I love this place. This place or the location perplexes me. The reason why is technically it is…read morelocated in Los Altos Hills, but years ago, and probably still is run by Palo Alto/ Now it's a bit more open to people, but it always made me wonder what this is about? With so many places to walk around and hike, take pictures, hang out, play frisbee, or what have you. Years ago, I used to come out here with a good friend, and we played frisbee and hung out numerous times with other friends and family. If you would like a great escape from this world...here you go. :-)

If you enjoy hiking or taking leisurely walks, you must visit this park nestled in the foothill…read morearea of Palo Alto. We discovered it one afternoon when we wanted to take a stroll after lunch, arriving around 2 pm PST. The park has an entrance fee of $6. It offers a variety of activities such as fishing, picnicking with BBQ areas, walking, biking, and even camping. The park is quite expansive, featuring many flat areas and opportunities to spot wildlife. Although there is plenty of parking available in different sections of the park, finding a spot might be challenging during busy times. This park is a good place if you want be in quite place , me time and enjoy nature. You can also drive around the park to explore its different sections. I plan to visit again in the morning, bring lunch, and walk around to fully enjoy all the areas this park has to offer.

"Beautiful Mountain" Yes, indeed!…read more PSA: No dogs allowed - I had to leave mine at home. It's ok, you can enjoy this one alone! Take the drive! Yes, the road is windy and please slow for cyclists on your way up. Come along, sing a song. Dancing feet, magical retreat. Bring a friend or brave alone, it'll be worthwhile - 2, 4, or 7 miles! Our small group hiked the 7 mile loop, and had many photos stops along the way. Our leisure hike took approximately 4.5 hours. We spotted a tarantula early on the trail, other hiking groups, a backpacking group, bikers in groups and a few solo peeps. Shaded Hike & Open Space Sunny Hike: If you're wanting a shaded hike, start on the White Oak Trail located to the right of the Monte Bello parking. If you begin your hike on Bella Vista Trail, it's more of an open space with direct sunlight. Start early and enjoy! =)

Monte Bello is a hidden treasure for the Mid-Peninsula area…read more Funny thing, though. For being hidden, it's sure well known. To get there, you drive seven miles up a narrow, windy road. You're wondering if there's anything here besides big houses on tree-filled hills. Make a sharp left at Foothills Park - oops, never mind, you don't live in PA, you can't drive in here. More driving, more driving . . . and you finally get there, only to find a spacious parking lot crammed with cars. Here's why I gave it five stars: At first, it looks like typical landscape on this part of the Peninsula. But then I went down the narrow Stevens Creek Nature Trail. And ended up in a deep, dark forest with a babbling brook, pretty wildflowers, romantic bridges, and interpretive signs to explain what you're gazing at. If you felt like you got away from it all by driving up Page Mill Road, now you *really* feel like you're away from it all. Monte Bello also has a few peaks to climb up, and a backpacking camp. I'm itching to come back to try these out. I was not here long enough to really appreciate Monte Bello, but I saw enough to appreciate it a LOT. I had written about Russian Ridge that it's part of a conglomerate of Mid-Peninsula Open Space Preserves that gives you a few days of outback hiking. Monte Bello is part of that conglomerate, which combines with Los Trancos (and Foothills Park, but don't tell anyone, shhhh) to give you even more wandering. And bring a lunch, because you'll be so mesmerized that you may forget to leave and get food.

Located in the Town of Los Altos Hills, Purissima Park houses baseball fields and soccer camps for…read morekids. Challenger sports soccer camps, run here on a weekly basis over summer, are staffed by British and Brazilian coaches to provide for great learning experience and cultural education. It is also a home to the Los Altos Hills Parks and Recreation Department, the Los Altos Hills Horseman's Association, and the Los Altos Hills/Los Altos Little League. The Town Riding Arena and the baseball fields can be reserved through the parks and recreation department in advance for various events.

If I need a place to get away and pray and meditate or just quiet my mind, take a walk or be in…read moreamazement at nature, this is one of my escapes. Let nature speak to your soul.

A small and cozy redwood forest in the middle of the Los Altos neighborhood area, it's a little…read moregem, the park features a short boardwalk, creek (winter to early spring, dry out in summer) and shaded short trail about 1 mile loop. No public parking lot, have to park on street at University Ave, or park at Shoup Park nearby. There is no public restroom, the closer one is located at the Shoup Park, a short trail connected to Shoup Park.

This is a place I have been visiting since childhood. I grew up nearby and attended Covington…read moreJunior High, and we often biked to this park as kids. As we move beyond our teenage years into our 20s and beyond, we start to cherish vivid memories of our past. If you're looking for a great spot to take a leisurely walk, not far from the preserve, where you can enjoy the laughter and cries of people and children, I highly recommend Shoup Park. It's a peaceful and serene place to escape and unwind.

A small park near Los Altos downtown with playground, shaded grassy picnic area surrounded by big…read moreredwood trees, public restroom, event hall and a short walking trail. It's located next to Redwood Grove Nature Preserve, there is a trail connected both parks. The barbecue grill area is quite new and spacious. The grill, sink and tap water are all well-maintained. Ample of free parking.

Had my first hike of the year, and it was a beauty! The weather worked in my favor, and hitting…read moregolden hour was a bonus. I should have stayed longer to hit sunset, but that can be for another time. It was definitely windy, so be mindful of that if you decide to trek here. The views were so worth it!

