Kid-Friendly Hiking Trails & Nature Walks
Explore the best kid-friendly hiking trails & nature walks options for kids and families in Palo Alto
Nature Reservation Bedwell
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Baylands Nature Preserve
Marshland with trails & bird-watching. Vast marshland with 15 mi. of trails for walking, running & biking, plus bird-watching & kayaking.
Ravenswood Open Space Preserve
Large area with marshland & trails. Scenic 376-acre preserve featuring marshland, observation decks & trails for walking & bicycling.
Bedwell Bayfront Park
Oceanside park with trails & fields. Large bayside park with expansive open spaces for flying kites & several hiking trails.
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.
Dumbarton Bridge Vista Point and Trail
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Pearson-Arastradero Preserve
Hiking, biking & horseback riding. Dog-friendly open space with an interpretive center, plus marked hiking, biking & equestrian trails.
Arastradero Preserve Vista Point
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Bair Island Wildlife Refuge & Trail
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Stevens Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area Preserve
Bayfront reserve for hiking & birding. Waterfront nature preserve with a half-mile hiking trail offering birdwatching opportunities.
Redwood Grove Nature Preserve
Redwood forest with a boardwalk. This 6-acre Redwood forest features a boardwalk, observation decks, picnic tables & a rose garden.
Byrne Preserve
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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.
Hidden Villa Hiking Trails
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Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve
Woodland hiking & grassland wildflowers. 467 acres of woodlands & grasslands known for its hiking, wildflowers, bird-watching & scenic views.
Windy Hill Open Space Preserve
Forested fields for hiking & picnicking. Open grasslands & forest area with 12 miles of trails for hiking, bicycling & horseback-riding.
Big Canyon Park
Rugged hiking trails & scenic views. Hilly city park featuring rugged, narrow hiking trails with benches & panoramic views.
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.
San Francisco Bay Trail
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Sunnyvale Bay Trail
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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.
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.
Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve
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Coyote Hills Regional Park
Picnicking, hiking & biking trails. 1,266 acres of rolling hills for picnicking, bird-watching, biking, hiking & nature exploration.
Deer Hollow Farm Trailhead
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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.
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.
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.
Alameda Creek Regional Trail
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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.
Alviso Marina County Park
Popular hiking & bird-watching site. Hiking, biking & bird-watching are popular activities at this bayside park with paths & boardwalks.
Laurelwood Park
Hiking trails to Sugarloaf Mountain. The city's largest park (225 acres) offers trails leading to Sugarloaf Mountain & scenic picnicking.
McClellan Ranch Preserve
Former horse ranch with a nature museum. Former horse ranch from the 1930s featuring a nature museum, community garden & historic buildings.
Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve
Trails, towering trees & scenic vistas. Mountainside area with tall trees, offering canyon hikes, biking trails & horse-riding paths.
Stevens Creek Reservoir
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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.
Lower Guadalupe River Trail
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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.
Ulistac Natural Area
Rustic park with native plantings. Rustic riverside park boasting trails, bird-watching & a range of native plants on 40 acres.
Long Ridge Open Space Preserve
Tree-filled space with hiking & biking. Lush, hilly park with multiple hiking & biking opportunities along with long-distance views.
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
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Crystal Springs Regional Trail (South of Dam Segment)
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Sawyer Camp Trail South Trailhead
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Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve
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Hayward Regional Shoreline
Vast wetlands park home to nesting birds. Spacious wetlands park boasting gravelled, shoreline trails known for birdwatching & jogging.
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.
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.
Garin Regional Park
Hills, fields, streams & farming history. This natural area with hills, fields & streams houses a seasonal visitor center on ranching history.
High Ridge Loop Trail Head
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Castle Rock State Park
Camping, hiking & horseback riding. Park offering 34 miles of hiking & horseback riding trails among redwoods & other regional trees.
Mission Peak Trail Second View Point (Mission Hills)
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Castle Rock Trail
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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.
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.
Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail
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Mills Canyon Park
Park with a woodland hiking loop. Public park featuring an unpaved hiking trail loop through forestland with a creek.
Mills Canyon - Arguello
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San Lorenzo Bay Trail
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Villa Montalvo Lookout Point
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Half Moon Bay
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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.
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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