Kid-Friendly Hiking Trails & Nature Walks

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

Ravenswood Open Space Preserve

Ravenswood Open Space Preserve

Large area with marshland & trails. Scenic 376-acre preserve featuring marshland, observation decks & trails for walking & bicycling.

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Nature Reservation Bedwell

Nature Reservation Bedwell

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Dumbarton Bridge Vista Point and Trail

Dumbarton Bridge Vista Point and Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Baylands Nature Preserve

Baylands Nature Preserve

Marshland with trails & bird-watching. Vast marshland with 15 mi. of trails for walking, running & biking, plus bird-watching & kayaking.

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Bedwell Bayfront Park

Bedwell Bayfront Park

Oceanside park with trails & fields. Large bayside park with expansive open spaces for flying kites & several hiking trails.

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Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve Trail

Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve Trail

Entry to 15 miles of multi-use trails. Trailhead leading to 15 miles of multi-use nature trails for hiking, running or cycling.

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Stevens Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area Preserve

Stevens Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area Preserve

Bayfront reserve for hiking & birding. Waterfront nature preserve with a half-mile hiking trail offering birdwatching opportunities.

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Bair Island Wildlife Refuge & Trail

Bair Island Wildlife Refuge & Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Pearson-Arastradero Preserve

Pearson-Arastradero Preserve

Hiking, biking & horseback riding. Dog-friendly open space with an interpretive center, plus marked hiking, biking & equestrian trails.

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Coyote Hills Regional Park

Coyote Hills Regional Park

Picnicking, hiking & biking trails. 1,266 acres of rolling hills for picnicking, bird-watching, biking, hiking & nature exploration.

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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.

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Arastradero Preserve Vista Point

Arastradero Preserve Vista Point

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Byrne Preserve

Byrne Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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San Francisco Bay Trail

San Francisco Bay Trail

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Alameda Creek Regional Trail

Alameda Creek Regional Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Sunnyvale Bay Trail

Sunnyvale Bay Trail

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Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve

Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve

Woodland hiking & grassland wildflowers. 467 acres of woodlands & grasslands known for its hiking, wildflowers, bird-watching & scenic views.

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Foothills Nature Preserve

Foothills Nature Preserve

1,400-acre nature preserve with trails. Miles of trails guide visitors through woodlands & fields, past streams & lakes in this vast park.

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Big Canyon Park

Big Canyon Park

Rugged hiking trails & scenic views. Hilly city park featuring rugged, narrow hiking trails with benches & panoramic views.

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Hidden Villa Hiking Trails

Hidden Villa Hiking Trails

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve

Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve

Preserve with canyon & ridge hikes. Dog-friendly preserve offering 366 acres of open space, with hiking trails through canyons & ridges.

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Eden Landing Ecological Reserve

Eden Landing Ecological Reserve

Large area for bird-watching & hiking. Nature preserve featuring 6,400 acres of salt ponds & marshland, lots of birds & paths for hiking.

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Windy Hill Open Space Preserve

Windy Hill Open Space Preserve

Forested fields for hiking & picnicking. Open grasslands & forest area with 12 miles of trails for hiking, bicycling & horseback-riding.

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Alviso Marina County Park

Alviso Marina County Park

Popular hiking & bird-watching site. Hiking, biking & bird-watching are popular activities at this bayside park with paths & boardwalks.

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Waterdog Lake & Open Space

Waterdog Lake & Open Space

Park with several trails & a small lake. This hilly green park surrounding a small lake has trails of varying lengths, some of them steep.

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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.

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Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve

Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Deer Hollow Farm Trailhead

Deer Hollow Farm Trailhead

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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Lower Guadalupe River Trail

Lower Guadalupe River Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Laurelwood Park

Laurelwood Park

Hiking trails to Sugarloaf Mountain. The city's largest park (225 acres) offers trails leading to Sugarloaf Mountain & scenic picnicking.

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El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve

El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve

Natural forest with sandstone formations. Jumbo natural forest featuring hiking & horseback trails, unique plants & rare sandstone formations.

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Ulistac Natural Area

Ulistac Natural Area

Rustic park with native plantings. Rustic riverside park boasting trails, bird-watching & a range of native plants on 40 acres.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park

Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park

Spacious preserve with trails & a garden. Expansive park featuring trails, a creek, gardens & farm animals, plus a seasonal barn center.

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Hayward Regional Shoreline

Hayward Regional Shoreline

Vast wetlands park home to nesting birds. Spacious wetlands park boasting gravelled, shoreline trails known for birdwatching & jogging.

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Garin Regional Park

Garin Regional Park

Hills, fields, streams & farming history. This natural area with hills, fields & streams houses a seasonal visitor center on ranching history.

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High Ridge Loop Trail Head

High Ridge Loop Trail Head

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Stevens Creek Reservoir

Stevens Creek Reservoir

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

Trails, towering trees & scenic vistas. Mountainside area with tall trees, offering canyon hikes, biking trails & horse-riding paths.

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Crystal Springs Regional Trail (South of Dam Segment)

Crystal Springs Regional Trail (South of Dam Segment)

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Mission Peak Trail Head

Mission Peak Trail Head

Hilly hiking area with scenic views. Open space featuring a steep hiking trail with sweeping valley & bay views from the summit.

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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.

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Sawyer Camp Trail South Trailhead

Sawyer Camp Trail South Trailhead

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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.

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Parker Ranch Trailhead

Parker Ranch Trailhead

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Vargas Plateau Regional Park

Vargas Plateau Regional Park

Hiking trails, birds of prey & sea views. Grasslands & wooded canyons home to eagles & hawks, with gentle walking routes leading to bay views.

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Mission Peak Trail Second View Point (Mission Hills)

Mission Peak Trail Second View Point (Mission Hills)

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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San Lorenzo Bay Trail

San Lorenzo Bay Trail

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve

Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Mission Peak Regional Preserve

Mission Peak Regional Preserve

3,000 mountain acres for recreation. Vast mountain preserve popular for biking, hiking, horseback riding, R/C flying and hang-gliding.

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Mills Canyon Park

Mills Canyon Park

Park with a woodland hiking loop. Public park featuring an unpaved hiking trail loop through forestland with a creek.

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Mills Canyon - Arguello

Mills Canyon - Arguello

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Bayfront Park

Bayfront Park

Waterside park for airport watching. Small bayside park next to the airport, with a walking trail & benches for watching the planes land.

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