El Dorado Community Park
Park
17 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Sgerbic · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Salinas
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Salinas
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 19 miles of mapped trail cross Salinas, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: El Dorado Community Park (1.1 mi), Sherwood Park (0.8 mi), Montebella Park (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #378 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
706 acres · of 23.5 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
449 ac
2.8 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
71 mi
53 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Salinas?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Salinas have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Salinas is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #378 of 847 in California. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Salinas’ overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land2.8 acres of park per 1,000 residents (449 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13C−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)Ahead of 68%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 55%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Salinas ranks #283 on Outdoors.
Park acres per resident are where Salinas trails most U.S. towns: 2.8 per 1,000 against 12.6 typical, since 159,134 people share 449 acres.
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 El Dorado Community Park, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cesar Chavez Community Park
Park
30 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Gabilan Creek Wilderness Sanctuary
Park
27 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Closter Park
Park
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 33 parks & preserves
El Dorado Community Park17 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSherwood Park27 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsMontebella Park18 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsCesar Chavez Community Park30 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsGabilan Creek Wilderness Sanctuary27 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsNativiad Creek Park34 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsCentral Park8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCloster Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
McKinnon Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsConstitution Soccer Fields30 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsExposition Grounds7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNorthgate Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Hartnell Neighborhood Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Laurel Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLaurel Heights Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Laurelwood Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Harden Neighborhood Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Rossi Rico Linear Parkway14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFrank Paul Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSteinbeck Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSanta Rita Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMission Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWoodside Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Natividad Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTatum's Garden2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMaple Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSanta Lucia Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Clarmont Manor Park5 acres
DirectionsAll Veterans Memorial Park5 acres
DirectionsLos Padres Park3 acres
DirectionsCreekbridge Neighborhood Park3 acres
Gene Robinson Park / American Little League1 acres
DirectionsBataan Memorial Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
706 conserved acres
5% of Salinas’ land. Who manages Salinas’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city553 ac
County112 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits107 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government5 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)1 ac
Joint1 ac
Local Recreation Area · 329 acLocal Park · 313 acPrivate Conservation · 72 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 29 acLocal Conservation Area · 14 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 5 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 56 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salinas Fairways Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 146 | Restricted |
| Sherwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 96 | Open |
| Twin Creeks Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 76 | Restricted |
| Carr Lake Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 72 | Closed |
| Salinas Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 62 | Open |
| Natividad Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 58 | Open |
| Garden of Memories Memorial Park Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 29 | Unknown |
| Constitution Soccer Complex Local Recreation Area | County | 28 | Open |
| Cesar Chavez Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| El Dorado Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
211 places to go in Salinas
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Salinas
U - Pool
DirectionsPlus 1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Salinas
Santa Rita Park Kids StructureIn Santa Rita Park
DirectionsSanta Rita Park Playground StructureIn Santa Rita Park
Directions161 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Salinas
2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Salinas
46 picnic areas are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Trails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.1 miUnpaved · 1.6 mi
Magical Alley0.1 mi
Biking & sports
71 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
53 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
6.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
62Basketball
52Tennis
46Baseball
16Soccer
10Golf
7Football
1Softball
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 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.
Boronda, Jose Eusebio, AdobeBuilding · listed 1973
About itB. V. Sargent HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itKrough HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itSheriff William Joseph Nesbitt HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itSamuel M. Black HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itJohn Steinbeck HouseBuilding · listed 2000
About itMonterey County JailBuilding · listed 2004
About itMonterey County Court HouseBuilding · listed 2009
About itRepublic CafeBuilding · listed 2011
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Salinas: 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 | 14.1 | 14.7 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 62 | 64 | 66 | 68 | 69 | 72 | 72 | 74 | 76 | 74 | 67 | 62 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 2.7 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 3.2 inches fall in January, the wettest month. The climate in Salinas →
Questions about parks and trails in Salinas
Where can I hike in Salinas?
The longest trail networks: El Dorado Community Park, 1.1 miles; Sherwood Park, 0.8 miles; Montebella Park, 0.7 miles; Cesar Chavez Community Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Salinas is conserved land?
5% 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 Salinas’ trails?
El Dorado Community Park and Sherwood Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Salinas?
71 miles of bike routes are on the map: 53 of painted or protected lanes, 11 of off-road paths and 6.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Salinas?
16,407 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Salinas or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 449 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Salinas have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #378 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 Salinas 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 →