Parks & Recreation
Angel Island State Park San Francisco Bay
Angel Island is the largest Island in San Francisco Bay, located one mile south of the Tiburon Peninsula. The island was a hunting and fishing ground for the Miwok Indians. It later served as a haven for explorer Juan de Ayala, a cattle ranch and a U.S. Army post. Accessible by private boat or by public ferry from San Francisco, Tiburon and Vallejo (415) 435-1915.
Audubon Canyon Ranch
Audubon Canyon Ranch educates children and adults about the natural environment and the need to protect it, through the use and enjoyment of ACR sanctuaries. The Audubon Canyon Ranch consists of the Bolina Lagoon Preserve and the Boueverie Preserve.
Bolinas Lagoon Preserve is a thousand-acre wildlife sanctuary has a rich mosaic of natural communities. Forests of Douglas fir, coast redwood, and California bay blanket the steeper slopes. Bolinas Lagoon Preserve is located just 30 miles north of San Francisco on Highway One. 415/868-9244
Bouverie Preserve is home to a rich and distinct combination of plants and animals, including more than 130 species of birds, 350 species. Bouverie Preserve of Audubon Canyon Ranch is approximately 6 miles north of the historic town of Sonoma, along Highway 12 in the Valley of the Moon near the village of Glen Ellen. Access is by appointment only of flowering plants, and numerous large mammals such as the bobcat, grey fox, and coyote. 707/938-4554.
Belvedere-Tiburon Recreation
Borges Ranch
1666 North Main Street, Walnut Creek, The former ranch of early Walnut Creek pioneer Frank Borges is the home base for Walnut Creek's Shell Ridge Open Space activities. The ranch complex includes a blacksmith shop, numerous outbuildings, and farm equipment displays. It also features a barn and covered trellis available for group reservations. The Borges family home, built in 1901, houses historical displays of the early 1900’s. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (925) 943-5800 Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Burleigh Murray Ranch State Park
San Mateo Coast near Half Moon Bay, just over a mile south of the intersection of Highways 1 and 92. Burleigh Murray Ranch State Park is historic ranch property is hidden in a pristine valley south of Half Moon Bay. The area offers solitude, groves of mature eucalyptus, and a rich assortment of wildlife. With the addition of Rancho Raymundo at the east boundary, park property extends from Higgins Purisima Road in the west to Skyline Blvd. in the east. is on the San Mateo Coast. 650-726-8819.
Candlestick Point State Recreation Area
Candlestick Point State Recreation Area offers beautiful views of the San Francisco Bay, with picnic areas, fishing (including two fishing piers) and hiking trails (including a fitness course for seniors and a bike trail). The park also has an area popular with windsurfers.
Anthony Chabot Park, a 5,067-acre, is a beautiful year-round public campground, a marksmanship range, and miles of hiking and riding trails make Chabot one of the District's most varied parklands. Visitors can explore miles of beautiful hiking, riding, and bicycling trails through grasslands, chaparral, and shady eucalyptus groves or along the shores of Lake Chabot. The East Bay Skyline National Trail, which traverses 31 miles of East Bay hills from Richmond to Castro Valley, runs the length of the park. Chabot is connected to Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area by a six-mile section of the Chabot-to-Garin Regional Trail.
Coyote Point Recreational Area
1961 Coyote Point Drive, San Mateo, 94401 - Coyote Point is a regional recreation area that provides a wide variety of opportunities: picnicking, swimming, windsurfing, bicycling, jogging, fishing, boating, and sailing. (650)573-2592.
Patterson Ranch Road/Commerce Drive in Fremont. Coyote Hills Regional Park was dedicated to public use in 1967. Comprised of nearly 978 acres of marshland and rolling grassland covered hills, this busy park is located along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, northwest of the cities of Fremont and Newark. The most popular visitor activities by far are bicycling, walking, bird watching, jogging, nature exploration, and picnicking. Well used every season of the year, spring, summer, and fall tend to be the most popular. But the park's winter beauty is wonderful to behold.
Crystal Springs (Sawyer Camp Trail)
Skyline Blvd. & Crystal Springs Rd. - Visited by approximately 300,000 people a year, Sawyer Camp Trail is one of the most popular trails in San Mateo County. Located in the scenic Crystal Springs Watershed, the entire linear trail, including the proposed trail expansions, will be renamed the Crystal Springs Trail and is envisioned to provide an uninterrupted, non-motorized, multi-use route from the City of San Bruno to the Town of Woodside. (650)589-4294.
Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area
18627 Cull Canyon Road, Castro Valley. Popular Castro Valley swimming spot is only a short drive north from Interstate 580 on Cull Canyon Road in Castro Valley. When the swim area was constructed, a secondary dam was built to provide an inner swimming area complete with sandy beach. Never previously tried, this innovation made the swim area water level independent of the reservoir's, unaffected by summer draw-downs. The swim complex is open during swim season with lifeguard service. For current hours of operation and lifeguard service schedule visit http://www.ebparks.org/activities/swimming/facilities#cull 1-888-EBPARKS or 1-888-327-2757, press option 2, then 1.
