Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park
Managed by East Bay Regional Park District
1,661 acres15.2 mi of trail
North Ridge TrailSinbad Creek TrailCowing TrailRidgeline Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Mercurywoodrose · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Hayward
42% of Hayward’s land is conserved: 12,360 acres
70 miles of mapped trail cross Hayward, 1.5 per square mile of land. 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 8,645 acres are parks and preserves, 54 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #48 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
42%
12,360 acres · of 45.8 sq mi of land
Trails
70 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
8,645 ac
54 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
69 mi
58 mi lanes · 3.7 mi paths
Highest peak
354 ft
Maderia Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Hayward?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hayward have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hayward is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #48 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hayward’s overall grade.
Conserved land42% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (70 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land54 acres of park per 1,000 residents (8,645 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13A−Parks 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)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 94%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Hayward ranks #8 on Outdoors.
Water is 29% of Hayward’s area (18 of 64 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 30%.
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 Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, with 15.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Greenbelt Park and Trails
Managed by Hayward Area Recreation and Park District
141 acres5.3 mi of trail
Ward Creek Road TrailEast Avenue Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Garin Regional Park Restricted Area
Managed by East Bay Regional Park District
1,490 acres4.5 mi of trail
Chabot to Garin Regional TrailWhipsnake TrailBailey Ranch Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hayward Regional Shoreline
Managed by East Bay Regional Park District
986 acres2.5 mi of trail
San Francisco Bay Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park
Managed by East Bay Regional Park District
206 acres1.5 mi of trail
Ukraina Loop TrailWhipsnake TrailUkraina Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
Garin Regional Park
Managed by East Bay Regional Park District
92 acres1.3 mi of trail
Ziele Creek TrailBailey Ranch Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 46 parks & preserves
Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park1,661 acres · 15.2 mi of trail · East Bay Regional Park District
Greenbelt Park and Trails141 acres · 5.3 mi of trail · Hayward Area Recreation and Park District
DirectionsGarin Regional Park Restricted Area1,490 acres · 4.5 mi of trail · East Bay Regional Park District
DirectionsHayward Regional Shoreline986 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · East Bay Regional Park District
DirectionsDry Creek Pioneer Regional Park206 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · East Bay Regional Park District
DirectionsGarin Regional Park92 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · East Bay Regional Park District
Memorial Park31 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsSouthgate Park16 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsKennedy Park15 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsHayward Community Gardens29 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Mount Eden Park15 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSoHay Park2 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Hayward Area Recreation and Park District
DirectionsGreenbelt Park and Trail8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Hayward Area Recreation and Parks Department
DirectionsHeritage Plaza2 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsAlden E. Oliver Sports Park24 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPenke Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
J.A. Lewis Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsOld Highlands Park13 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Centennial Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsKenneth Birchfield Memorial Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directionsde Anza Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCannery Water Tower Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Weekes Community Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCannery Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTennyson Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBidwell Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Gordon E. Oliver Eden Shores Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJalquin Vista Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Hayward Area Recreation and Park District
DirectionsGansberger Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRest Area1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSorendale Park15 acres
Ruus Park10 acres
Canyon View Park7 acres
Palma Ceia Park7 acres
DirectionsCollege Heights Park5 acres
Carlos Bee Park4 acres
DirectionsRancho Arroyo Park4 acres
DirectionsSilver Star Veterans Park4 acres
Greenwood Park3 acres
Longwood Park3 acres
Fairway Greens Park2 acres
Stony Brook Park2 acres
Coyote Hills Regional Park1 acres
DirectionsSpring Grove Park1 acres
Schafer Park1 acres
Parking Lot L1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
