Rip Van Winkle Open Space
Nature preserve
51 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Del Monte Forest
Del Monte Forest has 40 miles of mapped trails, 4.9 for every square mile of land
168 acres are parks and preserves, 46 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Rip Van Winkle Open Space (2.6 mi), SFB Morse Botanical Reserve (1.8 mi). 70% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #259 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
163 acres · of 8.0 sq mi of land
Trails
40 mi
4.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
168 ac
46 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
70%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.2 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 0.1 mi paths
Highest peak
784 ft
Huckleberry Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
4 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Del Monte Forest?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Del Monte Forest have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Del Monte Forest is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #259 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Del Monte Forest’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails4.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (40 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land46 acres of park per 1,000 residents (168 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home70% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 83%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 70%
Water is 25% of Del Monte Forest’s area (3 of 11 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 2%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to 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 Rip Van Winkle Open Space, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
SFB Morse Botanical Reserve
Managed by Del Monte Forest Conservancy
64 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Managed by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
1,637 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Rip Van Winkle Open Space51 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsSFB Morse Botanical Reserve64 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · Del Monte Forest Conservancy
Bird Rock Park7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMonterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary1,637 acres · National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
DirectionsCarmel Bay State Marine Conservation Area401 acres
DirectionsAsilomar State Marine Reserve237 acres
DirectionsCarmel Pinnacles State Marine Reserve46 acres
Asilomar State Beach2 acres · California Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsWho protects it
163 conserved acres
3% of Del Monte Forest’s land. Water is left out: Del Monte Forest has 8.0 square miles of land and 2.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Del Monte Forest’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits200 ac
State parks2 ac
Private Conservation · 171 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 29 acState Park · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| SFB Morse Botanical Reserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 82 | Open |
| Del Monte Forest Foundation Private Conservation Land Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 42 | Open |
| Rip Van Winkle Open Space Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 29 | Open |
| Indian Village Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 21 | Open |
| Crocker Grove Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 13 | Open |
| Pescadero Point and Hill Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 7 | Open |
| Hermann Property Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 5 | Open |
| Asilomar State Beach State Park | State parks | 2 | Open |
| S.F.B. Morse Memorial Lot Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1 | Open |
| Casita de Lemos Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1 | Open |
Things to do
28 places to go in Del Monte Forest
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Del Monte Forest
Fan Shell Beach
DirectionsPlus 3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Del Monte Forest
Hot Tub
DirectionsScenic views in Del Monte Forest
10 Bird Rock
Directions17 The Ghost Tree
Directions18 Pescadero Point
Directions2 Huckleberry Hill
Directions8 China Rock
DirectionsBird Rock Vista PointIn Bird Rock Park
DirectionsChina Rock
DirectionsCypress Rock Lookout
Directions5 more scenic views
Fan Shell Beach Lookout
DirectionsPoint Joe
DirectionsSunset Point
DirectionsThe Crocker Cypress Grove
DirectionsThe Restless Sea
DirectionsPlus 5 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Del Monte Forest
Huckleberry Hill784 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Del Monte Forest
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Del Monte Forest
1 disc golf course without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
10 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.6 miHorses · 12.1 miUnpaved · 8.8 mi
Del Monte Forest 'Blue Loop' trail1.9 mi
Del Monte Forest Green Loop trail1.7 mi
Del Monte Forest 'Red Loop' trail1.3 mi
Redondo Real Trail0.8 mi
Del Monte Forest 'Green Loop' trail0.7 mi
Del Monte Foress 'Blue Loop' trail0.7 mi
Bamboo Trail0.4 mi
The Dunes0.3 mi
Chamberlin Trail0.2 mi
Del Monte Forest 'Blue/Red/Green Loop' trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
37Tennis
33Golf
2Baseball
1Softball
1Football
1Soccer
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Olvida PenasBuilding · listed 1978
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Del Monte Forest: 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 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 60 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 68 | 63 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 3.4 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 68 °F). 3.7 inches fall in January, the wettest month. The climate in Del Monte Forest →
Next door
Del Monte Forest and its neighbors
Del Monte Forest has the most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Del Monte Forest | 3% | 4.9 | 46 | 70% | A− |
| Pacific Grove | 14% | 3.2 | 12 | 99%+ | A |
| Monterey | 13% | 1.8 | 26 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Carmel-by-the-Sea | 8% | 2.9 | 30 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Del Monte Forest
Where can I hike in Del Monte Forest?
The longest trail networks: Rip Van Winkle Open Space, 2.6 miles; SFB Morse Botanical Reserve, 1.8 miles; Bird Rock Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Del Monte Forest is conserved land?
3% 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 Del Monte Forest’s trails?
Rip Van Winkle Open Space and SFB Morse Botanical Reserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Del Monte Forest?
0.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 0.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Del Monte Forest?
12,133 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Del Monte Forest or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 168 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Del Monte Forest have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #259 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 Del Monte Forest 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 →