Discover your preserves

Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve is located in the hills above the towns of San Carlos and Redwood City. This 366-acre preserve features trails for hiking and walking one's dog, including an off-leash area.

Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve is located on the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains overlooking Half Moon Bay.

Teague Hill Open Space Preserve is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains just above the town of Woodside. 

More than 34 miles of multiuse trail are available for exploration at the 2,908-acre El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve. While this preserve is extremely popular with bicyclists, it also has lots of hearty hiking and horseback riding opportunities. 

Located in the wetlands of the San Francisco Bay, the 376-acre Ravenswood Open Space Preserve is a great location for birdwatching and family adventures. A flat, easy-access pedestrian and bicycle trail runs along the levee surrounding the marsh. 

Thornewood Preserve is a 167-acre preserve that offers opportunities for easy hikes or horseback rides through beautiful trees and creeks.

One of Midpen's largest and most diverse preserves, La Honda Creek offers immersion into a historic ranchland with grazing cattle, views of the San Mateo County Coast and Santa Cruz Mountains and pockets of redwood forest.

Windy Hill is named for its distinctive, breezy grass-covered hilltop, which can be seen from many areas of the peninsula. The 1,414-acre preserve features open grassland ridges and forests of redwood, fir and oak.

Russian Ridge Preserve features 3,491 acres known for showy display of wildflowers in spring and views of the San Francisco Bay and Santa Cruz Mountains.

Coal Creek is an ideal place for a quick afternoon hike with one's dog. Several trails can be combined to create a pleasant 2- or 3-mile loop.

The steep and forested ravines of Foothills Preserve form part of the Adobe Creek watershed above Hidden Villa Ranch and are adjacent to Palo Alto's Foothills Park.

Los Trancos Open Space Preserve is a 274-acre area located in the Santa Cruz Mountains above Palo Alto. This is an ideal spot to learn about earthquake geology. The San Andreas Fault, one of the world's longest and most active faults, splits the preserve. 

Skyline Ridge Preserve offers 2,144-acres of remarkably varied landscape that includes ridge vistas, expansive meadows, a pond for nature study, and a quiet lake frequented by migrating birds. 

The 3,436-acre Monte Bello Open Space Preserve is a place of rolling grasslands, dense creekside forests and spectacular vistas. The preserve encompasses the upper Stevens Creek watershed and is one of Midpen's richest in wildlife and ecosystem diversity.

Rancho San Antonio County Park & Open Space Preserve offers visitors a unique experience with a sampling of diverse environments, interesting cultural history and a variety of activities.

At Stevens Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area, located adjacent to Mountain View’s Shoreline Park, visitors can view a wide variety of waterfowl and shorebirds.

With options for short hikes, rides to scenic overlooks, and longer loop trips, Long Ridge Open Space Preserve provides something for everyone. 

Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve is a 1,600-acre outdoor adventure located at the junction of Highway 35 and Highway 9 in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Picchetti Ranch Preserve in the Cupertino foothills features forested canyons of madrone, coast live oak and California bay, perfect for a shady hike on a warm day.

Located on the urban fringe and extending towards Mt. Eden Road to the south and Stevens Creek County Park to the west, Fremont Older Preserve offers a variety of experiences to hikers, bicyclists, and equestrians.

El Sereno Open Space Preserve is named for Mount El Sereno, part of a prominent ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains that is located south of the city of Saratoga and west of the town of Los Gatos.

St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve sits above the town of Los Gatos on open space land that was once part of the Jesuit Novitiate for the California province of the Catholic order. Remnants of the school's historic vineyards are still visible to visitors of the 273-acre preserve.

Managed by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve protects 1,440 acres of biologically rich ecosystems including second-growth redwood forests, perennial creeks, oak woodland and extensive areas of Douglas fir.

Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve protects more than 19,000 acres of wilderness in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Midpen's newest preserve established in 2023, Cloverdale Ranch is an ecological jewel on the San Mateo County Coast.