Mulholland Open Space Preserve
Nature preserve
111 acres1.9 mi of trail
Ridge TrailNature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Erica Fischer · CC BY 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Orinda
Orinda has 18 miles of mapped trails, 1.4 for every square mile of land
15% of Orinda’s land is conserved, about 1,235 acres. The biggest trail networks: Mulholland Open Space Preserve (1.9 mi), Wilder Park (1.1 mi). 58% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #303 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
1,235 acres · of 12.9 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
215 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
58%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.7 mi
6.6 mi lanes · 2.0 mi paths
Highest peak
1,624 ft
Eureka Peak
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Orinda?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Orinda have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Orinda is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #303 of 847 in California. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Orinda’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (215 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home58% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 76%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 64%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Mulholland Open Space Preserve, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pinole Valley Watershed
Managed by East Bay Municipal Utility District
340 acres0.3 mi of trail
Bear Creek Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Oridina Connector Staging Area
Orinda Oaks Park
Nature preserve
12 acres0.3 mi of trail
Orinda Oaks Park Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
All 9 parks & preserves
Mulholland Open Space Preserve111 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
DirectionsWilder Park38 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPinole Valley Watershed340 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · East Bay Municipal Utility District
DirectionsOrinda Oaks Park12 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMoraga Valley Swim & Tennis Club7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBodfish Preserve7 acres · John Muir Land Trust
Siesta Valley4 acres · East Bay Municipal Utility District
DirectionsOrinda Community Park3 acres
DirectionsDalewood Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,235 conserved acres
15% of Orinda’s land. Who manages Orinda’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits582 ac
Regional agency515 ac
Town or city137 ac
Conservation Easement · 576 acLocal Other or Unknown · 510 acLocal Conservation Area · 113 acLocal Recreation Area · 19 acLocal Park · 11 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 576 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ebmud Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 509 | Restricted |
| Mulholland Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 113 | Open |
| Orinda Oaks Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Orinda Community Center Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Bodfish Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 6 | Closed |
| Lafayette Reservoir Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
| Pine Grove Sports Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Orinda Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 1 | Restricted |
Things to do
27 places to go in Orinda
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Orinda
20 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Orinda
Orinda Oaks Dog ParkIn Orinda Oaks Park
DirectionsWaterfalls in Orinda
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Orinda
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Orinda
Eureka Peak1,624 ft elevation
DirectionsMulholland Hill1,175 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Orinda
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.8 miUnpaved · 3.6 mi
Ridge Trail0.5 mi
Dirt Surfer0.3 mi
Utility Access0.2 mi
Seaview Trail0.2 mi
Bear Creek Trail0.2 mi
Goodfellow Trail0.1 mi
Orinda Oaks Park Trail0.1 mi
Nature Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.0 mi
off-road bike paths
1.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
66Tennis
20Basketball
13Baseball
4Soccer
2Multi-sport
1Football
1Lacrosse
1Equestrian
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 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Orinda: 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) | 55 | 59 | 63 | 67 | 72 | 78 | 81 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 55 |
| Rain (in) | 5.3 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 5.5 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.5 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Orinda →
Next door
Orinda and its neighbors
Orinda has the second most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Orinda
Where can I hike in Orinda?
The longest trail networks: Mulholland Open Space Preserve, 1.9 miles; Wilder Park, 1.1 miles; Pinole Valley Watershed, 0.3 miles; Orinda Oaks Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Orinda is conserved land?
15% 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 Orinda’s trails?
Mulholland Open Space Preserve and Wilder Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Orinda?
9.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.6 of painted or protected lanes, 2.0 of off-road paths and 1.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Orinda?
46,032 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Orinda or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 215 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Orinda have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #303 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 Orinda 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 →