This past weekend, we visited Toro Park. Park opens at 8am but I was able to walk through. Cars were waiting patiently at the gate to go in. Park ranger greeted me with a friendly smile! Picnic sports were first come first serve unless you get a reserved spot! I was happy with the spot my family chose. The grill was cleaned and ready to cook on. The trash and recycle cans were a tad close to the tables but were easy to move slightly away as meat bees were always swarming around them. The bees/wasps must be used to the food people cook and being. Bathrooms were clean which is big plus!!! Thank you Toro Park!!! The weather was great on our visit too!! read more

Great park for "family days" This place has been a staple in my life. I enjoy this place for family parties. You do have to make reservations ahead of time to reserve a picnic area. Bathrooms are near by, and plenty of parking space area. read more

Toro Park - Parks Near Me - Salinas, California

Was here for the 2023 Spartan obstacle race. Great venue for that! Lots of good running and hiking trails. Shade here and there. Wide open space. read more

Only went there once to do a photoshoot and it's a family oriented park. Pretty nice place to take the kids. I hear it's kinda run down but have not been there in a while. read more

Love this park. So many great trails to hike and run on. Awesome playgrounds for kids. Lots of restrooms and places to BBQ and eat as well. I just wish the park hours were a little later in the winter. read more

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It's just beautiful here. I generally pick up a lunch on the weekend and enjoy it at one on the many picnic tables in the park. There are lots of trails just waiting to get discovered. It's definitely worth a visit. read more

Toro Park - Even sitting in the car is a nice view - Parks Near Me - Salinas, California

2.5 stars: Good park, main area: not spectacular by any means but pretty and clean. The main area is completely flat and featureless except for the many enormous shade trees around each picnic area. There is however engaging hillsides with well established trails. It's steep and thus the views are substantial even before you get to a high point. There's even a scavenger hunt, but it's on the county park website when you try to find entrance fees. It's pretty well hidden, I didn't make it and had to call for clues. It's $2/person and a separate $2 apparently for your dog as well, kids are $1. Car is $2 for each person including the driver. read more

Hiked five miles in two hours with the first trail this past weekend! It was such a good hike even though it started raining on us. The park is very clean and I loved the scenery. Highly recommend. Also parking is very easy and there was plenty of it close by. read more

A quiet relaxed restaurant to have a good breakfast with your spouse or friend. If you can get a table in the patio you'll be treated to a shady garden and drowsy cats. The menu is basic fare but executed just as you asked. Give it a try. read more

Unbearable amount of meat bees in the picnic area. Have experienced this twice - once many years ago and now just recently. Obviously nothing has been done to eliminate the problem. Traps are hanging directly over the cooking area so that does not draw the bees away from the picnic area. I am talking about SWARMS of bees flying on the food, the plates, tables. Miserable experience. read more

This is a huge park. Lots of hiking. Lots of grassy areas. Lots of kiddie equipment. Lots of big companies have their company picnics here. Lots of festivals are held here such as Scottish Festival and many more. Lots of family bbqs here. A great place. read more

On Saturday 26th, I was jogging towards toro park, I got stopped by a nice lady who requested $2 before entering . No one have ever requested money when I enter the park, is this a new rule? read more

Love this place is really nice, and beautiful view definitely one of my favorite to go hiking. read more

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Pretty nice place to go hiking. I would recommend to park outside of the park to avoid paying parking. Also there isn't any trail maps for the hiking so I would suggest for you to look at the map online and get an idea what path you can take. There's many hiking trails you can take. I carried my baby with another friend in the hot sun so I would suggest to go hiking before noon or after 3 PM because it gets pretty hot up there. One negative thing I can say about this park is there is no trail Map for the hiking that would be very useful. I would definitely recommend this park for hiking, picnics, and also just to stroll at the park! read more

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All the best fiestas are happening in this park. There are families after families BBQing every weekend and playing soccer on the fields. I just walk by drooling every time at the smell of BBQ... I mainly use this park for the hiking trails. It is a nice place to warm your soul after the freezing and foggy weathers of Marina and Monterey. The sun is almost always out here. Unfortunately, the same goes for summer, so bring plenty of water, sunblock, and shade (big hat) if you plan to hike here during the summer. It gets rather warm as the trails do not provide any shade. I have been coming here for years and have never paid for parking. There are plenty of free parking outside of the park. The people that pay are usually the BBQer families that don't want to make numerous trips carrying all their gears and food. Overall, $6-8 dollars is not that bad if you think about all the facilities it includes (rangers, bathrooms, playground, parking, horseshoes, nice green fields, etc). I think it is a nice park and worth our support. Dos pulgares para arriba! Arriba! Arriba! Ayeeee! read more