Stunning views!…read more I've been wanting to go to Windy Hill for a while and finally got to hike the Windy Hill loop today (Saturday). I got to the park around 7:45am and there was a decent amount of street parking near the trailhead then. I went clockwise (up Spring Ridge and down Hamms Gulch) - steep initially but the hike got easier as I went along. The trail was well-maintained, with benches throughout. The scenery was amazing, especially with all the green hills! Felt like a Studio Ghibli film. Weather was great as well - perfect hike for spring time. The trail got more crowded as time went on so I recommend going before 9am. Very safe for solo hikers. Highly recommend!

The park, what we saw of it, was clean and nice. We visited Buddy, one of the two donkeys…read morecurrently at the park. April, the other donkey, was at the vet. There were 2 volunteers who were helpful explaining everything. On the way out with our 6 month old boy and 9 month old girl we stopped at the playground near the parking (which was adequate given it was a Friday afternoon). They had a wonderful time swinging on the swings. There were a full set of play things available for slightly older children. Everything was as clean as could be expected. We had a very nice day at the park.

I love coming to this park with my dog. It's a wonderful 13.8 mi park. Bol park was named after…read moreStanford physicist Cornelis Bol. Bol Park opened to the public in April 1974. There are two donkeys that live there. They are named April and Buddy. You can see them walking the park with their care takers from time to time. You can meet the donkeys for a walk on Sundays from 10-11 a.m. There use to be three donkeys. The third was named Perry and he passed this year, 2025. Perry was the donkey that Disney's- Shrek's donkey was based off of. They are gentle and sweet and friendly to visitors. You can donate to the donkeys at https://barronparkdonkeys.org. My dog and I love walking the pathways and hanging out around the grass fields and trees. It's a great place for kids because of the cute playground, picnic tables and water fountains.

Fun spot to come for a hike if you want to see some horses and experience a variety of scenery…read more You start in a pretty big open hilly field, this area is mostly brush, though there is a clear trail. There's a tree at the top of the hill, though no shade other than that. This is the area where we saw the horses. We tried following along with All Trails, but the route on there did a lot of figure 8's and was hard to really comprehend. Luckily with the guidance from other hikers we were able to extend our hike out of this immediate area and make it back to the car. The trail continues out of this fenced in area with multiple different ways to go. There is some signage, though it's rather old and you can tell that some of the directional signs have fallen off. We headed down the hill, out of the gate, next to a house with a vineyard, then down into a tree covered path that went next to the mostly dried up creek. This area was nice and shaded, a little steep in some areas, but not too bad. I liked that you had a number of different routes you could take to make this hike longer or shorter depending on your adventure, but more and better signage would be a welcome addition. We parked at the trail head, it was a pretty big lot with a lot of spots. By the time we got back, it was pretty packed, but there was another area before you enter with some extra parking if this area is full. We were pretty surprised to see so many cars, as the trail didn't feel crowded and we often went long stretches without seeing anyone.

This is a great hidden spot for hiking. It's a 55-acre nature preserve in Los Altos Hills. It's…read morequiet and peaceful with a great change of scenery. If you park in the parking lot on Altamont, you see rolling hills and pasture. Once you walk into the preserve it becomes more of a wooded and shaded area. The paths are well worn and well marked. Please be careful when it rains. The path looks like mostly clay and is really slippery. Look out for horses because it's a horse path. Dogs need to be on leashes for this park.

This is a wonderful place to make happy memories and try new activities!…read more Tucked away, this park is situated close to the tennis courts (look for the signs). My family had a very happy time, and we will return for sure. Next time, I'll bring some cardboard for my child to use as a "sleigh". That and the musical laser were the highlights for our family. Note: it gets very crowded, so arrive early!

We are temporarily staying in the area for medical care and this park was recommended by hospital…read morestaff. It is very nice. Clean bathrooms, nice shaded picnic area, and I like that there's locked gates for all the entrances. They have a variety of play options with lots of seating and shade. The tot area is very small with limited items to play on. They have a small water area that was a total hit for a hot day. We have visited two days in a row and there has been a small vendor selling ice-cream, chips etc which was a nice treat.

Sharon Park is such a lovely little park! I've had this place bookmarked for a few months now, and…read moreI finally visited it this past Saturday with my doggie buddy. There's a parking lot with good amount of spots. I think when I was there about 9am, there was about 3 cars. More people came later when we were leaving. There's a playground that's gated/fenced in so that's good for the families who has little kids. There's a cute little pond with lots of pretty flowers surrounding it. There's also some benches and picnic tables. There are also some grassy areas. We saw lots of cute other cute doggies here. It's a very dog friendly park. Someone didn't pick up their doggie's doo doo. Shame shame shame. Make sure be respectful and pick up after your doggies! We need to keep this beautiful little park clean. This spot will be added to my list of fave places to bring a doggie for a outing! :D

This is a beautiful dog-friendly park with a paved trail around a man-made, nicely landscaped pond,…read moreas well as a trail through a hilly area. We took our dog, Zoey, on both trails and spotted an egret, mallard ducks, and several deer. It's not a big enough park for a real hike, but it's a lovely place for a stroll/short walk with your kids or dogs.