Don Castro Regional Recreation Area
22400 Woodroe Ave. Hayward. Don Castro Regional Park is a 101-acre urban oasis on the boundary between Hayward and Castro Valley. The clear blue waters of the swim lagoon are a favorite with central Alameda County residents. The lagoon and adjacent lake were created in 1964 when the Alameda Flood Control and Water Conservation District dammed San Lorenzo Creek. Closed to boating and swimming. Fishing is available year round and hikers along the shore will discover a surprising wilderness in miniature, where turtles and frogs splash in the water, ducks rest in the reeds and raccoons and deer come down to drink at sunset. There is access to the Bay Area Ridge Trail, the Chabot to Garin trail and over five miles of trails in the Five Canyons Open Space. The adjacent lagoon is supplied with water from EBMUD, and a large shallow area is roped off especially for children. 1-888-327-2757, press option 2, then 1.
Dewing Park Pool
2016 Olympic Blvd., Walnut Creek. The grounds boast a 5 lane pool, diving area, wading pool for infants and toddlers, comfortable lanscaped lawn areas, and a Brick BBQ Pit & Picnic Area. DPSC is also very proud to be the home of its swim team, The Dewing Park Seahorses. www.info@dewingpark.com (925)285-3466.
Half Moon Bay State Beach
95 Kelly Avenue, Half Moon Bay. Four miles of broad, sandy beaches stretch out to welcome visitors to Half Moon Bay. This picturesque setting is ideal for sunbathing, fishing and picnicking. A campground provides accommodations for those who wish to visit longer. Encompasses three parking and beach access points: Francis Beach, Venice Beach and Dunes Beach. (650) 726-8819
Heather Farm Creek Park
1666 North Main Street, Walnut CreekAmenities: Swimming at the Clarke Swim Center, tennis, picnic areas, community center, equestrian center, skate park, off-leash dog park, bike paths, tot lots, san d volleyball court, fishing pond, nature pond, six athletic fields, restrooms, connection to the Iron Horse Trail. (925) 943-5800.
Mill Valley – Parks & Recreation
Mount Diablo State Park
North Gate Road, Walnut Creek. Ecological treasures of the San Francisco Bay Area. Discover the mountain's beautiful wildflowers, its extensive trail system, fascinating wildlife and distinctive rock formations. View the stars from its lofty heights, bike ride to its 3,849 foot summit or explore the more remote trails by horseback. The park offers hiking, biking, horseback riding and camping. 925-837-2525.
Muir Woods National Monument
Mill Valley. Muir Woods National Monument is a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), one of the largest urban national parks in the world. GGNRA was established in 1972 and contains 75,398 acres extend from Tomales Bay in Marin County to San Mateo County in the south, encompassing 59 miles of shoreline - one of the nation’s largest coastal preserves. (415) 388-2596.
Muir Beach & Muir Woods
Muir Beach. Well-tended, oceanview homes flank one side while a couple of hundred feet south, trails climb up along the bluffs of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Imposing coast redwoods, many of them 20 stories tall and some as old as the Magna Carta. The main groves have been likened to cathedrals but they're more impressive than that; when you're standing in the cool, muffled shadows, it seems that even sound and light have paused to show respect.
North end of Neptune Drive, San Leandro. Seven group picnic areas (non-reservable) are nestled among newly planted berms along the multipurpose trails. These interior trails lead to a view site topped by Roger Berry's sculpture titled "Rising Wave." The perimeter trail affords sweeping Bay vistas. The first mile of this trail is paved, while the second mile is not. Water and toilet facilities are available only near the entrance. 1-888-327-2757.
Palo Alto - Recreation Department
Golden Gate Bridge. Presidio of San Francisco is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. that includes 1,480 acres, with historic buildings, coastal forts, marsh, forests, beaches. For 218 years, the Presidio served as an army post for three nations. World and local events, from military campaigns to the rise of aviation, from World Fairs to earthquakes, left their mark. Come enjoy the history and beauty of the Presidio. Explore centuries of architecture. Reflect in a national cemetery. Walk through an historic airfield, forests, or to beaches, and admire spectacular vistas. (415) 561-4323.
Rancho San Antonio County Park
Cristo Rey Drive, Santa Clara. The 3,800-acre Open Space Preserve, combined with the adjoining 165-acre County Park, offers visitors a unique experience with a sampling of diverse environments, interesting cultural history, and a variety of activities. The preserve's extensive 23 miles of trails are available for exploration, whether one chooses to hike, bike, or horseback ride. Trails can be combined to form loops of different lengths and difficulties including the 3-mile Wildcat Loop Trail and the 4-mile Black Mountain Trail. (650) 691-1200
Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach
McKay Avenue, Alameda. The Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary is located at the east end of the park and is home for aquatic birds and other salt marsh creatures. At the north end of the beach, Crab Cove is a marine reserve.
The Crab Cove Visitor Center features exhibits of the area's colorful past when it was known as the "Coney Island of the West" with bathing spas competing for business with concerts, hot-air balloons, carnivals, baseball games, prize fights and other attention-getting events. 510-562-PARK.
Guadalupe Canyon Parkway, Brisbane. San Bruno Mountain State Park is in the Santa Cruz range offering 2,266 acres. The park provides Bay Area visitors with day-use facilities, hiking trails, and beautiful views of the city and the bay. 650-363-4020
Walnut Creek Recreation Division