Toro Park - Toro during Spring. Bring your allergy pills with you. lol - Parks Near Me - Salinas, California

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Today was such a beautiful morning I decided to get my dog and pick up my dad to take a morning hike. We parked outside and we're going to walk in because I know that they were charging per car to drive in. But to my surprise they now charge $2 to walk in per person and same rate for dogs to walk in. That's super disappointing my entire life my family which is pretty big have gone to toro park for family picnics, parties, or hiking for hours with my friends. Sad but to fort ord we go. read more

The best county park here .... we go almost everyday for walk during this pandemic. Park staff is friendly, helpful. This park is very good for hiking. You can encounter mountain lion if you are lucky! The atmosphere is very calm and quiet. People are friendly. We love to go there for our evening walk. So much relaxing.......!!! read more

I've been coming to toro park my whole life and I love coming here. It's great for hiking, they have a bunch of different trails to hike on with beautiful views. It's also great for bbq's, plenty of space for a get together. read more

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If you love to be outdoors, this is the place to be. Right off hwy 68, this is an easy place to find. Park is clean (including the bathrooms) with lots of picnic tables and BBQ pits. The main picnic area can be rented out for the day. As a child, our family was always here for BBQ's and school events. If you remember that badass slide back in the day, I was probably that little Asian girl with the rice bowl haircut yelling at the kids to hurry up and slide down haha. It was the best slide ever! Dangerous, but so fun! Nowadays, I'm here to hit the trails. There are trails that are long and challenging or shorter and easier that will lead you to great views of the valley. It can get pretty steep in places and rocky so beware. You can pick up a trail map at the front; beware, there are limited signs on the trails. My friend and I were lost for a good 3hrs one time. We went through all the emotions trying to get out of there especially when we lost phone reception. If you're planning to hike one of the longer trails make sure you bring someone that has a good sense of direction! The Spartan Beast event has taken place here so read up on their reviews on how challenging these trails can be. Park your car outside of the gate since there is an entrance fee. Skip the gym and get your sweat on outdoors instead. read more

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This park is good for hiking, family gatherings and reunions. All of the old horse swings and the giant slide are all gone.

From the highway it looks like it would be a hilly place covered in dead grass in the summer, but once you are inside you see that the main picnic/BBQ area is flat and really quite lush with good old-fashioned green lawns and beautiful mature trees providing shade. Lots of big park tables and big BBQ pits, placed quite far apart so there is a sense of space for each group. This is not a urban park, you have to pay to drive in and there are rangers (cops) and other park employees around. It is not a hangout for surly teenagers. It is a good family place, has a happy vibe and nobody should shy away from coming here. There are several sort of private areas, almost like little parkletts, that you can use for big group functions. They looked very nice. I went to hike, attempting to keep my body beautiful. Or at least ok. There are two sorts of trails here, the sort of lateral ones that aren't steep and the ones carved out by a guy in a bulldozer 50 years ago who simply drove straight to the top. Just fine for the ranch vehicles and horses, pretty tough on a hot day for non-Olympians. On this day I was rewarded at the top, greeted by a scantily clad Running Girl, her vibrant tattoos glowing in the sun, her perfect body pulsing with energy. A cheerful hello and she was gone, running further up the mountain and out of site like a vision. Heck, I was exhausted so she probably was. It is nice up there. You see a lot of the Peninsula and there is Moss Landing in the distance. Lots of agriculture for sure. We live in a pretty nice place. Oh, about the parking. I parked outside because on my terrible map it looked like the trail started there, not to save $5 or whatever. I hate that, the parks need the money. For the price of your breakfast of a cigarette and a Rock Star...infuriating. Anyway, it is a fairly long walk if you are carrying a bunch of picnic stuff in, so saving a couple of bucks isn't usually worth it. read more

I go to Toro all the time. With just a short hike you can have views of all of monterey bay! When its foggy in salinas or monterey its almost always sunny in Toro. You can ride horses, Mountian Bike, hike, or just lounge under a tree and read a book. Its a wonderful place and is quite large. I believe about 3000 acres. A hike from the entrance to the highest point and back can easily take all 6 hours. One of the great things about this park its that you can have a sustained climb up and up and up. A person can easily train for an upcomming backpaking trip or really work you legs in a way other than running. Toro is a great place to get your cardio and get ouside. With this place you'll never want to run in place at a gym again. Park outside the park to save money. I made a map of my favorite trail with pictures. Just take out the spaces when you paste it in your browser. http:// maps.google.com/maps/ ms?msa=0&msid= 118025071431529639075.00045813d30fa631a6c08&ie=UTF8&z=9 read more

