Best Parks for Outdoor Fun

Explore the best best parks for outdoor fun options for kids and families in Scotts Valley

Skypark

Skypark

Basketball court & skate park. Diverse activities are available at this public space with a skate park & basketball court.

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The Mystery Spot

The Mystery Spot

Iconic gravity hill offering tours. Opened in 1941, this roadside landmark is a tilt-induced visual illusion with tours & a gift shop.

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Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

Park with campgrounds & hiking trails. Featuring a variety of forested areas, this park offers camping, fishing, hiking & picnic spots.

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DeLaveaga Park

DeLaveaga Park

Picnic, recreational & athletic areas. Grassy space includes picnic areas, playgrounds, sports fields, bocci ball courts, trails & a creek.

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Highlands County Park

Highlands County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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).

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Anna Jean Cummings County Park

Anna Jean Cummings County Park

Big recreational area with a playground. 95-acre park featuring athletic fields & a modern playground, plus a pavilion for BBQs & picnics.

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LEO’s Haven Accessible Playground

LEO’s Haven Accessible Playground

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Chanticleer Ave County Park

Chanticleer Ave County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Westlake Park

Westlake Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Ocean View Park

Ocean View Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Neary Lagoon Park

Neary Lagoon Park

Wildlife habitat with floating walkways. Wildlife refuge with trails & floating walkways, bird-watching areas, tennis courts & a playground.

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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.

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Esplanade Park

Esplanade Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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Moran Lake County Park

Moran Lake County Park

Waterfront space with sand beach. Spacious lakeside & oceanside park offering beach space for fishing, surfing & picnics.

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The Hook County Park

The Hook County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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.

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Pyramid Park

Pyramid Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Natural Bridges Tidepools

Natural Bridges Tidepools

Rock pools with diverse marine life. Public tide pools in the rocks at Natural Bridges State Beach home to anemones, sea stars & crabs.

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Seacliff Village County Park

Seacliff Village County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Aptos Village County Park

Aptos Village County Park

Picnicking, public lawn, gazebo & events. Local recreation area on 10+ acres, with picnic tables, a public lawn, a gazebo & various events.

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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.

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Seascape County Park

Seascape County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Uvas Canyon County Park

Uvas Canyon County Park

Wooded park for camping, picnics & hikes. This sprawling wooded park with waterfalls offers camping, picnicking & 6 miles of hiking trails.

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Vasona Lake County Park

Vasona Lake County Park

Site with a sprawling lawn, trail & lake. Public green space with 45 acres of lawn, a multi-use trail & picnic areas plus a lake with fishing.

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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.

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Houge Park

Houge Park

Playgrounds, barbecues & basketball. Neighborhood park with horseshoe pit, basketball & tennis courts, plus playgrounds & barbecues.

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Almaden Lake Park

Almaden Lake Park

Spot for fishing, hiking & picnicking. Park with a 32-acre lake offering fishing, bocce courts, trails & a seasonal concession stand.

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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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Martial Cottle Park

Martial Cottle Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Stevens Creek County Park

Stevens Creek County Park

Trails, picnic areas & a reservoir. Miles of multi-use trails, shaded picnic areas & a large reservoir for fishing & boating.

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Jollyman Park

Jollyman Park

Quaint place for picnics & sports. This 11.5-acre urban park contains ball fields, a playground & shaded picnic tables.

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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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Willow Street Frank Bramhall Park

Willow Street Frank Bramhall Park

Public green space with sports fields. City park offering shady green space, plus softball fields, basketball & unlighted tennis courts.

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Portal Park

Portal Park

Picnic facilities & recreation center. Small park offering a large, reservable picnic & barbecue area, playground & recreation building.

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Hellyer County Park

Hellyer County Park

Urban park with a multi-use, paved trail. Green space featuring a 15-mile paved trail, plus picnicking, disc golf, a dog park & a velodrome.

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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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Ortega Park

Ortega Park

Recreation spot with a large playground. Park with basketball & tennis courts, a cricket pitch & more, plus lots of kids' play equipment.

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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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Central Park

Central Park

Picnicking, a pool & recreational sports. 52-acre park with 2 playgrounds & athletic courts/fields, plus a swimming pool, picnic area & BBQs.

