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Saratoga, CA

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Sanborn County Park

4.2 (177 reviews)
Closed • 8:00 am - 7:30 pm

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Bektur A.

Went there for bbq on weekend. Decent place with wide space and options for exploration and hike. Parking is usually not too busy, seems to be a good place for a family visit

Park signs
Jason S.

It's a beautiful park to come visit. The hike we went on was nice. Some would it a nature walk but let's be real, anything is a nature trail when your outdoors, walking, on a path whether it's big or small. We saw turkeys, geese, ducks, ladybugs, and more. The California poppies were starting to make their appearance. The weather was perfect as well. The only thing that could have made it better was a pitcher outdoor toilet or two.

David N.

This park is very pretty. They need to put some lights in the restrooms. They should of made kiosk parking ticket at every parking lot. The out door nature is so nice but part of the park is under construction. The Sequoia Peterson Grove is a nice place to have a party or maybe a wedding too.

Frances L.

Gorgeous park popular with maintain bikers. I hiked while my sister biked and it was a beautiful hike. Loved the shady trails with redwoods, a rambling creek and all the pretty wildflowers. The first 2 miles in were easy then the trail became more steep and windy. It was a great workout. Very quiet and peaceful in the morning but it gets busy with more mountain bikers in the afternoon. Definitely a trail I'd hike again!

Skyline

I went on a ride along with one of the Park Rangers, very knowledgeable, very professional. Made me want to apply for Santa Clara County ,Park Ranger. And I did.

Nina C.

Beautiful park with plenty of shady trails. Big, tall redwoods, wildlife (saw plenty of deer and their fawns) , a stream, even campsites for those who want the full outdoor experience. Several restrooms near the main parking lots. Parking costs $6. Only downside was the confusing trail map...lots of numbers noted but nowhere on the trails that I saw (aside from the numbered nature trail). We got lost but still had a lovely hike. Likely some user error involved too! I'd definitely come back, though for nearby parks with paid parking I'm more partial to Huddart.

Mike A.

Just recently went on an oddly challenging, yet relaxing hike at Sanborn County Park! We had a couple hours to mosey around and get some steps in out in the sunshine, and we were really treated for an awesome time in nature in Saratoga. There's plenty of room for parking, hiking, and even camping! The overlooks are gorgeous, and definitely friendly enough that if you're with more of beginners, there's plenty of spots to stop off, have a drink, and even take a break! Definitely do recommend!

Chris L.

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." [Troilus & Cressida, Act III] This is a well headed hidden county park, which is worth the effort to get to. From Saratoga, it's a few miles down a windy road. Be careful driving to the park, as there are sometimes bikers along the new road. They charge for parking, which is currently $6 per car. If you are permanently disabled, it is free. There are multiple parking lots, including a large parking lot for campers. There are plentiful, free park maps right at the entrance. They're also bathrooms at multiple locations. The Sanborn trail at the top portion of the park is still closed. Regulars tell me it has been that way for several weeks. This is the trail that takes you out to Skyline boulevard. I was disappointed, since that's exactly where I wanted to go. There are several main trails, which are in good shape. It's a pleasant hike or run through the forest. The signs on the trail are not as well maintained as other parks. At several points during my hike, I came across a junction that was not marked, and confused me. On the other hand, I am easily confused. So overall, I think this is a very good park. It's tough to get to, and I don't like for the parking fee, but it's still worth a visit

Hiking from campsite
Marcus K.

Awesome county park. They have walk-in tent campsites and about 20 rv campsites with water and power. There is a dump station on the way out. RV sites are small but have a cement picnic table and grill pit. One drawback is that the campground is built on a slope. You'll need to drive up on blocks to get even. There is a camp host should you need help with anything. Bathroom has two showers with nice hot water. You can get verizon cell reception by walking over to the firewood shed but no bars at the rv sites. There is a pay phone in case you remember how to use one. It does have good guest wifi at the rv sites though so lack of cell is no big deal. Overall nice and quiet. Awesome hiking and mt biking trails all around. Beautiful area close to town.

Wild turkeys
Stephanie K.

