China Camp State Park
Managed by California Department of Parks and Recreation
1,016 acres18.4 mi of trail
Shoreline TrailBay View TrailBack Ranch Fire TrailTurtle Back Trail+1
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Kpapai at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Santa Venetia
More than half of Santa Venetia’s land is conserved: 62%
62% of Santa Venetia’s land is conserved, about 1,436 acres. 27 miles of mapped trail cross Santa Venetia, 7.5 per square mile of land. Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #2 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
62%
1,436 acres · of 3.7 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
7.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,371 ac
368 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.2 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 0.1 mi paths
Highest peak
121 ft
Turtle Back
What kind of outdoors town is Santa Venetia?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Santa Venetia have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Santa Venetia is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #2 of 847 in California. All four inputs put Santa Venetia near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Santa Venetia’s overall grade.
Conserved land62% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails7.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land368 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,371 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13AParks 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)Among the top 1%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)#2 of 847
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 China Camp State Park, with 18.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
San Pedro Mountain Open Space Preserve
Managed by Marin County Parks
350 acres1.8 mi of trail
Wood Oaks TrailJCCHiltler/Sparkles
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Harry A Barbier Memorial Park
Nature preserve
14 acres1.2 mi of trail
Hiltler/SparklesWood Oaks Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
San Venetia Marsh Open Space Preserve
Managed by Marin County Parks
43 acres1.1 mi of trail
Outer Levee Trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Santa Margarita Island Open Space Preserve
Managed by Marin County Parks
12 acres0.5 mi of trail
No dogs
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
China Camp State Park1,016 acres · 18.4 mi of trail · California Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsSan Pedro Mountain Open Space Preserve350 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · Marin County Parks
DirectionsHarry A Barbier Memorial Park14 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
San Venetia Marsh Open Space Preserve43 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Marin County Parks
DirectionsSanta Margarita Island Open Space Preserve12 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Marin County Parks
Castro Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Pueblo Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Who protects it
1,436 conserved acres
62% of Santa Venetia’s land. Who manages Santa Venetia’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks911 ac
Regional agency391 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits88 ac
County33 ac
Town or city14 ac
State Park · 911 acLocal Conservation Area · 391 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 88 acLocal Other or Unknown · 29 acLocal Park · 18 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Camp State Park State Park | State parks | 911 | Open |
| San Pedro Mountain Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 350 | Open |
| Unnamed site - National Audubon Society Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 88 | Open |
| Santa Venetia Marsh Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 32 | Open |
| Water Lots Local Other or Unknown | County | 29 | Open |
| Harry A Barbier Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Santa Margarita Island Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 8 | Open |
| Castro Park Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
| Pueblo Park Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
| Civic Center Lagoon Park Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
14 places to go in Santa Venetia
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Santa Venetia
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Santa Venetia
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Santa Venetia
Turtle Back121 ft elevation · In China Camp State Park
DirectionsChicken Coop Hill66 ft elevation · In China Camp State Park
DirectionsBullet Hill46 ft elevation · In China Camp State Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Santa Venetia
Buckeye PointIn China Camp State Park
DirectionsBullhead FlatIn China Camp State Park
DirectionsChina Camp PointIn China Camp State Park
DirectionsMiwok Meadows Day-Use AreaIn China Camp State Park
DirectionsWeber PointIn China Camp State Park
DirectionsCampgrounds in Santa Venetia
Back Ranch Meadows CampgroundIn China Camp State Park
DirectionsHike and Bike Campsites in CampgroundFee · In China Camp State Park · China Camp State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
15 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 12.6 miUnpaved · 17.5 mi
Shoreline Trail4.2 mi
Bay View Trail3.1 mi
7-Eleven1.5 mi
Outer Levee Trail1.2 mi
Wood Oaks Trail0.9 mi
Back Ranch Fire Trail0.9 mi
Corkscrew Trail0.8 mi
JCC0.8 mi
Turtle Back Trail0.7 mi
Echo Trail0.6 mi
5 more trails
Bullet Hill Trail
0.3 miHiltler/Sparkles
0.3 miPeace Trail
0.3 miRichter Trail
0.3 miMordor
0.3 miBiking & sports
0.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.1 mi
off-road bike paths
San Francisco Bay TrailBike route
5.3 miCourts & fields
5Tennis
1Basketball
1Soccer
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Santa Venetia: 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 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 56 | 59 | 62 | 64 | 67 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 73 | 70 | 63 | 57 |
| Rain (in) | 6.2 | 6.2 | 4.4 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 3.3 | 6.7 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 73 °F). 6.7 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Santa Venetia →
Next door
Santa Venetia and its neighbors
Santa Venetia has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Venetia | 62% | 7.5 | 368 | 99%+ | A+ |
| San Rafael | 35% | 3.8 | 48 | 97% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Santa Venetia
Where can I hike in Santa Venetia?
The longest trail networks: China Camp State Park, 18.4 miles; San Pedro Mountain Open Space Preserve, 1.8 miles; Harry A Barbier Memorial Park, 1.2 miles; San Venetia Marsh Open Space Preserve, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Santa Venetia is conserved land?
62% 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 Venetia’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at San Venetia Marsh Open Space Preserve. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Santa Venetia?
0.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 0.1 of off-road paths. Named routes: San Francisco Bay Trail.
Is there public land near Santa Venetia?
82,289 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Santa Venetia or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,371 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Santa Venetia have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #2 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 Venetia 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 →