The San Francisco Bay area is one of the great natural areas of the world, with a huge range of ecosystems and micro climates. Spectacular coastline, redwood forests, rivers, grasslands, and of course the bay itself give residents and visitors ample opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. While the population of the Bay Area counties has continued to grow, the area has a strong tradition of preserving natural areas and making many of them available for recreational use as public open space.

San Mateo County has over 50,000 acres of public open space managed by governmental and non-governmental organizations. Within these areas are trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding, and some of these trails are connected to larger networks that loop the bay or travel the coast.

Explore the links below to find information and maps so that you can go out and enjoy the parks. Some are looking for volunteers to help with trail building or other projects, and some engage in other activities to protect and preserve open space. Key organizations involved in open space preservation and management include the Mid Peninsula Open Space District, the Peninsula Open Space Trust, San Mateo County Parks and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (part of the National Park Service).

Comments (2)