Highly recommended place to do an easy/moderate hike in South Bay! Parking has a fee ($6) but there are a decent number of spots if you go early enough (maybe before 10am). The redwoods and trees are beautiful and provide lots of shade. Some of the trails can have steep inclines so do some research before you go (learned the hard way). I recommend the Peterson Trail -- relatively short but steep so you get a workout and nice view. It also takes you back to the parking lot.

Walden Pond, completely covered in algae
Anson W.

With over 22 miles of trails through redwood-forested terrain, elevation and flats, camping, as well as connections to other parks, there really is something for everybody at Sanborn County Park. Plus, it being slightly further from South Bay compared to some other parks means that it sees smaller crowds. AMENITIES: ----------------------- The main part of the park is right off Sanborn Rd and there are many amenities packed into this area. There's a ton of parking spread over several lots, and there's a fee to park there. There are pockets of free roadside parking as you come down Sanborn Rd, but it may be hard to get a spot there during peak hours. Near the parking lots is a huge grassy area with some picnic tables and BBQ pits; note that this area is on an incline, so it might not be the best place to kick around a ball. RV camping is in an adjacent lot, and hike-in campsites are a short trek uphill along a paved path, with some wheelbarrows provided for hauling your stuff. Campsites include a table, storage locker and firepit, and restrooms with running water are close by. Many trails are accessible from the main area, including the Nature Trail and San Andreas Trail which are relatively flat. A favorite spot of mine is Walden Pond, a pond that's completely covered in algae and appears otherworldly still, on the northwest edge of the park. CONNECTIONS: ----------------------- There's no shortage of elevation as you head away from the main part of the park. The trails on the north side of Sanborn Rd connect with pockets of roadside parking and are worth exploring. Going further out, the Stuart Ridge Trail and Saratoga to the Skyline Trail bring you all the way to Quarry Park. On the south side of the park, the Sanborn Trail takes you to up to the Skyline Trail, where you then have the option of going west to Indian Rock (some rock climbing options there) and Castle Rock State Park, or east to the John Nicholas Trail and the Lake Ranch Reservoir. There are pockets of roadside parking off the Skyline Trail along Skyline Blvd, and these don't seem to get as full as the spots along Sanborn Rd. OVERALL: ----------------------- The amenities at Sanborn are excellent and there's no shortage of trails to explore, and the trails are almost completely shaded under redwood cover. On the flip side, I haven't found any spots here with wide, sweeping vistas. Both times I've been here, I've run into a fair number of people but not a ton of people. If you're able, hiking/running up to the Skyline Trail makes for a decent workout in relative solitude, and from there you can visit the areas around the south edge of the park. The John Nicholas Trail and Lake Ranch Reservoir are the only places in the park where I haven't been yet, but the pictures look beautiful and the elevation looks comfortably challenging. Someday.

J J.

Hidden gem! We started a bit late - left home around 9am to hike Castle Rock, but we couldn't find parking. Yelped and found this trail nearby (within a few miles drive)...so glad things panned out as they did else we would never have discovered this gem. We hiked the skyline trail for about 3ish miles and connected to castle rock. Loved it...we ended up hiking 9 miles or so - a little more than we wanted to, but was great. Had a good time overall! Castle Rock is great too, but over crowded and hard to find parking. I highly recommend this trail as an alternative to Castle Rock...less crowded and easy to find parking either in the parking lot or parallel parking on the street. Plus you can choose to stick with this trail or connect to CR. Must try!

Sunil R.

I went on a really fun and enjoyable hike this morning to Sanborn. A slice of heaven so close to rest of Silicon Valley. The trees, the crisp air, and streams were food for the soul. I wish their main gates are open earlier than 8, we had to park further up the street and walk around a half a mile to the entrance.

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This is a beautiful park hidden away from the business of the city. Nice and quiet place to spend a beautiful day at.

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Ask the Community - Sanborn County Park

Are dogs allowed and how about the bathrooms? Yes, dogs are allowed in the tent campground but they have to sleep in your tent or car. Yes, there are flush toilet restrooms and showers available in the RV site?

Dogs are allowed. Based on signs they have up it says that the dogs need to be on a leash at all times. The bathrooms are clean and well maintained.

What trail leads to the waterfall?

Is there cell phone service for Verizon and AT&T?

Not in the camping area.

Does this place allow hammock camping in the walk in sites?