12,360 conserved acres
42% of Hayward’s land. Water is left out: Hayward has 45.8 square miles of land and 18.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Hayward’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife7,784 ac
Regional agency6,873 ac
Town or city315 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service150 ac
Other state land111 ac
State Conservation Area · 5,762 acLocal Park · 5,257 acUnknown Easement · 2,421 acConservation Easement · 873 acLocal Recreation Area · 549 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 488 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eden Landing Ecological Reserve State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 5,762 | Open |
| Garin Regional Park Local Park | Regional agency | 1,792 | Open |
| Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park Local Park | Regional agency | 1,659 | Open |
| Hayward Regional Shoreline Local Park | Regional agency | 943 | Open |
| Hayward Shoreline Local Park | Regional agency | 598 | Open |
| Alameda Creek Regional Trail Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 183 | Open |
| Greenbelt Hiking & Riding Trail Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 130 | Open |
| Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 123 | Restricted |
| Oliver Property Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 118 | Restricted |
| Skywest Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 115 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
78 places to go in Hayward
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hayward
Alden E. Oliver Sports Park PlaygroundIn Alden E. Oliver Sports Park
DirectionsMia's DreamIn Tennyson Park
DirectionsPenke Park PlaygroundIn Penke Park
DirectionsSoHay Park PlaygroundIn SoHay Park
DirectionsSoHay Park PlaystructureIn SoHay Park
DirectionsStony Brook Park PlaygroundIn Stony Brook Park
Directions52 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Hayward
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Hayward
Eden landing Kayak Launch
DirectionsWaterfalls in Hayward
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Hayward
2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Hayward
Maderia Hill354 ft elevation
DirectionsTurk Island108 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Hayward
19 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 24.7 miHorses · 5.1 miUnpaved · 25.5 mi
San Francisco Bay Trail9.8 mi
North Ridge Trail2.1 mi
Ward Creek Road Trail1.8 mi
Sinbad Creek Trail1.7 mi
Eden Landing Bay Trail1.7 mi
Chabot to Garin Regional Trail1.6 mi
East Avenue Trail1.5 mi
Cowing Trail1.5 mi
Ridgeline Trail1.3 mi
Whipsnake Trail1.2 mi
15 more trails
Hayward Regional Shoreline
1.2 miUkraina Loop Trail
1.1 miCook Canyon Trail
1.1 miValle Vista Trail
1.0 miBailey Ranch Trail
0.9 miZiele Creek Trail
0.8 miTurtle Pond Trail
0.7 miSunol Ridge Trail
0.7 miShady Creek Trail
0.6 miLoop Trail
0.6 miMariposa Trail
0.5 miSchuhart Trail
0.5 miBay Leaf Trail
0.3 miCourdet Trail
0.2 miUkraina Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
69 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
58 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.7 mi
off-road bike paths
7.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
San Francisco Bay TrailBike route
12.8 miCourts & fields
86Basketball
71Tennis
41Baseball
9Soccer
8Pickleball
5Football
2Skate park
1Lacrosse
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.
Green Shutter HotelBuilding · listed 2004
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Hayward: 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 | 10.7 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 59 | 62 | 65 | 68 | 72 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 78 | 74 | 65 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 3.5 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 3.5 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Hayward →
Next door
Hayward and its neighbors
Hayward has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hayward70 miFremont66 miPleasanton44 miCastro Valley29 miUnion City27 miFairview9.0 miCherryland0.6 miSan Lorenzo0.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayward | 42% | 1.5 | 54 | 98% | A+ |
| Castro Valley | 18% | 1.7 | 28 | 91% | A |
| Fairview | 10% | 3.0 | 17 | 99%+ | A |
| Cherryland | 3% | 0.5 | 1 | 92% | B− |
| Union City | 26% | 1.4 | 29 | 99%+ | A+ |
| San Lorenzo | 4% | 0.2 | 3 | 96% | B− |
| Fremont | 41% | 0.8 | 27 | 98% | A |
| Pleasanton | 12% | 1.8 | 21 | 97% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hayward
Where can I hike in Hayward?
The longest trail networks: Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, 15.2 miles; Greenbelt Park and Trails, 5.3 miles; Garin Regional Park Restricted Area, 4.5 miles; Hayward Regional Shoreline, 2.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hayward is conserved land?
42% 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 Hayward’s trails?
Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park and Greenbelt Park and Trails don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hayward?
69 miles of bike routes are on the map: 58 of painted or protected lanes, 3.7 of off-road paths and 7.4 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: San Francisco Bay Trail.
Is there public land near Hayward?
49,218 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hayward or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 8,645 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Hayward have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #48 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 Hayward 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 →