Tobin Clark Open Space
Managed by Town of Hillsborough Parks
59 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Lot M
Photo: Gary gary gary at en.wikipedia · CC BY 3.0C−Outdoors
Outdoors in Hillsborough
Few parks or trails are on the map in Hillsborough
The biggest trail networks: Tobin Clark Open Space (0.5 mi). 2 acres are parks and preserves, 0.2 per 1,000 residents. 35% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 16% of U.S. towns · #783 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
under 1%
6 acres · of 6.2 sq mi of land
Trails
2.0 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
2 ac
0.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
35%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.6 mi
2.6 mi lanes · 0.1 mi paths
Highest peak
653 ft
Black Mountain
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hillsborough have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hillsborough is ahead of 16% of U.S. towns, #783 of 847 in California. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hillsborough’s overall grade.
Conserved landunder 1% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%DTrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land0.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13DParks close to home35% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 16%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 8%
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Hillsborough. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. 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 Tobin Clark Open Space, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Nueva/Macadamia Open Space
Managed by Town of Hillsborough
32 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Crocker Lake Open Space
Managed by Town of Hillsborough
66 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Spencer Lake Open Space
Managed by Town of Hillsborough
46 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 10 parks & preserves
Tobin Clark Open Space59 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Town of Hillsborough Parks
DirectionsNueva/Macadamia Open Space32 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Town of Hillsborough
DirectionsCrocker Lake Open Space66 acres · Town of Hillsborough
Spencer Lake Open Space46 acres · Town of Hillsborough
San Francisco Peninsula Watershed24 acres · San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Woodridge Open Space24 acres · Town of Hillsborough
Strawberry Hill Open Space9 acres · Town of Hillsborough
Rowen Tree Open Space6 acres · Town of Hillsborough
Cottonwood Court Open Space2 acres · Town of Hillsborough
Vista Park1 acres
Who protects it
6 conserved acres
under 1% of Hillsborough’s land. Who manages Hillsborough’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County4 ac
Town or city1 ac
Local Resource Management Area · 4 acLocal Park · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| SFPUC Peninsula Watershed Local Resource Management Area | County | 4 | Restricted |
| Vista Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Hillsborough
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hillsborough
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Hillsborough
Black Mountain653 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Hillsborough
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Hillsborough
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
74Tennis
12Basketball
2Baseball
1Skate park
1Football
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hillsborough: 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) | 58 | 60 | 63 | 65 | 67 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 73 | 71 | 64 | 58 |
| Rain (in) | 4.6 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 4.6 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 73 °F). 4.6 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Hillsborough →
Next door
Hillsborough 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsborough | under 1% | 0.3 | under 1 | 35% | C− |
| Burlingame | 6% | 0.5 | 6 | 96% | B+ |
| San Mateo | 10% | 1.7 | 7 | 97% | A− |
| Baywood Park | 10% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 67% | C |
| Highlands | 36% | 1.6 | 4 | 67% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hillsborough
Where can I hike in Hillsborough?
The longest trail networks: Tobin Clark Open Space, 0.5 miles; Nueva/Macadamia Open Space, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hillsborough is conserved land?
under 1% 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 Hillsborough’s trails?
Tobin Clark Open Space and Nueva/Macadamia Open Space don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hillsborough?
2.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of painted or protected lanes and 0.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Hillsborough?
25,723 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hillsborough or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hillsborough have?
Ahead of 16% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #783 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 Hillsborough 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 →