Definitely by far the best and biggest state park in our county. The hiking trails are beautiful trees rocks and some caves feels like an adventure. On the negative side the picnic area needs to be redone the tables are old and falling apart and unfortunately the people that rent these areas out sometimes leave trash behind. But overall beautiful worth the trip to take a nice hike. read more

+4 STARS BECAUSE: Beautiful! The scenery is majestic! There are also a great variety of trails ranging from easy to strenuous. There is a little bit of everything for each skill level. The park rangers are super nice! The people at the front gate area amazing! It's a BBQ weekend paradise! -1 STAR BECAUSE: Dear Toro Park, please update your trail map and signs. There are trails, forks, and gates that are unmapped and/or unsigned. I've gotten lost countless times...COUNTLESS. One time, I encountered an unsigned fork in the road (wasn't on the map) and I randomly chose a direction. I ended up walking on a bike trail and spent the next 2 miles+ dodging mountain bikes. I thought I was going to die. When I exited, only then did I see a "Bikes only" sign at the other end. Then this other time, I once again picked the wrong unmapped/unsigned fork, ended up at a dead end 45 minutes later and had to backtrack to take the other fork. Please update your maps. I still love Toro Park. I hike it almost every week. Countless mistakes have made me a bit wiser and I don't get lost as often; however, designing a better map might be good idea. read more

Great hiking trails, beautiful views. I specifically would like to express how amazing the Park Staff are, specifically Cynthia. Today my friend, her dog, and I were hiking when we encountered a mountain lion. Long story short, we ran away far, far, far above the trail and ended up stranded/lost on the side of a crag. Cynthia, as well as local fire and water staff in the park, helped locate us and get us back on the trail safely. She was extremely knowledgeable with the Park's geography and trails, so thankfully we weren't stranded for a super long time and helped guide us down. Also, Cynthia was calm and super patient with us and, afterward, took the time to explain what the proper response to encountering a mountain lion is. She approached our scary (and embarrassing) situation with compassion and education. I'm really thankful to her and her collaboration with other staff which ultimately got the three of us home safely. I hope we never see another mountain lion, but if I do, I'll remember what she said and not run blindly up the side of a cliff. Park Staff and Rangers are the real heroes! read more

We were lured by the half-truth that there was a mile-steep climb to ascend and packed accordingly. The hiking trail, ethereal and downright shire-like as it was, did not present us with as strenuous a challenge as I had waited with bated breath for. Also, I spent the duration of my hour-long hike in fight-or-flight mode, glancing peripherally for mountain lions to pounce and maul me as my lover looked onward for a suicide cliff. read more

I try to frequent this park as much as possible as I believe they have some of the best trails on the peninsula. The Ollason Loop is a decent workout with a couple 1800' hills towards the back of the park to get your heart going. There are cows that graze on the trail so the name is very apt. The $8 for vehicle entry can be avoided by parking outside - if your hiking it makes sense since you don't need maintained roads to do your business. The inner park is good for picnics and BBQs, there's always a ton of families out there on the weekend in from Salinas. Trails are decently maintained - you do run into mountain bikers where they aren't supposed to be sometimes and I have seen people with their horses on the trails (which is allowed), but just gives you an idea of what to expect. Beware with small kids - the hikes can be arduous, there are a ton of rattlesnakes out there, and there are a couple mountain lions that have been spotted on the west side of the park. Take a map near the entrance - I run into novice hikers that are lost 4-5 miles into the loops without water thinking they are only a hill away from the entrance. There are rangers who patrol the park, but I've never seen them out farther than the access roads. Cell service does work in most parts of the park though. If you are up for the longer hikes - the views overlooking Monterey, Salinas, and Santa Cruz are amazing. read more

My wife recently made a reservation on the July 4th for a family reunion. After plans changed she called the park to cancel. They told her that she needs to send in a copy of our confirmation so she was going to send it by email. However they told her that the lady who reads the emails is on vacation so we would have to mail in a copy. LOL wow... seriously??? We mailed it in and never heard anything from them so we called them again. They told us that it was too late to cancel and get our money back. Then the lady (who said her name was chris) said we can move it to another date for an extra $10... :/ Then she said if we didn't want it then we can sell it to a relative... (really? this is the most unprofessional dealing that ive ever had) We asked if we did transfer the reservation do we have to call them back and they said no just tell the people to pretend they are you and give them all your information. OMG... So we wont be using the park, and they did not refund our money. read more

Nice place for family fun time: BBQs, playgrounds for the kids, equestrian center, etcetera. Easy location to find, right off highway #68. Relatively flat grounds (see photos) and well maintained areas to enjoy. read more