I believe so. At my campsite, #25, we set up two hammocks on the same two trees.

Is the park fee cash only?

The rangers informed me they take card or cash for my campsite.

Can I fish here?

There is a small lake, but you will have to hike there. As long as you have a valid license, or under 16 you can fish for carp and maybe some bass.

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Review Highlights - Sanborn County Park

“San Andreas trail, for example, is a 4-5 mile round trip and had a decent elevation that gives a good work out.”

Mentioned in 12 reviews

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Uvas Canyon County Park - Boxelder Bugs mating. Oo wee!

Uvas Canyon County Park

4.6(285 reviews)
18.2 mi

This review is specifically for the Waterfall Loop Nature Trail within Uvas Canyon Park, one of the…read moreBay Area's many "hidden gems." Nothing like a relaxing hike along a pristine nature trail to clear the mind and nourish the soul. I noticed that one recent review calls this hike "easy" but as we were climbing the stairs from the parking lot, we encountered two young women who looked to be in their 20s who were going in the opposite direction, returning to the parking lot. "It's beautiful," one of them volunteered to us, "but it's really HARD!" And indeed, on the trail we encountered young people who were visibly panting, even though the Waterfall Loop trail is shorter and easier than others in the park. So you might want to take that into account, FWIW, as the expression goes. It might also be helpful to mention the following: * The rules of this park call for purchasing an entry pass/parking permit online BEFORE you arrive. The reason is the limited number of spaces. Your permit is good for entry during a ONE-HOUR WINDOW for which you make your reservation. The person in the car ahead of us hadn't purchased a permit in advance and was able to use a credit card to purchase it at the entry gate but that might only be done when ample space in the lot is available. * To access the park, you must drive through a private 110-acre resort (Sveadal, meaning Swedish Valley), owned and operated by the Swedish American Patriotic League since 1926. It's a SINGLE-LANE road that is NOT LEVEL (quite rocky). You will want to make sure that your vehicle is in reasonably good shape for this drive. The only really scary part of this road for us was that at a couple of points, the incline is steep enough that you can't see ahead of you on this single-lane road. So you have to trust that no other vehicle is going faster than it should be coming toward you, in the opposite direction. * One more point ("muy importante"/very important): If you're coming for the waterfalls, use your preferred AI platform to check to make sure that the water will be flowing at the time of your visit. That's because the falls are generally seasonal and dependent on the amount of rain during preceding months. The falls are not large and thundering but they are nonetheless quite beautiful and soothing. PS: For those who don't know Spanish but may be interested: The Park is named after the Spanish word for grapes (uvas), referring to the abundance of wild grapes (Vitis californica) that early settlers found growing along the creek and throughout the canyon.

I had been wanting to go to Uvas Canyon for over a year now and I finally made it on a Sunday in…read moreMarch! I recommend going after heavy rain so that the waterfalls are stronger. You have to buy a parking permit for $6 at least 24 hours in advance and bring a printed copy with you. We arrived around 10:30am and thanks to the timed entry system, it was not too crowded. We did the Upper, Basin, and Black Rock Falls via Contour and Waterfall Loop and used All Trails for directions. Hiking shoes not required but there were a few points where we had to cross a stream so could be useful for those portions. Took about 90 minutes for us to complete, so would say the trail is easy-moderate. Overall, the views were simple but the mossy forest and the waterfalls were very pretty. Trail was well maintained and the bathrooms at the trailhead were clean. Nice, calming hiking spot - I would come back next year after the rain!

Photos
Uvas Canyon County Park - Greater Periwinkle

Greater Periwinkle

Uvas Canyon County Park - Lower waterfalls with my crush

Lower waterfalls with my crush

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New Brighton State Beach - Beautiful and best of all no people.

New Brighton State Beach

3.8(240 reviews)
18.7 mi

Beautiful state beach for either spending the day or overnight in one of the campsites!…read more We stopped in on a Sunday around 1pm and wasn't crowded at all. Since we paid $10 at Seacliff state beach a few miles away it was free to enter with our receipt. We asked about the overnight camp sites and were told book in advance on www.parks.ca.gov. They did have some open sites although premium ocean view sites which I believe have hookups go quickly as are only around 9 of those. They are on the top of a tall bluff so do not have easy access to the beach. The beach is a further walk or drive to a separate area of the park. The beach area is pretty and would be a chill spot to enjoy the afternoon away from a ton of people. We enjoyed our time here.

