that is home to birds, otters, seals & many other animals, with boardwalk trails.

Rancho San Vicente Open Space Preserve

Rancho San Vicente Open Space Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Trailhead, Lexington Dam Loop

Trailhead, Lexington Dam Loop

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve

Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Villa Montalvo Lookout Point

Villa Montalvo Lookout Point

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Sanborn County Park

Sanborn County Park

Lush forested park with camping & hiking. Verdant wooded park featuring RV/tent campsites, plus picnic areas & over 15 miles of hiking trails.

Castle Rock Trail

Castle Rock Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Castle Rock State Park

Castle Rock State Park

Camping, hiking & horseback riding. Park offering 34 miles of hiking & horseback riding trails among redwoods & other regional trees.

Marina Dunes Preserve

Marina Dunes Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Los Gatos Creek Trail

Los Gatos Creek Trail

Creekside trail through parkland. Paved track for walkers, cyclists & other non-motorized transport alongside the Los Gatos Creek.

Los Gatos Creek County Park

Los Gatos Creek County Park

Dog-friendly outdoor spot with AstroTurf. Dog-friendly public space with an AstroTurf lawn, hiking trails, bicycle paths & fishing ponds.

Coyote Creek Trail

Coyote Creek Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve

Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Fremont Older Open Space Preserve

Fremont Older Open Space Preserve

Year-round hiking & biking with vistas. Scenic spread on 739 acres with rolling views & trails for hiking, biking & horseback riding.

Parker Ranch Trailhead

Parker Ranch Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Fort Ord Dunes State Park

Fort Ord Dunes State Park

Park with ocean beach & bluff-top views. A trail leads to the beach in this park with a bluff-top platform offering views of Monterey Bay.

Los Gatos Creek Trail, St. Elizabeth Dr Entrance

Los Gatos Creek Trail, St. Elizabeth Dr Entrance

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve

Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve

Winery & hiking trails through orchards. 308-acre park offering 3.7 miles of trails amid orchards & woodlands, a winery & weekly activities.

Heart Shaped Rock-Love Rock

Heart Shaped Rock-Love Rock

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Fort Ord Dunes Trail

Fort Ord Dunes Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Stevens Creek Reservoir

Stevens Creek Reservoir

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Asilomar Trail

Asilomar Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Long Ridge Open Space Preserve

Long Ridge Open Space Preserve

Tree-filled space with hiking & biking. Lush, hilly park with multiple hiking & biking opportunities along with long-distance views.

Lovers Point Park

Lovers Point Park

Small beachside recreation spot. Petite beach park with swimming, surfing & other water recreation, plus kayak & bike rentals & more.

Berwick Park

Berwick Park

Ocean views, picnic spots & wildlife. 1-acre park boasting ocean vistas, picnic spots & a grassy lawn, plus hiking & biking trails.

McClellan Ranch Preserve

McClellan Ranch Preserve

Former horse ranch with a nature museum. Former horse ranch from the 1930s featuring a nature museum, community garden & historic buildings.

Eolian Dunes Preserve

Eolian Dunes Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Monterey peninsula recreational trail

Monterey peninsula recreational trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Huckleberry Hill Loop Trailhead

Huckleberry Hill Loop Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Deer Hollow Farm Trailhead

Deer Hollow Farm Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

SFB Morse Botanical Reserve

SFB Morse Botanical Reserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve

Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve

Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve

Lake, scenic vistas & miles of trails. Varied landscape including 11 miles of trails, lake, meadows & ridge views in a 2,143-acre preserve.

Rancho San Antonio County Park & Open Space Preserve

Rancho San Antonio County Park & Open Space Preserve

Hiking area featuring a working farm. Rural nature preserve with 25 miles of hiking trails, plus a working farm & a model plane launch.

Huckleberry Hill

Huckleberry Hill

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Monte Bello Open Space Preserve

Monte Bello Open Space Preserve

Destination for scenic views & trails. Large area with views of Santa Clara Valley & trails, including one for biking & horseback riding.

Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve

Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve

3,137-acre park with diverse plant life. Massive 3,137-acre green space with many trails & a wide range of plant life & wildflowers.

Jacks Peak Park

Jacks Peak Park

Pine forest hikes & vista views. Hiking & horseback trails wind 8+ miles through a Monterey pine forest to a peak with vista views.

Hidden Villa Hiking Trails

Hidden Villa Hiking Trails

Visit this great place for kids and families!

ZQP Trail to Beach

ZQP Trail to Beach

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Redwood Grove Nature Preserve

Redwood Grove Nature Preserve

Redwood forest with a boardwalk. This 6-acre Redwood forest features a boardwalk, observation decks, picnic tables & a rose garden.

Explore More Activities

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