La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve
Managed by Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
184 acres1.2 mi of trail
Grasshopper Loop TrailHarrington Creek Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in La Honda
22% of La Honda’s land is conserved: 619 acres
109 acres are parks and preserves, 86 per 1,000 residents. 4.5 miles of mapped trail cross La Honda, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve (1.2 mi).
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
619 acres · of 4.3 sq mi of land
Trails
4.5 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
109 ac
86 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
39%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is La Honda?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does La Honda have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, La Honda is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of La Honda’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land86 acres of park per 1,000 residents (109 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13AParks close to home39% 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 85%
LessMore
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 La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
619 conserved acres
22% of La Honda’s land. Who manages La Honda’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency562 ac
County58 ac
Local Conservation Area · 562 acLocal Park · 58 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 513 | Open |
| Sam McDonald Park Local Park | County | 58 | Open |
| Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 48 | Closed |
Trails & water
5 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.0 miHorses · 0.7 miUnpaved · 3.7 mi
Grasshopper Loop Trail1.1 mi
Roquena Trail0.8 mi
Lonely Forest Trail0.3 mi
Harrington Creek Trail0.1 mi
Heritage Grove Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
4Basketball
3Tennis
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in La Honda: 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 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 59 | 60 | 63 | 66 | 70 | 76 | 79 | 80 | 79 | 74 | 64 | 58 |
| Rain (in) | 6.3 | 6.2 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 3.4 | 6.4 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 6.4 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in La Honda →
Questions about parks and trails in La Honda
Where can I hike in La Honda?
The longest trail networks: La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of La Honda is conserved land?
22% 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 La Honda’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near La Honda?
64,542 acres of parks and open public land lie inside La Honda or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 109 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does La Honda have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 La Honda 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 →