Bedwell Bayfront Park
Managed by Menlo Park
163 acres10.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Menlo Park Railroad Station · Photo: Ron Reiring from Inland Empire of Southern California, USA · CC BY 2.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Menlo Park
42% of Menlo Park’s land is conserved: 2,661 acres
23 miles of mapped trail cross Menlo Park, 2.3 per square mile of land. 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Bedwell Bayfront Park (10.1 mi), Flood County Park (1.2 mi), Ravenswood Open Space Preserve (0.6 mi).
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #81 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
42%
2,661 acres · of 10.0 sq mi of land
Trails
23 mi
2.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
521 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
34 mi
17 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Menlo Park?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Menlo Park have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Menlo Park is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #81 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 Menlo Park’s overall grade.
Conserved land42% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (23 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (521 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13BParks close to home99% 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 97%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 91%
Water is 43% of Menlo Park’s area (7 of 17 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 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 Bedwell Bayfront Park, with 10.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ravenswood Open Space Preserve
Managed by Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
275 acres0.6 mi of trail
San Francisco Bay Trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Menlo Park Civic Center Complex
Park
13 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sharon Hills Park
Managed by City of Menlo Park
9 acres0.4 mi of trail
Sharon Dirt
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Building 20 Rooftop Park
Park
9 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cooley Landing Park
Managed by Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
6 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 23 parks & preserves
Bedwell Bayfront Park163 acres · 10.1 mi of trail · Menlo Park
DirectionsFlood County Park24 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRavenswood Open Space Preserve275 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
DirectionsMenlo Park Civic Center Complex13 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSharon Park10 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSharon Hills Park9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Menlo Park
DirectionsBuilding 20 Rooftop Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCooley Landing Park6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
DirectionsStanford Hills Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsJack W. Lyle Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSeminary Oaks Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBurgess Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFacebook Building 21 Rooftop Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKarl E. Clark Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKelly Park10 acres
DirectionsNealon Park9 acres
DirectionsWillow Oaks Park4 acres
DirectionsMeta Park3 acres
DirectionsTimothy Hopkins Creekside Park2 acres · City of Palo Alto
DirectionsEl Palo Alto Park1 acres · City of Palo Alto
Hamilton Park1 acres
DirectionsWomenhi Park1 acres
DirectionsCamp Fremont Park1 acres · City of Menlo Park
DirectionsWho protects it
2,661 conserved acres
42% of Menlo Park’s land. Water is left out: Menlo Park has 10.0 square miles of land and 7.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Menlo Park’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service3,866 ac
Regional agency395 ac
Town or city227 ac
County105 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 3,866 acLocal Conservation Area · 275 acLocal Park · 251 acConservation Easement · 120 acLocal Other or Unknown · 81 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 119 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 3,866 | Restricted |
| Ravenswood Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 275 | Open |
| Bedwell Bayfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 155 | Open |
| San Mateo Properties Local Other or Unknown | County | 81 | Restricted |
| Flood Park Local Park | County | 23 | Open |
| Burgess Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Sharon Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Sharon Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Nealon Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Kelly Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
48 places to go in Menlo Park
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Menlo Park
Belle Haven School Tot Lot
DirectionsBurgess Park PlaygroundIn Burgess Park
DirectionsFlood Park PlaygroundIn Flood County Park
DirectionsJack W. Lyle Park PlaygroundIn Jack W. Lyle Park
DirectionsKarl E. Clark Park PlaygroundIn Karl E. Clark Park
DirectionsNealon Park PlaygroundIn Nealon Park
DirectionsNursery School PlaygroundIn Nealon Park
DirectionsSharon Park PlaygroundIn Sharon Park
Directions3 more playgrounds
Stanford Hills Park PlaygroundIn Stanford Hills Park
DirectionsTinker Park PlaygroundIn Tinker Park
DirectionsWillow Oaks Park PlaygroundIn Willow Oaks Park
Directions34 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Menlo Park
2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Menlo Park
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Menlo Park
4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Menlo Park
Sand Hill
DirectionsPicnic areas in Menlo Park
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Menlo Park
Belle Haven Community GardenRotary Club of Menlo Park
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.7 miUnpaved · 9.8 mi
Ravenswood Trail3.3 mi
SF2 Trail0.7 mi
San Francisco Bay Trail0.6 mi
Sharon Dirt0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
34 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
17 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
5.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
San Francisco Bay TrailBike route
3.5 miCourts & fields
73Basketball
33Tennis
11Baseball
10Soccer
3Pickleball
2Beach volleyball
1Field hockey
1Lacrosse
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 22 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Menlo Park: 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) | 59 | 61 | 64 | 66 | 69 | 73 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 72 | 64 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 3.0 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 74 °F). 3.2 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Menlo Park →
Next door
Menlo Park and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Palo Alto82 miFremont66 miWoodside29 miMenlo Park23 miRedwood City14 miStanford7.8 miEast Palo Alto1.4 miAtherton1.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menlo Park | 42% | 2.3 | 16 | 99% | A+ |
| Palo Alto | 43% | 3.4 | 77 | 99%+ | A+ |
| East Palo Alto | 15% | 0.6 | 2 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Redwood City | 42% | 0.7 | 7 | 96% | A− |
| Atherton | 1% | 0.3 | 5 | 55% | C |
| Stanford | under 1% | 2.8 | 1 | 99% | B− |
| Fremont | 41% | 0.8 | 27 | 98% | A |
| Woodside | 12% | 2.5 | 168 | 54% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Menlo Park
Where can I hike in Menlo Park?
The longest trail networks: Bedwell Bayfront Park, 10.1 miles; Flood County Park, 1.2 miles; Ravenswood Open Space Preserve, 0.6 miles; Menlo Park Civic Center Complex, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Menlo Park 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 Menlo Park’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Sharon Hills Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Menlo Park?
34 miles of bike routes are on the map: 17 of painted or protected lanes, 11 of off-road paths and 5.6 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: San Francisco Bay Trail.
Is there public land near Menlo Park?
43,334 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Menlo Park or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 521 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Menlo Park have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #81 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 Menlo Park 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 →