Windy Hill Open Space Preserve
Managed by Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
1,279 acres14.8 mi of trail
Spring Ridge TrailRazorback Ridge TrailHamms Gulch TrailLost Trail+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Casa de Tableta · Photo: W Nowicki · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Portola Valley
Portola Valley has 54 miles of mapped trails, 5.9 for every square mile of land
29% of Portola Valley’s land is conserved, about 1,688 acres. 1,327 acres are parks and preserves, 308 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Windy Hill Open Space Preserve (14.8 mi), Coal Mine Ridge Preserve (6.1 mi).
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #66 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
29%
1,688 acres · of 9.1 sq mi of land
Trails
54 mi
5.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,327 ac
308 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
71%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.0 mi
2.6 mi lanes · 0.4 mi paths
Highest peak
1,919 ft
Windy Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Portola Valley?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
A trail town5.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, among the top 1% of U.S. towns.Land that stays wild29% of the land is conserved; a typical California town, 4%.Room to roam308 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Portola Valley have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Portola Valley is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #66 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Portola Valley’s overall grade.
Conserved land29% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails5.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (54 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land308 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,327 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13AParks close to home71% 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 97%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 92%
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 Windy Hill Open Space Preserve, with 14.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Coal Mine Ridge Preserve
Nature preserve
257 acres6.1 mi of trail
Toyon TrailArroyo TrailOld Spanish TrailCoalmine Trail+1
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lot
Frog Pond Park
Park
7 acres0.1 mi of trail
Indian Crossing Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
1,688 conserved acres
29% of Portola Valley’s land. Who manages Portola Valley’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency1,393 ac
Private owners243 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits107 ac
Town or city22 ac
Local Conservation Area · 1,365 acPrivate Conservation · 243 acUnknown Easement · 107 acConservation Easement · 28 acLocal Recreation Area · 22 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 57 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windy Hill Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 1,364 | Open |
| Coal Mine Ridge Private Conservation | Private owners | 243 | Restricted |
| Russ Miller Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Ford Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Rossotti Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Coal Creek Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Portola Valley
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Portola Valley
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Portola Valley
Windy HillIn Windy Hill Open Space Preserve
DirectionsPlus 3 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Portola Valley
Windy Hill1,919 ft elevation · In Windy Hill Open Space Preserve
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Portola Valley
Community GardenPortola Valley Ranch
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.3 miHorses · 27.3 miUnpaved · 25.4 mi
Westridge Trail3.0 mi
Spring Ridge Trail2.8 mi
Hamms Gulch Trail2.8 mi
Razorback Ridge Trail2.7 mi
Lost Trail2.4 mi
Toyon Trail2.2 mi
Alpine Trail2.0 mi
Portola Trail1.9 mi
Old Spanish Trail1.7 mi
Arroyo Trail1.5 mi
15 more trails
Larry Lane Trail
1.1 miAnniversary Trail
1.1 miCervantes Trail
1.0 miShady Trail
1.0 miValley Oak Trail
1.0 miWillowbrook Trail
1.0 miLos Trancos Road Trail
0.9 miAlamos-Bolivar
0.9 miCoalmine Trail
0.8 miSweet Springs Trail
0.7 miDeer Path Trail
0.7 miAdmiral Quilter Trail
0.7 miMinoca Trail
0.7 miSunrise Trail
0.7 miBlack Oak Trail
0.7 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.0 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
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
59Tennis
14Basketball
11Equestrian
5Pickleball
4Soccer
4Baseball
2Lacrosse
1Football
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 Portola Valley: May 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) | 57 | 58 | 61 | 64 | 69 | 75 | 80 | 80 | 79 | 73 | 63 | 57 |
| Rain (in) | 7.4 | 7.2 | 5.5 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 7.4 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 7.4 inches fall in January, the wettest month. The climate in Portola Valley →
Next door
Portola Valley and its neighbors
Portola Valley has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Portola Valley
Where can I hike in Portola Valley?
The longest trail networks: Windy Hill Open Space Preserve, 14.8 miles; Coal Mine Ridge Preserve, 6.1 miles; Frog Pond Park, 0.1 miles; Triangle Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Portola Valley is conserved land?
29% 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 Portola Valley’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Windy Hill Open Space Preserve. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Portola Valley?
3.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of painted or protected lanes and 0.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Portola Valley?
53,223 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Portola Valley or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,327 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Portola Valley have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #66 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 Portola Valley 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 →