Ulistac Natural Area
Managed by UNAREP
39 acres1 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: JaGa · CC BY-SA 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Santa Clara
99% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Santa Clara
The biggest trail networks: Ulistac Natural Area (1 mi), Central Park (0.9 mi), Earl R. Carmichael Park (0.5 mi). 388 acres are parks and preserves, 3.0 per 1,000 residents. 7.7 miles of mapped trail cross Santa Clara, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns · #482 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
335 acres · of 18.3 sq mi of land
Trails
7.7 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
388 ac
3.0 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
91 mi
68 mi lanes · 16 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Santa Clara?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Santa Clara have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Santa Clara is ahead of 56% of U.S. towns, #482 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 Santa Clara’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4BPark land3.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (388 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13C−Parks 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 56%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 43%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Santa Clara ranks #340 on Outdoors.
Park acres per resident are where Santa Clara trails most U.S. towns: 3.0 per 1,000 against 12.6 typical, since 133,446 people share 388 acres.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. 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 Ulistac Natural Area, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Central Park
Managed by City of Santa Clara
48 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Earl R. Carmichael Park
Park
8 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Vista Pointe Apartments Park Space
Park
1 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Parkway Park
Park
5 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 38 parks & preserves
Ulistac Natural Area39 acres · 1 mi of trail · UNAREP
DirectionsCentral Park48 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · City of Santa Clara
DirectionsEarl R. Carmichael Park8 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsMaywood Park11 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsVista Pointe Apartments Park Space1 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Parkway Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Homeridge Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMeadow Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWestwood Oaks Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Lawrence Station Community1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Santa Clara
DirectionsLick Mill Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHenry Schmidt Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJenny Strand Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Santa Clara
DirectionsThamien Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFuller Street Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Bill Wilson Jr. Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Santa Clara
DirectionsThomas Barrett Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Santa Clara
Montague Park11 acres
DirectionsReed & Grant Sports Park9 acres · City of Santa Clara
DirectionsSanta Clara Youth Soccer Park9 acres · Santa Clara Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsLive Oak Park7 acres
DirectionsWashington Park7 acres · Santa Clara County Parks & Recreation
DirectionsBowers Park7 acres · Santa Clara City
DirectionsMary Gomez Park4 acres
DirectionsLarry J. Marsalli Park4 acres
DirectionsSteve Carli Park4 acres
Warburton Park & Pool4 acres
DirectionsFairway Glen Park4 acres
DirectionsBracher Park4 acres
DirectionsRotary Park3 acres
Machado Park3 acres · Parks & Recreation;City of Santa Clara
Everett N. “Eddie” Souza Park & Community Garden2 acres · Parks & Recreation;City of Santa Clara
DirectionsCivic Center Park2 acres
DirectionsFremont Park2 acres
DirectionsAgnew Park2 acres
DirectionsEverett Alvarez, Jr. Park2 acres
City Plaza Park2 acres
DirectionsCreekside Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
335 conserved acres
3% of Santa Clara’s land. Who manages Santa Clara’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city335 ac
County1 ac
Local Park · 169 acLocal Other or Unknown · 76 acLocal Recreation Area · 47 acLocal Conservation Area · 42 acUnknown Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guadalupe River Parkchain Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 76 | Open |
| Ulistac Natural Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Santa Clara Pal Bmx Track Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Washington Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Santa Clara Youth Soccer Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Live Oak Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Lick Mill Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Bowers Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Earl R. Carmichael Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
215 places to go in Santa Clara
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Santa Clara
Boomerang Lagoon
DirectionsBreakers Bay
DirectionsMary Gomez PoolIn Mary Gomez Park
DirectionsPacific Surge Slide Complex
DirectionsSullivan Aquatic Center
DirectionsSwimming Pool
DirectionsPlus 4 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Santa Clara
Climb ZoneIn Central Park
DirectionsInnovation ZoneIn Central Park
DirectionsMcDonald's PlayPlace
DirectionsOutdoor Fitness Area
DirectionsSlide ZoneIn Central Park
DirectionsSpin ZoneIn Central Park
DirectionsSwing ZoneIn Central Park
Directions159 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Santa Clara
Nuevo Community Dog Park (Large Dogs)Hours: Mo-Su 07:00-(sunset+00:30); Tu 12:00-(sunset+00:30)
DirectionsNuevo Community Dog Park (Small Dogs)Hours: Mo-Su 07:00-(sunset+00:30); Tu 12:00-(sunset+00:30)
DirectionsRaymond G. Gamma Reed Street Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Santa Clara
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Santa Clara
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Santa Clara
Central Park PavillionIn Central Park
DirectionsPicnic Grove
Directions31 picnic areas are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Community gardens in Santa Clara
Forge GardenSanta Clara University
DirectionsPlus 7 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
91 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
68 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
16 mi
off-road bike paths
6.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
135Basketball
87Tennis
30Baseball
27Volleyball
19Soccer
16Pickleball
9Football
7Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 12 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Charles Copeland Morse HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itAndrew J. Landrum HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itJames Lick MillBuilding · listed 1982
About itSanta Clara VereinBuilding · listed 1984
About itSanta Clara DepotBuilding · listed 1985
About itAgnews Insane AsylumDistrict · listed 1997
About itPomeroy GreenDistrict · listed 2021
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Santa Clara: 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 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 60 | 63 | 67 | 70 | 75 | 80 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 77 | 66 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 2.9 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.3 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Santa Clara →
Next door
Santa Clara and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Santa Clara
Where can I hike in Santa Clara?
The longest trail networks: Ulistac Natural Area, 1 miles; Central Park, 0.9 miles; Earl R. Carmichael Park, 0.5 miles; Maywood Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Santa Clara is conserved land?
3% 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 Santa Clara’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Ulistac Natural Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Santa Clara?
91 miles of bike routes are on the map: 68 of painted or protected lanes, 16 of off-road paths and 6.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Santa Clara?
44,870 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Santa Clara or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 388 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Santa Clara have?
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #482 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 Santa Clara 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 →