rancho san antonio county park

A gem of a natural environment for running and walking. Lots of variety - steep, flat, woods, meadows. Enjoyable year-round. But just try to find parking during peak times. And there's LOTS of parking spaces - proves how incredibly popular it is!

Exhilarating scenery, hobnobbing w/deer, the gurgling brooks make it my go to place on a weekly basis - love it!!

Lots and lots of good trails for all levels of hikers, runners, and nature lovers. Last hike saw turkeys, deer, and lots or ground rats (squirrels). They have a place for riding horses (bring your own), flying model airplanes, and a small farm for visiting about a mile in.

The main plus point is that it was so close to Palo Alto where I was staying for a week. Great place to generally hike and bike. It's spread over quite a vast area, so better to plan your route. More open and less woody if that's your thing.

Went for a hike with friends over a weekend. It's a very nice place for biking, hiking, running and other outdoor activities. There is a nice farm, a picnic spot, about 4 lawn tennis courts and quite a lot of trails. I really enjoyed the trek up to the vista point.The only con is parking! For the kind of crowd that the place got, parking was woefully insufficient.

Decided to visit Rancho San Antonio on a recent trip to California so our granddaughter could see some real farm animals. Luckily our son knew that parking at the park on a Saturday morning was nearly impossible so he drove us in and then parked the car about a 15 minute walk away. TIP parking opened up after noon. We walked to the farm which was about a mile away and looked at the animals while our granddaughter napped. Walked another mile back to the entrance and waited for our son to get the car. We definitely got our exercise.

Rancho San Antonio off ers a number of trails of various length and difficulty. The topography and vegetation changes with altitude and direction, so there is something for everyone. The animals I have encountered there are deer, coyotes, rabbits, bobcats and a large variety of birds. Kids and I enjoy the historic farm, especially in the spring when the young have been born.

I am fortunate to live right next to this large county park and open space preserve. It's a popular place -- the most heavily used park in the County system. But it's big enough -- nearly 4,000 acres of woodland, hills, and ravines -- that it is comparatively easy to get away from the crowds and enjoy the extensive hiking trails. The park offers both steep trails that provide views of the Bay and also flat trails that are easy to walk. There is also a diversity of wildlife: I've seen lots of deer, wild turkeys, bobcats and coyotes, and snakes including the occasional rattler. The park is posted as a mountain lion habitat, but in more than a decade of hiking in the park, I've never seen one. But recently, there was a report of a full-grown mountain lion at the edge of the park! Another popular feature of the park is Deer Hollow a small working farm with pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, a cow, etc. It's a nice place to stop on a hike. An interesting aspect of the park is the international nature of its users. As I've hiked through the park, I've heard languages spoken from all over the world -- Chinese, Russian, Hindi, French, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew, etc.

If you like a leisure hike and enjoy an inexpensive time with your kids, this hike is awesome. They will get to see farm animals and beautiful views of our valley.

A wonderful venue for hike and strolls. Many trails. Early morning, deer, rabbits and other wildlife make this a superb place to appreciate life. A small farm, with sheep, pigs and hens, are fun for kids, young and not so young. Flat paths in shade and high paths, best not at high sun, with great views, make this area so special. Tradition to put the turkey in the oven, on low temperature, on Thanksgiving and go for a family hike. A place to appreciate life.

Do not visit after 6pm (if it's your first time here). We came at around six, and we entered the Wildcat Loop Trail at about 7:25. To our disappointment, we stayed there until 8:45 and couldn't find out way out. When we looked at the signs for directions, there were no directions for the parking lot. It was already dark (bring flashlights) so we had to get a ranger to get us.

You can take a short 1 hour walk/run or a much longer many mile walk/run at Rancho San Antonio. And it is free. The entire area provides the beauty of nature and is a wonderful escape from our urban/suburban environment. It is fun to stop by the family home from the 1850s and to see the farm animals.More details online for this Open Space Preserve.

I am an extremely fit forty year old woman. I spend sixteen hours a week at the gym. Half of that on cardio and the other lifting weights. I needed a change if pace. I needed more if a challenge and thought this would make me sweat more. It was almost equal. I am an extremist.

This is a nice place to take a hike. In addition, it is enjoyable to see the farm animals at the Deer Hollow Farm area, which is a working homestead and educational center. It can get busy on the week-ends.

This park is less than 10 miles from our home, and we usually end up at Rancho when we want to go for a 2-4 hour hike. The variety of trails makes it possible to have a great time whether your group includes very young or old people or very fit people. The PG&E trail appeals to those who want a challenging hike. The others go from moderate to easy. Lots of deer and other wildlife to see during mornings and evenings. And the farm is a delight for kids of all ages.