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I agree with Jasmine, I sadly paid 2 dollars to run in. The park was empty and many turned away at gate, sad dogs and kids. Then the ranger suggested 60$ annual pass to run in! That's a car pass ! Maybe a reasonable run in rate could work at 1/2 that. I will also go to Fort Ord. read more

Toro park is a great place to hike and barbecue. They have acres and acres of trails, the perfect thing about Toro Park is that they are located just a short drive from the Monterey Peninsula. Hiking at Toro Park means you will have an opportunity to catch some sun rays and enjoy the mild climate of the valley. Check them out on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Salinas-CA/Monterey-County-Parks/127914110553845?ref=ts&__a=6 read more

Parking in this place is 10 bucks.... Um, that's ridiculous. We parked outside and walked in. Hiker beware- there is zero shade up on the trail. It was balls hot the whole way. Some pretty cool views and a semi-strenuous workout on the way up, but I was definitely yearning for a tall tree or two along the way. The whole hike we saw no one else until towards the end, when we started seeing people walking up wearing... jeans? They didn't look like recreational walkers at all, so I don't know what that was about. It was a little uncomfortable. In the future I'm sure we'll pass this place over in favor of Garland Ranch. More shade, more trails, less strange people. I will say, if you're simply looking for a park to play sports in or have a family get together, this would probably be a good place. The main park area looked really well maintained and pleasant. read more

Recently my friend and I were hiking in the back of Toro park on a trail neither of us had walked before. We encountered a mountain lion and (in fear) booked it up a hill off the trail. At this point, we felt stuck and really unsure of what to do. We called park staff and a lovely staff member named Cynthia kept us calm on the phone, drove out to the trail and helped us get back to our car. She instructed us on the proper protocol for the next time and helped us back to our car. She was kind, calm, and informative and never made us feel silly for being scared or calling park staff. She gave us a park map and some tips for next time and made us feel better after an eventful morning! We really appreciate how well our little incident was handled and will definitely come back (better prepared next time!) read more

We visited Toro Park between Christmas and New Year when the weather was terrific for hiking. We took the East Ridge Trail loop to Toyon Ridge Trail, back down to where it connects to Deer Creek Trail and then Wildcat Canyon Trail (which returned us right next to where we started). Trail maps are available in front of the Park Office. The main trails were both pretty steep in places (East Ridge Trail going up, and Toyon Ridge Trail going down), which may give some folks trouble. Those trails are wide and mostly level, although there are some major crevices in places, likely caused by run off. The views of the nearby hills, pastures and forests/brush land are nice, but the main trails themselves are nothing special, and there was quite a bit of litter. The narrow trails were much nicer to hike on, as the immediate surroundings were more secluded and inviting, with some cool rock formations in places. However, the trail map isn't to scale, and the trails themselves aren't always properly marked, so at one point we missed our turn, and we eventually had to backtrack. Overall, it was a nice hike, but there wasn't much wildlife (a few birds here and there, mostly well hidden in the scrub) compared to most of the parks we frequent, and the trails themselves need to be cleaned up some. Add in the $6 weekday parking fee, and I can't rate it better than three-stars. (Note: it appears that many people park just outside the gate and walk in for free.) read more

My husband and I have walked at Toro Park for many years. We LOVE this park. The last year we have noticed a gal who works very, very hard, most of the time working alone. She pulls dead trees out to the road, fixes fences, and rehabilitates steep hillsides. She is amazing, and it's obvious she loves her work. I finally asked a volunteer what her name was, and it's Cynthia. A big shout-out to Cynthia!!! read more

You can walk, jog, hike, ride a horse, ride a mountain bike or simply sit and enjoy nature. Toro Park puts on good events and is in a great location. read more

Love taking the kids hiking here. The absolute most peaceful and un crowded safe clean place. Don't miss out.

This place has a good picnic area, good for family gatherings such as birthdays, retreats, reunions and just clearly having a fun day out in the park. The hikes are very fun and is a really good workout. You can get a really good view of Salinas from the top of the mountain. There are some off trails that I would suggest trying such as Marks Canyon. It's nice and woodsie but can get a little scary. I would park outside of the park if you're just going for a hike. You'll see some cars parked outside of the gate. read more

I nice place to relax and hike. The trails and easy to follow, almost impossible to get lost here. The view is breathtaking. Only downside is that the signs are hard to read and not enough of them. Restrooms are clean. read more

Nice place to go hiking. Adequate parking in and out with bathroom facilities, playgrounds, and some meeting places. Lots of scenic views and vistas. Only downside is not a lot of signage on where to go or distances so its good to put a downloadable hiking map on your phone or to have a GPS going so you can find your way back. Lots of great nature and a lot of different environments within just one hike. Great way to spend an afternoon! read more

Toro Park - One of the viewpoints - Parks Near Me - Salinas, California

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