Debell Uvas Creek Preserve
Park
94 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Sanfranman59 · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Gilroy
6% of Gilroy’s land is conserved, and 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park
19 miles of mapped trail cross Gilroy, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Debell Uvas Creek Preserve (1.6 mi), Las Animas Veterans Park (1.5 mi), Christmas Hill Park (1 mi). 6% of Gilroy’s land is conserved, about 598 acres.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns · #329 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
598 acres · of 16.6 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
317 ac
5.4 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
76 mi
43 mi lanes · 17 mi paths
Highest peak
318 ft
Christmas Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Gilroy?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Gilroy have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Gilroy is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns, #329 of 847 in California. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Gilroy’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land5.4 acres of park per 1,000 residents (317 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13CParks close to home96% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 73%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 61%
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 Debell Uvas Creek Preserve, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Las Animas Veterans Park
Managed by City of Gilroy
31 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
El Roble Park
Park
9 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sunrise Park
Park
8 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Babbs Creek Park Preserve
Park
6 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rainbow Park
Managed by City of Gilroy
6 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 13 parks & preserves
Debell Uvas Creek Preserve94 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsLas Animas Veterans Park31 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · City of Gilroy
DirectionsChristmas Hill Park53 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsEl Roble Park9 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Sunrise Park8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Babbs Creek Park Preserve6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsRainbow Park6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Gilroy
DirectionsDel Rey Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsLos Arroyos Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSan Ysidro Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMiller Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCarriage Hills Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRenz Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWho protects it
598 conserved acres
6% of Gilroy’s land. Who manages Gilroy’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city521 ac
County69 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits7 ac
Local Recreation Area · 295 acLocal Park · 139 acLocal Conservation Area · 133 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 23 acOther Easement · 7 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle Ridge Golf Club Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 198 | Restricted |
| Dennis Debell Uvas Creek Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 109 | Open |
| Gilroy Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 97 | Restricted |
| Christmas Hill Park Local Park | County | 69 | Open |
| Las Animas Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| St. Mary's Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Uvas Creek Park Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| San Ysidro Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Sunrise Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Rainbow Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
67 places to go in Gilroy
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Gilroy
53 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Gilroy
2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Gilroy
Bonfante Falls
DirectionsPeaks in Gilroy
Christmas Hill318 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Gilroy
Lakeside Picnic AreaIn Las Animas Veterans Park
DirectionsMilias Group Picnic AreaIn Christmas Hill Park
DirectionsPlus 8 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
76 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
43 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
17 mi
off-road bike paths
16 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
61Basketball
27Tennis
15Baseball
12Pickleball
8Tracks
3Soccer
2Softball
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Old City HallBuilding · listed 1975
About itEdgar Holloway HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itLive Oak CreameryBuilding · listed 1982
About itChristian Church of GilroyBuilding · listed 1982
About itGilroy Free LibraryBuilding · listed 1988
About itWheeler HospitalBuilding · listed 1990
About itHighway 152 Tree RowSite · listed 2007
About itMiller Red BarnBuilding · listed 2016
About itGilroy Southern Pacific Railroad DepotBuilding · listed 2019
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Gilroy: 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 | 64 | 67 | 71 | 75 | 80 | 82 | 83 | 82 | 78 | 68 | 60 |
| Rain (in) | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 4.0 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.5 inches fall in January, the wettest month. The climate in Gilroy →
Questions about parks and trails in Gilroy
Where can I hike in Gilroy?
The longest trail networks: Debell Uvas Creek Preserve, 1.6 miles; Las Animas Veterans Park, 1.5 miles; Christmas Hill Park, 1 miles; El Roble Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Gilroy is conserved land?
6% 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 Gilroy’s trails?
Debell Uvas Creek Preserve and Las Animas Veterans Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Gilroy?
76 miles of bike routes are on the map: 43 of painted or protected lanes, 17 of off-road paths and 16 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Gilroy?
40,846 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Gilroy or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 317 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Gilroy have?
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #329 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 Gilroy 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 →