Kid-Friendly Hiking Trails & Nature Walks
Explore the best kid-friendly hiking trails & nature walks options for kids and families in San Mateo
Laurelwood Park
Hiking trails to Sugarloaf Mountain. The city's largest park (225 acres) offers trails leading to Sugarloaf Mountain & scenic picnicking.
Sawyer Camp Trail South Trailhead
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Crystal Springs Regional Trail (South of Dam Segment)
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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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Bayfront Park
Waterside park for airport watching. Small bayside park next to the airport, with a walking trail & benches for watching the planes land.
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.
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.
Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve
Woodland hiking & grassland wildflowers. 467 acres of woodlands & grasslands known for its hiking, wildflowers, bird-watching & scenic views.
Bair Island Wildlife Refuge & Trail
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Sweeney Ridge Trail
Historic spot with multi-use trails. Multi-use trails draw visitors to where San Francisco Bay was first discovered by Europeans.
San Francisco Bay Trail, South San Francisco, CA 94080
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San Pedro Valley Park
Scenic hiking trails & picnic areas. Park boasting a visitor center & seasonal waterfall plus picnic areas with BBQ pits & hiking trails.
Montara Mountain Trailhead
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South San Francisco Sign Hill Trailhead
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Half Moon Bay
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Brisbane Lagoon
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Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail
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Sweeney Ridge Trailhead
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Mori Point Hiking Area
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Mori Point Trail Head
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Bedwell Bayfront Park
Oceanside park with trails & fields. Large bayside park with expansive open spaces for flying kites & several hiking trails.
Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve
Trails, towering trees & scenic vistas. Mountainside area with tall trees, offering canyon hikes, biking trails & horse-riding paths.
McNee Ranch State Park
Mountain trails with scenic ocean views. Steep mountainside trails for hiking, biking & dogwalking, with sweeping views of the Pacific below.
Devil's Slide Trail (South Parking Lot)
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Nature Reservation Bedwell
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Esplanade Beach Overlook Trail
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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.
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.
Crocker Gate Trailhead
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Dumbarton Bridge Vista Point and Trail
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Mussel Rock Park
Coastal park with scenic vistas & trails. Known for its rocky coastline, this park boasts sandy beaches, scenic ocean vistas & hiking trails.
San Lorenzo Bay Trail
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Harbor Bay Trail
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Ravenswood Open Space Preserve
Large area with marshland & trails. Scenic 376-acre preserve featuring marshland, observation decks & trails for walking & bicycling.
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.
Coyote Hills Regional Park
Picnicking, hiking & biking trails. 1,266 acres of rolling hills for picnicking, bird-watching, biking, hiking & nature exploration.
Sea View Pkwy, SF Bay Trail Access
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Glen Canyon Creeks to Peaks Trailhead
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Glen Canyon Park
67-acre park along a deep canyon. A deep canyon runs through this park, which features sports fields, tennis courts & playgrounds.
Alameda Creek Regional Trail
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.
Pearson-Arastradero Preserve
Hiking, biking & horseback riding. Dog-friendly open space with an interpretive center, plus marked hiking, biking & equestrian trails.
Windy Hill Open Space Preserve
Forested fields for hiking & picnicking. Open grasslands & forest area with 12 miles of trails for hiking, bicycling & horseback-riding.
Arastradero Preserve Vista Point
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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.
Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve
Urban green space with hiking trails. Peaceful green space features a variety of meandering trails through lush forest surrounds.
Fairmont Ridge Staging Area
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Alameda Creek Regional Trail - Isherwood Staging Area
Trails used for hiking, biking & horses. Trails running along either side of Alameda Creek, used for running, biking & horseback riding.
San Francisco Bay Trail
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Huntington Falls
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Byrne Preserve
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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
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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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