palo alto baylands nature preserve

JillClardy

Palo Alto Baylands is one of my favorite places for a walk year round. The trails are either packed earth or gravel, so you may get your shoes muddy in the rainy season. Dogs on leash are welcome, as are bicyclists. Pick up (or print) a trail map before you go. Bird watching is great all year long, and you get a nice view of the marshlands and distant rolling hills. Some of the trails are just under the flight path for the Palo Alto municipal airport, and you will see small planes just overhead. If the noise bothers you, choose trails a bit farther south.

snillor

ok for a walk but not great. near airport and really not much to see on our visit. During the right times of year may be good for birding, Parking is convenient and free.

JoliveB

We have now visited this Preserve twice, once parking and visiting at the Interpretive Center and then going for a walk around the circumference. We did not realize this would be so far with quite a bit being alongside the main road so next time we parked at the San Antonio parking area and walked out from there. It was amazing we saw avocets, a Great blue Heron, snowy egrits, numerous varieties of ducks, moorhens, coots. It is a bird lover's paradise. Take your binoculars. There are interpretive boards but sadly none identifying the birds so if you have a guide book take it as well. Take water if you plan to spend time there.

RangerAl

We stopped here twice. It is worth the visit but the nature center is only open a couple of days a week. The only draw back is the general aviation airport next door. We enjoyed lots of birding opportunities.

C0rnMuffin

We came here for hiking, but I wouldn’t really call it hiking. It was more like a nice stroll. The path was wide and totally flat, and perfect for a day in which I was feeling pretty weak and sleep-deprived (having taken a cross-country flight that morning). Lots of wetland plants and birds, generally very pleasant, and a good way to get some fresh air and exercise.

resqpro911

When you drive out to the end of Embarcadero Road in Palo Alto, you will pass a small airport on the left and just a bit further is the old original swimming pool that is now the duck pond. You can see the old tiles from the swimming pool installed a long time ago. Just a bit further is the Ranger Station which used to be the harbor masters quarters when there was a large boat dock across the street. The interpretive center is a bit further and then the new smaller boat launch. What a wonderful place to watch birds and all of the wildlife.

in_the_picture

Close to Google and other Silicon Valley icons. Easy drive from Menlo Park with parking by the Duck Pond or by the cafe. Several easy flat walks right out to on the salt marsh or by the bayside. Watch the executive planes come and go from the small landing sites or switch the varied birdlife. We've seen hummingbirds, egrets, burrowing owls and golden orioles throughout the seasons. Take binoculars and camera. It's very peaceful with views across the Bay.

poggy2002

There are several trails on which to take a walk but some most of them come pretty close to roads or the 101. If you are in the city and just want to take an outdoor walk, worth stopping but not worth a special visit.

scottsI4943HU

Many visits over the years. Palo Alto can afford NPS level expertise and it shows! If you are into biology, check it out.

rootroofy

Nice flat walk, dogs allowed on leash, great for little kids on bikes (flat & no cars), fun outdoor art installations, plentiful bird watching.

HunterL315

The Baylands are a fairly expansive area that provide excellent paths, and if you keep your eyes open you get to see some really cool stuff.Like baby geese trying to learn to fly and making a big splash as they loose flight. The Palo Alto airport also has some cool planes landing regularly, like old bi-wing planes for example.

932GeoffS

We first came here bird watching over thirty years ago. It is still a great place and really hasn't changed over all those years. The only disappointment this time was that the burrowing owls have disappeared from the Palo Airport on the side of the preserve. Still one of the best places to get up close views of Stilts and Avocets.

Shutterbugdi

If you are a photographer and like birds, there is no better place to be than the Palo Alto Baylands in the early spring. The Baylands is on the Pacific flyway and a stop for migrating birds. Over 150 species have been recorded here.To get the great photographs you have to be there at sunrise when the trees are a hive of activity -- night herons building nests, snowy egrets preening their feathers and puffing themselves up as part of their mating rituals, hummingbirds, waders, etc. There is even a male pheasant who likes to hang out at the ranger's station. By 10 o'clock most of the activity is gone. Then you can go for a walk along the Bay or watch wind surfers; there are a number of short hikes of differing lengths that you can follow. A short walk along a wooden boardwalk from the Lucy Evans Interpretive Center will take you to the edge of the bay where, on a clear day, you can see San Francisco in the distance.

profjoypc

This is a really lovely place where you can walk and really appreciate the surroundings of the Baylands. At quiet times it is incredibly beautiful and peaceful - a place to listen and reflect. The bird life is wonderful. The best times of day to go are sunrise when the birds awaken and sunset when they gather. That said, all times of day are worthwhile. The pathway is easy walking. Essentials are comfortable shoes, camera and binoculars.

SandcruiserX

I live just a few miles away. This is a fantastic place to go get some fresh air (caution, there is a treatment plant near the parking area, that smell goes away quickly as you walk on the path). You can stroll along a flat gravel pathway with runners and cyclists, enjoying the ever-shifting water on the Bay and/or the birds that use the large calm waters of the park as resting/breeding grounds. A delightful slice of nature, less than two minutes from highway 101.