Somewhat selective enforcement of camping rules. As a result our camping trip ended before it even…read morebegan. So last year my wife was diagnosed with cancer, so this year we decided to make the annual group camping trip a little easier by renting an rv. We rented a camper and arranged to have it dropped off to the campground, something the company had done regularly in the past. Unfortunately, a few weeks earlier, New Brighton started somewhat inconsistently requiring tow vehicles to be present at the campground at all times. I say inconsistent as it seems there are many campers at sites without tow vehicles present, and I am not sure why employees of the RV company we used, Alfredo and Roberto, had the lady at the gate so upset with them when so many other local campers seemed to have no issues. This afternoon, when Roberto was trying to drop off our camper at our campsite, she got so upset she threatened to call the police on him. I have some theories as to what might motivate the inconsistent treatment of visitors but I won't speculate openly. At any rate, with the camper denied entry, we dropped off our food at the campsite, which looked well maintained, and locked it in the generously sized bear locker for our friends before regrettably heading home - our weekend trip ending before it started. If you plan to camp here you should either plan to have your tow vehicle never leave, bring a drivable RV, or hey, maybe just not get the rules enforced on you because you were luckier than Alfredo or Roberto.

Photos
New Brighton State Beach - Engagement Session | 1985Luke Photography

Engagement Session | 1985Luke Photography

New Brighton State Beach - Engagement session |1985Luke Photography

Engagement session |1985Luke Photography

New Brighton State Beach - Engagement Session | 1985Luke Photography

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Engagement Session | 1985Luke Photography

Del Valle Regional Park

Del Valle Regional Park

3.7(481 reviews)
31.7 mi

I came here on a Saturday evening in August for my maternity photoshoot and wow this place did not…read moredisappoint! I was initially a little anxious that the sunlight would be too harsh since the area is mostly exposed, but the lighting ended up being perfect and really helped create the dreamy, ethereal vibe we were hoping for in our photos! However, even though we went in the early evening, the temperature was still in the high 80s/low 90s, so definitely bring plenty of water to stay hydrated! We drove to the area marked as "Top of the Hill, Del Valle Rd" and there was plenty of parking available along the side of the road, which made it really convenient to get to our photoshoot location. Unfortunately, there aren't any bathrooms at this spot, so definitely plan accordingly before heading up! Overall, such a beautiful location for photos and I'm so glad we chose to come here for our maternity shoot!

This review is specifically for the campground here at Del Valle. We had a arranged for a large…read morefamily and friends Camping event early October and had booked multiple campsites. The sites were huge and even better there was plenty of flat ground for pitching tents. Showers and bathroom facilities deeper in the campground towards site 39 were very clean and very new. The hot showers were also super warm and the best part is no coins. The bathrooms themselves also seemed to be heated so even in the cold october evenings, you were warm inside the bathroom. We did not go down to the water due to blue algae, but there was still plenty of things to do for the kids as they loved being able to ride all around the grounds on their bikes. Fire pits in the evening were also very clean and had plenty of airflow to make good bonfires. There were regular patrols from the rangers and the east bay regional parks police, it all felt very safe. Just be advised that there's plenty of wildlife in the evenings and they do not seem like they are scared of people. We had a family of four raccoons in the tree at our site and there was also a skunk that visited and got within a few feet away from us one night. Thankfully it lost interest and left, otherwise we would have been in trouble. There were also deer and squirrels to be seen. Please watch out for rattlesnakes as well, we stumbled upon one on the road while biking around the camp ground. Make sure all food including uncooked pasta noodles are stored in a safe location overnight Otherwise, the animals will get into it. No bear boxes at the sites, so may need to store things in your vehicle. All in all everyone had a fantastic time and the kids loved it. We'll be back next year.

Photos
Del Valle Regional Park - LAKE DEL VALLE REGIONAL PARK TROUT!

LAKE DEL VALLE REGIONAL PARK TROUT!

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Del Valle Regional Park

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Sanborn County Park - parks - Updated October 2026

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