Castro, Jose Joaquin, Adobe · Photo: Mrwrite · Public domain9% of Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley’s land is conserved: 542 acres
71 acres are parks and preserves, 33 per 1,000 residents. 46% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3.8 miles of mapped trail cross Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns. What drives it
How much outdoors does Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Buena Vista Park
Scott Park
Rancho San Andrès (Castro Adobe)
542 conserved acres
9% of Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley’s land. Who manages Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 370 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Andreas Creek - King Property State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 79 | Closed |
| Ellicott Slough National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 62 | Restricted |
| Santa Cruz Long-Toed Salamander Ecological Reserve State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 61 | Closed |
| Freedom Lake Park Local Park | County | 35 | Open |
| Scott Park Local Park | County | 4 | Open |
| Rancho San Andrés Castro Adobe State Other or Unknown | State parks | 1 | Open |
1 places to go in Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 lakes & rivers
3.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 61 | 62 | 64 | 66 | 69 | 73 | 73 | 75 | 75 | 73 | 66 | 60 |
| Rain (in) | 5.9 | 5.5 | 4.2 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 5.7 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 75 °F). 5.9 inches fall in January, the wettest month. The climate in Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley →
Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley | 9% | 0.4 | 33 | 46% | B+ |
| Corralitos | 1% | 0.5 | 20 | 22% | C+ |
| Freedom | 7% | 0.1 | 17 | 53% | B− |
| Day Valley | 41% | 1.2 | 1,151 | 59% | A |
| Aptos | 11% | 1.9 | 79 | 94% | A+ |
| La Selva Beach | 18% | 2.2 | 179 | 88% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley
Where can I hike in Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley?
The longest trail networks: Buena Vista Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley is conserved land?
9% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley’s trails?
Freedom Lake Park and Buena Vista Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley?
3.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.2 of painted or protected lanes and 0.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley?
25,108 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 71 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley neighbors.
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →