Leo J Ryan Memorial Park
Park
20 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Pi.1415926535 · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Foster City
9% of Foster City’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 9.0 miles of mapped trail cross Foster City, 2.4 per square mile of land. 9% of Foster City’s land is conserved, about 222 acres.
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #202 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
222 acres · of 3.8 sq mi of land
Trails
9.0 mi
2.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
213 ac
6.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
23 mi
9.6 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
5 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Foster City?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Foster City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Foster City is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #202 of 847 in California. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Foster City’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land6.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (213 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 88%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 76%
Water is more than half of Foster City’s area (16 of 20 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 A− 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 Leo J Ryan Memorial Park, with 2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 25 parks & preserves
Leo J Ryan Memorial Park20 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsBoothbay Park11 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCatamaran Park6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsEdgewater Park11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPort Royal Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Foster City
DirectionsKildeer Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsShad Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Shells Bicycle Jumps1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Triton Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSea Cloud Park23 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsShorebird Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Redwood City
DirectionsSunfish Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Gull Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsErckenbrack Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Turnstone Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Archurus Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Farragut Park4 acres
DirectionsBoat Park3 acres
DirectionsGateshead Park3 acres · City of Foster City
DirectionsMarlin Park2 acres
Ketch Park1 acres
Antiqua Park1 acres
Baywinds Park1 acres
DirectionsPompano Circle Park1 acres
Vintage Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
222 conserved acres
9% of Foster City’s land. Water is left out: Foster City has 3.8 square miles of land and 16.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Foster City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city164 ac
State fish & wildlife58 ac
Local Park · 157 acState Conservation Area · 50 acState Recreation Area · 8 acLocal Recreation Area · 5 acLocal Other or Unknown · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redwood Shores Ecological Reserve State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 50 | Open |
| Sea Cloud Park Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Leo J. Ryan Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Levee Pedway Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Boothbay Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Civic Center Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Corporation Yard Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| San Mateo Fishing Pier State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 8 | Restricted |
| Edgewater Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Catamaran Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
33 places to go in Foster City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Foster City
5 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Foster City
4 public pools without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Foster City
Archurus Park PlaygroundIn Archurus Park
DirectionsBayporte Park Playground
DirectionsBoothbay Park PlaygroundIn Boothbay Park
DirectionsCatamaran Park PlaygroundIn Catamaran Park
DirectionsFarragut Park PlaygroundIn Farragut Park
DirectionsKetch Park PlaygroundIn Ketch Park
DirectionsKilldeer Park PlaygroundIn Kildeer Park
DirectionsPort Royal Park PlaygroundIn Port Royal Park
Directions4 more playgrounds
Sea Cloud Park PlaygroundIn Sea Cloud Park
DirectionsSea Colony Playground
DirectionsSunfish Park PlaygroundIn Sunfish Park
DirectionsTurnstone Park PlaygroundIn Turnstone Park
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Foster City
Foster City Dog ParkIn Boat Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Foster City
Kite Launch 3rd Ave Upper
DirectionsKite launch 3rd Ave Lower
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Foster City
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
23 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
1.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
30Tennis
16Basketball
7Baseball
7Soccer
3Beach volleyball
3Pickleball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Foster City: 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) | 9.8 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 59 | 61 | 63 | 65 | 68 | 71 | 72 | 72 | 73 | 71 | 64 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 3.8 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 73 °F). 3.8 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Foster City →
Next door
Foster City 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foster City | 9% | 2.4 | 6 | 99%+ | A |
| San Mateo | 10% | 1.7 | 7 | 97% | A− |
| Redwood City | 42% | 0.7 | 7 | 96% | A− |
| Belmont | 11% | 4.7 | 12 | 99%+ | A |
| Hayward | 42% | 1.5 | 54 | 98% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Foster City
Where can I hike in Foster City?
The longest trail networks: Leo J Ryan Memorial Park, 2 miles; Boothbay Park, 0.6 miles; Catamaran Park, 0.4 miles; Edgewater Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Foster City 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 Foster City’s trails?
Leo J Ryan Memorial Park and Boothbay Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Foster City?
23 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.6 of painted or protected lanes, 11 of off-road paths and 1.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Foster City?
25,840 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Foster City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 213 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Foster City have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #202 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 Foster City 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 →