Best Parks for Outdoor Fun
Explore the best best parks for outdoor fun options for kids and families in San Mateo
San Mateo Central Park
Japanese gardens & an ice-skating rink. Vibrant, 16-acre park featuring Japanese gardens, a mini train ride, playground & ice-skating rink.
Ryder Park
A playground, splash pad & picnic area. Neighborhood park with striking, modern picnic pavilions, BBQs, a playground & seasonal splash pad.
Washington Park
Playground, ball fields & courts. City park with baseball & soccer fields, tennis & basketball courts, plus a playground.
Magic Mountain Playground
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Coyote Point Recreation Area
Large playground, trails & picnic areas. Bayside park offering a sizable playground with 6 slides, as well as trails & picnic areas.
Robert E. Woolley State Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Laurelwood Park
Hiking trails to Sugarloaf Mountain. The city's largest park (225 acres) offers trails leading to Sugarloaf Mountain & scenic picnicking.
Leo J. Ryan Park
Waterfront green space with a boardwalk. Lakeside park featuring a boardwalk, boat launch & grassy areas, plus tennis & basketball courts.
Village Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Bayfront Park
Waterside park for airport watching. Small bayside park next to the airport, with a walking trail & benches for watching the planes land.
Central Park
Sports field, tennis courts & playground. This 13-acre recreational area features tennis courts, a playing field, picnic spots & a playground.
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 Bruno City Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Junipero Serra Park
Park with impressive views of city & bay. Park offering picnic areas, a creek & walking trails plus scenic views of the city, bay & mountains.
Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve
Woodland hiking & grassland wildflowers. 467 acres of woodlands & grasslands known for its hiking, wildflowers, bird-watching & scenic views.
Stafford Park
Open space for picnicking & play. Small community park with picnic tables, playground equipment & a separate play area for toddlers.
Frontierland Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Red Morton Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
San Pedro Valley Park
Scenic hiking trails & picnic areas. Park boasting a visitor center & seasonal waterfall plus picnic areas with BBQ pits & hiking trails.
Stulsaft Park
Trails, playground, picnics & water fun. A 42-acre park featuring wooded trails as well as a playground, summer water feature & picnic area.
Huddart Park
Forested area with trails & picnic spots. This 900-acre, forested park offers hiking & riding trails, plus picnic areas & an archery range.
Alta Loma Park
Park with tennis & basketball courts. Open city park with a basketball & tennis court, playing fields & a playground.
Bedwell Bayfront Park
Oceanside park with trails & fields. Large bayside park with expansive open spaces for flying kites & several hiking trails.
McNee Ranch State Park
Mountain trails with scenic ocean views. Steep mountainside trails for hiking, biking & dogwalking, with sweeping views of the Pacific below.
Gray Whale Cove State Beach
Sheltered cove surrounded by cliffs. Cliffs surround this sandy beach, where whales are often spotted close to the shore.
J V Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
Protected intertidal zone & beach. 3-mi. stretch of beach & tide pools full of marine life, including sea stars, octopuses & crabs.
San Bruno Mountain State & County Park
Hiking trails & picnic spots with views. Mountain recreation space featuring city & bay views, hiking trails, picnic areas & open meadows.
Hayward Regional Shoreline
Vast wetlands park home to nesting birds. Spacious wetlands park boasting gravelled, shoreline trails known for birdwatching & jogging.
Hillside Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Mussel Rock Park
Coastal park with scenic vistas & trails. Known for its rocky coastline, this park boasts sandy beaches, scenic ocean vistas & hiking trails.
Marina Park
Shoreline park with mile-long trail. 30-acre park along the shore with picnic tables, a mile-long workout trail & large group shelters.
McLaren Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Coyote Hills Regional Park
Picnicking, hiking & biking trails. 1,266 acres of rolling hills for picnicking, bird-watching, biking, hiking & nature exploration.
Eleanor Pardee Park
Grassy fields, playgrounds & gardens. Neighborhood park with playgrounds, grassy fields, community gardens & a multipurpose concrete bowl.
Kennedy Park
Green space with many amenities for kids. Big, popular park with a playground, petting zoo & train, plus greenery, trails & picnic areas.
Bernal Heights Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Baylands Nature Preserve
Marshland with trails & bird-watching. Vast marshland with 15 mi. of trails for walking, running & biking, plus bird-watching & kayaking.
Crane Cove Park
Beach, industrial relics & harbor views. Reclaimed area in a former shipyard, with a small beach for water sports & views of passing boats.
Meek Park
Mansion grounds with gardens & play area. Landscaped grounds of a historic mansion with play structures, picnic space with grills & open lawn.
Byxbee Park
Public park with earthworks & art. Birdwatching, cycling & walking are popular at this park with sculpted earth & conceptual art.
Helen Diller Playground
Play area with a climbing wall & slides. Climbing structures, sand boxes & swings in an adventure playground with a long, twisting slide.
Cornelis Bol Park
Long paths & a native plant garden. 13.8-acre city park featuring multi-use trails, a playground & a native plant garden.
Mission Dolores Park
Neighborhood green space with city views. Locals of all ages gather at this outdoor hot spot for picnics & people-watching.
Windy Hill Open Space Preserve
Forested fields for hiking & picnicking. Open grasslands & forest area with 12 miles of trails for hiking, bicycling & horseback-riding.
Tennyson Park
Play area, skate park & baseball field. Public green space with amenities such as a playground, skate park, lawn & baseball field.
Mitchell Park
Recreational activities for all ages. Grassy park with tennis/handball courts, horseshoe pits, playgrounds, splash pad & a fenced dog run.
Magical Bridge Playground
Play structures around a grassy mound. Slides, swings & climbing frames around an artificial hill, plus a treehouse & bridge.
Corona Heights Park
Busy park with picturesque views. Bustling, hilly park featuring hiking trails & sweeping, scenic city vistas.
Jean Sweeney Open Space Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Yerba Buena Gardens
Public park & cultural space. Several gardens share space with dramatic outdoor public art pieces, including a memorial waterfall.
Chabot Park
Disc golf, fishing & forested hikes. Leafy nature area with a big lake, hiking trails & a disc golf course, popular for fishing & biking.
Lake Chabot Regional Park
Scenic park for hikes, boating & fishing. Parkland featuring a 315-acre reservoir for canoeing & fishing, plus trails, picnic areas & a cafe.
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.
Rincon Park
Park with bridge views & a sculpture. Waterfront park with a promenade & a giant bow & arrow sculpture, plus Bay Bridge views.
San Francisco Botanical Garden
Green refuge with rare plant collections. 55 acres of serene gardens showcasing diverse plants from around the world & a magnolia collection.
Huntington Park
Grand park with a fountain atop Nob Hill. Manicured green space on Nob Hill with an elaborate fountain, native plantings & benches.
Hellman Hollow Picnic Area
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Middle Harbor Shoreline Park
Bayside trails & panoramic bay views. Public preserve with trails, BBQs, an amphitheater & sweeping views of the bay & San Francisco.
Charles F Kennedy Park
Play area, ball field & amphitheater. Green space with a playground, baseball field, amphitheater & occasional community events.
Lafayette Park
Green space for picnics & scenic views. Puppies & picnickers pack this hilltop park, which includes a playground & tennis courts.
Garin Regional Park
Hills, fields, streams & farming history. This natural area with hills, fields & streams houses a seasonal visitor center on ranching history.
Ina Coolbrith Park
Compact green space with urban views. This pint-sized, unassuming tract features a steep path & views of the city & bay.
Knowland Park
Undeveloped area with diverse wildlife. This open, largely undeveloped park is the habitat for many native plants & animals.
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