Pace Family Wilderness Park
Managed by Santa Cruz, County of
67 acres2.3 mi of trail
Lower Loop TrailNorth Loop TrailSouth Loop TrailAccess Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Elaine with Grey Cats from Mountain View, CA, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Ben Lomond
Ben Lomond has 20 miles of mapped trails, 2.4 for every square mile of land
24% of Ben Lomond’s land is conserved, about 1,262 acres. 1,016 acres are parks and preserves, 148 per 1,000 residents. 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #34 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
24%
1,262 acres · of 8.4 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
2.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,016 ac
148 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.4 mi
0.4 mi lanes
What kind of outdoors town is Ben Lomond?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ben Lomond have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ben Lomond is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #34 of 847 in California. All four inputs put Ben Lomond near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ben Lomond’s overall grade.
Conserved land24% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land148 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,016 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13AParks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 96%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Pace Family Wilderness Park, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Quail Hollow Ranch Park
Park
72 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Quail Hollow Quarry Conservation Areas
Managed by Santa Cruz, County of
35 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Highlands Park
Park
27 acres0.3 mi of trail
Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Pace Family Wilderness Park67 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · Santa Cruz, County of
Quail Hollow Ranch Park72 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsQuail Hollow Quarry Conservation Areas35 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Santa Cruz, County of
Highlands Park27 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBen Lomond County Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,262 conserved acres
24% of Ben Lomond’s land. Who manages Ben Lomond’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks808 ac
County304 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits99 ac
Private owners78 ac
State fish & wildlife34 ac
Regional Water Districts8 ac
State Park · 808 acUnknown Easement · 141 acPrivate Conservation · 130 acLocal Conservation Area · 67 acLocal Park · 59 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 122 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park State Park | State parks | 808 | Open |
| Quail Hollow Quarry Conservation Areas Private Conservation | Private owners | 112 | Restricted |
| Pace Family Wilderness Park Local Conservation Area | County | 67 | Open |
| Fall Creek Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 42 | Restricted |
| Quail Hollow Ecological Reserve State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 34 | Open |
| Quail Hollow Ranch Park Local Park | County | 31 | Open |
| Highlands Park Local Park | County | 26 | Open |
| Bias Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 10 | Closed |
| San Lorenzo Valley Water District Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 8 | Open |
| Ben Lomond Park Local Park | County | 2 | Open |
Things to do
13 places to go in Ben Lomond
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Ben Lomond
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Ben Lomond
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Ben Lomond
5 peaks without a name on the map.
Trails & water
15 named trails
Named trails
Horses · 6.3 miUnpaved · 7.5 mi
Truck Trail2.2 mi
Ridge Trail1.8 mi
Fall Creek Trail1.4 mi
High School Trail1.0 mi
Lower Loop Trail0.9 mi
North Loop Trail0.7 mi
Access Trail0.6 mi
Big Ben Trail0.4 mi
South Loop Trail0.3 mi
S-Cape Trail0.3 mi
5 more trails
Fall Creek North Fork Trail
0.2 miLost Empire Trail
0.2 miNature Trail
0.2 miSunset Trail
0.1 miOld Alba Grade
0.1 miBiking & sports
0.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
10Tennis
9Baseball
3Basketball
2Tracks
2Softball
2Soccer
1Disc golf
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Wee KirkBuilding · listed 2017
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Ben Lomond: May 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) | 59 | 60 | 63 | 65 | 70 | 76 | 79 | 81 | 80 | 74 | 65 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 8.8 | 8.2 | 6.4 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 4.3 | 8.7 |
August is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 8.8 inches fall in January, the wettest month. The climate in Ben Lomond →
Next door
Ben Lomond and its neighbors
Ben Lomond has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Lomond | 24% | 2.4 | 148 | 98% | A+ |
| Lompico | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Felton | 15% | 1.9 | 160 | 99% | A+ |
| Zayante | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bonny Doon | 34% | 1.4 | 531 | 76% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ben Lomond
Where can I hike in Ben Lomond?
The longest trail networks: Pace Family Wilderness Park, 2.3 miles; Quail Hollow Ranch Park, 0.5 miles; Quail Hollow Quarry Conservation Areas, 0.3 miles; Highlands Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ben Lomond is conserved land?
24% 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 Ben Lomond’s trails?
Pace Family Wilderness Park and Quail Hollow Ranch Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ben Lomond?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Ben Lomond?
63,704 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ben Lomond or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,016 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ben Lomond have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #34 of 847 in California. 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 Ben Lomond neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
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 →