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Raynor Park

Raynor Park

Play areas, a field & horseshoe pits. Longtime park with dinosaur-themed play areas plus a field, horseshoe pits & picnic areas.

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Serra Park

Serra Park

Tennis courts, ball fields & open lawns. Nature area with tennis courts, ball fields, playground & picnic areas, plus manicured & open space.

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Happy Hollow Park & Zoo

Happy Hollow Park & Zoo

Animals, activities & conservation focus. Small zoo with an array of animals & rides, plus an education center, petting zoo & puppet theater.

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Kelley Park

Kelley Park

172-acre green space with lawn bowling. This park, which contains a zoo & living history museum, offers picnic spots & lawn bowling greens.

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Rotary PlayGarden

Rotary PlayGarden

Accessible children's playground. Interactive & accessible children's playground with slides, climbing equipment & seating areas.

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De Anza Park

De Anza Park

Spanish Aztec-themed picnic & play area. Picnic grounds & play space with basketball, a sports field, horseshoes, skate area & climbing fun.

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Braly Park

Braly Park

Retreat with tennis courts & Asian flair. Park featuring Japanese design plus venues for sand volleyball, horseshoes, shuffleboard & tennis.

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Las Palmas Park

Las Palmas Park

Tiki-themed playground, dog run & more. 24-acre tiki-themed park with a playground, water features, a dog run, tennis courts & bathrooms.

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Emma Prusch Farm Park

Emma Prusch Farm Park

Community farm with orchards & gardens. Compact community farm features heirloom vegetable gardens, orchards, chickens & a fair.

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Cuesta Park

Cuesta Park

Public green space for active locals. With wide-open spaces & shaded parts, this park has a playground, tennis courts & BBQ facilities.

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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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Muwékma Park

Muwékma Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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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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Pioneer Memorial Park

Pioneer Memorial Park

Quaint green space with benches & paths. Small, serene park located next to the library featuring ample benches, walkways & shaded areas.

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Seven Seas Park

Seven Seas Park

Family-friendly recreation & a dog park. Neighborhood gathering place offering a dog park & lots of kid activities including a spray pool.

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Live Oak Park

Live Oak Park

Grass field surrounding a playground. Park grounds with a large grassy area surrounding a sand-floor playground set well off the street.

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Mariposa Park

Mariposa Park

Neighborhood park with a playground. Compact, butterfly-themed park with a playground, seasonal water-play sandbox & picnic tables.

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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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Baylands Park

Baylands Park

Wetlands, trails & recreation areas. Developed park of 70+ acres on San Francisco Bay with playgrounds, trails & a wetlands preserve.

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Cornelis Bol Park

Cornelis Bol Park

Long paths & a native plant garden. 13.8-acre city park featuring multi-use trails, a playground & a native plant garden.

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Alum Rock Park

Alum Rock Park

Large park with mineral springs & trails. Spacious park featuring hiking & biking trails, mineral springs & several picnic areas.

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Magical Bridge Playground

Magical Bridge Playground

Play structures around a grassy mound. Slides, swings & climbing frames around an artificial hill, plus a treehouse & bridge.

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Mitchell Park

Mitchell Park

Recreational activities for all ages. Grassy park with tennis/handball courts, horseshoe pits, playgrounds, splash pad & a fenced dog run.

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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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Glorya Jean Tate Park

Glorya Jean Tate Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Hidden Lake Park

Hidden Lake Park

Scenic green space with a lake. Picturesque destination with a relaxing vibe featuring a lake with ducks & turtles.

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Locke-Paddon Park

Locke-Paddon Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Vince DiMaggio Park

Vince DiMaggio Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Byxbee Park

Byxbee Park

Public park with earthworks & art. Birdwatching, cycling & walking are popular at this park with sculpted earth & conceptual art.

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Cardoza Park

Cardoza Park

Baseball, volleyball & play areas. Ten-acre park featuring a baseball field, horseshoe & volleyball courts & an outdoor amphitheater.

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Eleanor Pardee Park

Eleanor Pardee Park

Grassy fields, playgrounds & gardens. Neighborhood park with playgrounds, grassy fields, community gardens & a multipurpose concrete bowl.

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