1. Bowden Park

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Palo Alto, CA

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Bowden Park

4.1 (17 reviews)

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Rrrun C.

I'm quite a fan of this park and it's accommodations, but the crown jewel is the running car whose legs look in great shape and really don't need to go to the gym anytime soon. One of the best things to do is to take a picture with the car statue, but you want to make sure you get there early because the lines can be quite long. Bring water. Gotta Run--- RRRun

Elizabeth I.

I came to this park today to eat my lunch. Very nice park. Close to the caltrain station.Very pretty place . There is a pedestrian, bike tunnel to get to the otherside of california ave were there is plentiful shops and resteraunts.

Jerry Bowden Park!!!

Jerry Bowden Park is a beautiful, well-maintained park in the heart of Palo Alto!!! I decided to check it out right before sunset - it was a peaceful, fantastic place to chill, hang out, and eat if you brought food (I did). It is a spectacular oasis of nature in the middle of a bustling city - there are vast expanses of grass, robust thriving trees, and plenty of big crimson and cornflower blue flower bushes lining the sidewalks. In addition to the park offering a fantastic pocket of nature to all, it is a great gathering place. For example, it features a canopy formed from a combination of the trees naturally and a man-made wood lattice like structure. Many sets of benches and tables are available for sitting on and at for soaking in the wonderful ambiance! Bowden Park is dog-friendly and also kid friendly too - plenty of children were enjoying themselves on a spacious playground with two large, shiny play sets. With unique statues and sculptures (there was a quirky running car!!! and a modern sculpture of balanced rising cubes!!!), and a convenient place to visit and access due to its location right next to the California Avenue Train station, the park is truly a haven that can be enjoyed by all. I would definitely recommend visiting Jerry Bowden Park, it is a special place!!! Update 9/4: Took some pictures of the beautiful ocean creature tunnel that leads to Bowden Park!

Kim N.

If you have to wait for the Caltrain off California, and it's a nice day, take the tunnel to this small swatch of land. This at one point was no longer a park (official status) and was going to be train parking. Then the area froze still for a while including the station. It's not too big but at least it's still natural with benches and kids area. The crazy statue of the man-car is worth checking out if you like psychedelic art.

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Ask the Community - Bowden Park

Review Highlights - Bowden Park

“It's a small park but we've had 4th of July picnics there and I suppose you could get a small softball game going in the center grassy area.”

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Gamble Garden - They ARE red!

Gamble Garden

4.6(186 reviews)
0.8 mi

This was a beautiful hidden gem in Stanford that I'm surprised I've never seen nor heard before…read more Plenty of plant species all around to see and beautiful flowers planted everywhere. You can spend a decent amount of time here roaming around and soaking in all the beautiful plants here, where summer and spring you can have plenty of colorful plants blooming al over the place. There's a few picnic tables if you want to do a quick lunch but not a huge party can come here. Some days they have tea events as well so you can spend morning tea here.

Great Family Event... Except Someone Forgot Their Customer-Service Hat…read more We had a really good time at Gamble Garden's Second Saturday! The kids enjoyed the scavenger hunt, there were some great vendors, and the whole event had a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. I also got some pretty good footage of the scavenger hunt and everything that was going on, so there was definitely plenty to enjoy. Whoever is behind organizing the Second Saturdays deserves some credit because they're doing a great job. There was a nice variety of activities, the kids stayed entertained, and it felt like a genuine community event. Now... the reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 comes down to one particular interaction. There was an older gentleman named Matthew who was helping out and wearing a vest. Let's just say Matthew and my wife and I did not exactly become best friends that afternoon. Some of the comments he made toward us came across as unnecessarily rude and, even if they were intended to be jokes, the humor definitely missed the landing. I'm all for a little sarcasm and having fun -- trust me, I can take a joke -- but there's a difference between being funny and making people wonder, "Wait... was that really necessary?" Thankfully, the event was for our kids, not for us, so we didn't let one interaction ruin the day. The kids had fun, the vendors were great, and everything else about the experience was positive. I'd definitely recommend checking out Second Saturday if you have kids or just want to support a cool community event. Hopefully, next time Matthew leaves the comedy routine at home and sticks to the helping. Overall: Great event, great activities, great vendors, and a lot of potential for an even better experience. Just one sour interaction kept it from getting that fifth star.

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Shoreline Parklands At Mountain View - Shoreline Parklands At Mountain View

Shoreline Parklands At Mountain View

4.2(27 reviews)
3.0 mi

Shoreline Parklands is one of the best "easy outdoor" spots in Mountain View. It's a big regional…read morepark by the Bay with a ton of space and different things to do. What I like: Free entry, huge free parking lot, and bathrooms. You can keep it simple with a walk or bike ride on the trails, or make it more of an activity day with the lake. The lake is manmade and they have a boathouse where you can rent equipment. Sailing, paddle boating, that kind of vibe. I've also seen the boathouse area used for group events, so it's good for a casual outing or even something organized. A few practical notes: It's mostly flat, which is great, but there's very little shade, so if it's sunny bring water and plan accordingly. Weekends can get crowded, especially when the weather is good. Overall, it's a clean, convenient park with enough variety that you can keep coming back and not get bored.

Trail Off Manmade…read morelake that was a former landfill site and was first conceived back in 1968 by the City of Mountain View to give it's residents a place to play by the water. It wasn't until 1983 when it was actually dedicated, but it's been a staple of the area since. The Good: *Watercraft rentals *Free to visit *Large parking lot *I guess there's a restaurant of some sort but didn't visit or check out. *Access to the SF Bay Trail that take you around various sloughs and to other parks, if one is into a longer hike. *Great birdwatching due to the proximity to The Bay. The Meh: *Very busy place and the parking lots full up fast--especially during the summer. *Be aware part of the Bay Trail does allow puppers, but the other part DOES NOT. So, be aware of signage. The Ugly: *No shade on the Slough trails *Lots of bugs, so wear your DEET. Conclusion: Great shoreland park with plenty of amenities, but it's popularity is it's biggest curse. That and the bugs. But mostly the popularity.

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Shoreline Parklands At Mountain View - Shoreline Parklands At Mountain View

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Bowden Park - parks - Updated October 2026

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