Blithedale Summit Open Space Preserve
Managed by Marin County Parks
293 acres4 mi of trail
Piedmont TrailHuckleberry TrailBarbara Springs TrailGabby's Trail+1
Dogs on leash
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Sanfranman59 · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Larkspur
26% of Larkspur’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. 11 miles of mapped trail cross Larkspur, 3.5 per square mile of land. 26% of Larkspur’s land is conserved, about 493 acres.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #30 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
26%
493 acres · of 3.0 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
3.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
494 ac
38 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
14 mi
2.6 mi lanes · 8.2 mi paths
Highest peak
203 ft
Bon Air Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Larkspur?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Larkspur have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Larkspur is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #30 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Larkspur’s overall grade.
Conserved land26% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land38 acres of park per 1,000 residents (494 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13A−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)Among the top 1%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 97%
Water is 7% of Larkspur’s area (0 of 3 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 24%.
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 Blithedale Summit Open Space Preserve, with 4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
King Mountain Open Space Preserve
Managed by Marin County Parks
67 acres1.2 mi of trail
Vine TrailKing Mountain Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 11 parks & preserves
Blithedale Summit Open Space Preserve293 acres · 4 mi of trail · Marin County Parks
King Mountain Open Space Preserve67 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Marin County Parks
DirectionsPiper Park22 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsNiven Park4 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsRemillard Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLarkspur Neighborhood Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHamilton Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLarkspur Miwok Park11 acres
Greenbrae School Park1 acres
DirectionsHeatherwood Park1 acres
DirectionsBon Air Landing Park1 acres
Who protects it
493 conserved acres
26% of Larkspur’s land. Water is left out: Larkspur has 3.0 square miles of land and 0.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Larkspur’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency373 ac
Town or city118 ac
Local Conservation Area · 362 acLocal Park · 96 acLocal Recreation Area · 20 acLocal Other or Unknown · 9 acUnknown Easement · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blithedale Summit Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 297 | Open |
| King Mountain Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 66 | Open |
| Piper Park Local Park | Town or city | 51 | Open |
| Niven Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Milwok Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Corte Madera Bike Trail Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Cal Park Hill Trail Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 8 | Open |
| Centennial Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Larkspur Lands 005 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Bike Path Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
10 places to go in Larkspur
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Larkspur
Dolliver Playground
DirectionsLarkspur Neighborhood Park PlaygroundIn Larkspur Neighborhood Park
DirectionsNiven Park PlaygroundIn Niven Park
DirectionsPiper Park PlaygroundIn Piper Park
DirectionsDog parks in Larkspur
Dog Park | Piper ParkIn Piper Park
DirectionsLarkspur Neighborhood Dog ParkIn Larkspur Neighborhood Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Larkspur
Bon Air Hill203 ft elevation
DirectionsPalm Hill177 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Larkspur
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.3 miHorses · 1.7 miUnpaved · 5.5 mi
Piedmont Trail0.8 mi
Huckleberry Trail0.4 mi
Boardwalk One0.4 mi
Barbara Springs Trail0.3 mi
Gabby's Trail0.2 mi
Dawn Falls Trail0.2 mi
Vine Trail0.1 mi
King Mountain Loop Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
14 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
8.2 mi
off-road bike paths
3.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
22Tennis
9Baseball
7Basketball
5Soccer
2Beach volleyball
1Cricket
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 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 Larkspur: 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 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 56 | 59 | 61 | 63 | 66 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 70 | 62 | 56 |
| Rain (in) | 6.2 | 6.2 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 3.3 | 6.8 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 73 °F). 6.8 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Larkspur →
Next door
Larkspur 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larkspur | 26% | 3.5 | 38 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Kentfield | 21% | 3.3 | 44 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Corte Madera | 52% | 3.4 | 40 | 99%+ | A+ |
| San Rafael | 35% | 3.8 | 48 | 97% | A+ |
| Mill Valley | 25% | 4.7 | 54 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Larkspur
Where can I hike in Larkspur?
The longest trail networks: Blithedale Summit Open Space Preserve, 4 miles; King Mountain Open Space Preserve, 1.2 miles; Piper Park, 0.9 miles; Niven Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Larkspur is conserved land?
26% 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 Larkspur’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Blithedale Summit Open Space Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Larkspur?
14 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of painted or protected lanes, 8.2 of off-road paths and 3.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Larkspur?
81,399 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Larkspur or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 494 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Larkspur have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #30 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 Larkspur 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 →