Giving Pond
Giving indeed! This 90-acre rectangular pond, squeezed between the Delaware River and Canal, is an excellent place to walk, fish, kayak and even island hop! Once a quarry, the submerged…
Orcutt Ranch Trail
Surprises linger around every corner of this hidden garden. One third of it is formal and manicured, often featuring a bride; another third is a park-scaped barranca with picnic areas…
Oak Creek Canyon Whole Access Trail
Braille signage and a guide cable running the full length of the level, half-mile Oak Canyon Whole Access trail help those with impaired vision find their way – and the…
Haskell’s Beach / Hel’apunitse Trail
Shrouded in history and surfers’ lore, Haskell’s Beach is partially named after the surfer who used to hold the key back when you needed one. Hel’apunitse, which is the Chumash…
Manning Park Pathways
A congregation of wonderlands connected by stone steps and zigging pathways is tucked into one of Montecito’s verdant canyons. There are rose-lined lawns, colonades draped in vines, a picnic meadow…
Meher Mount
Reverence for nature is inevitable when you take in the view at Meher Mount, which is exactly as Meher Baba intended. Affectionately called “Baba,” he was an important spiritual leader…
Pleasant Valley Charles Honn Botanical Garden Path
This sweet little garden wedge is brimming with curiosities and pollinators. It’s a designated urban bee lab for UC Berkeley and includes a certified wildlife habitat area. On a Saturday…
Potrero Ranch Trail
The green rolling meadows, bright wildflowers and winding sandy pathways against a dramatic mountain ridge backdrop had me imagining I’d rambled straight into the Pyrenees – until I glimpsed inimitable…
Ventura Marina Jetty to Soter’s Point Beach Path
If Ventura’s Marina Park were an amusement park, this would be its adventure ride. Past the big lawn, beach, sand dunes, playground and marooned “pirate ship,” the first part of…
Etra Lake Trail
Past the nature center, the playground, the horseshoe pits, the lake, the stage, the wide open recreation lawn and the farm land, the real adventure begins – in the labyrinthian…
Conejo Botanic Garden & Nature Trail
Bordering the charming Conejo Community Park, the Botanic Garden’s colorful blossoms burst from 15 specialty gardens spread across the hillside. Footpaths meander through Australian, Mediterranean, Desert, Rare Fruit and Butterfly…
Arroyo Verde Park Trail
Wedged amidst Ventura’s foothills, Arroyo Verde Park is the launch pad for trails of various lengths and climbs, though a lovely view with fragrant, pretty flora is guaranteed. Trails start…
Coronado & Ellwood Monarch Butterfly Groves
These two adjacent famed Monarch butterfly habitats reached via the Ellwood Bluffs trail attract butterflies November through February. A decade ago, tens of thousands of butterflies would spend the winter…
Franceschi Park Pathways
Floating on the Santa Barbara Riviera, this enchanting antique estate and garden provide an unparalleled panorama of Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands. From the parking lot, paths and stone…
Rocky Nook Park Trail
Rocky, oaky nooks abound in the wonderful trail scramble at the back of the park along Mission Creek and behind the picnic sites and playground. Minimal in acreage, but with…
Rosedale Park Trail to the Historic Hunt House
Yes, it has that – whatever it is you’re hoping for. Lake, picnic benches, covered pavilions, paved trails, unpaved trails, hidden footpaths, playgrounds, bathrooms, dog park, historic house, connecting trails,…
Goat Hill Overlook Trail
Typically, it takes a moderate to intensely treacherous hike to reach a view like this – but at barely a mile on a broad path with a gentle incline, your…
Bull’s Island Trail
Well it’s an island, so that’s a thousand enchantment points right from the get-go. And it over-delivers once you’re “tide-pooling” on the beach at its tip. There’s ample parking on…
Barbara Smoyer Park Trail
This park checks every box for every age and interest. With several entrances, the park evolves from a serene, lake side historic garden to a playground and soccer recreation field…
Sondek Trail
Simple as this path looks on a map, these tall old trees shelter fire pits and campsites, artwork and even an amphitheater under their gorgeous, diverse canopies. Scout troops have…
Stony Brook Trail at Johnson Park School
It’s just a nudge downstream of Greenway Meadows, and yet the Stony Brook trail transforms again here – rising along higher bluffs, up a dramatic staircase and through a long…
Baldpate Mountain Trail
Scramble up a boulderfall and through some enchanting passageways and you’ll see all the way to Philadelphia – telescope provided!
Lenape Trail
Driving past this place and not stopping shows phenomenal restraint. From the road at Mill Pond Park, between lily pads and onto a long and skinny peninsula, the sandy path…
Gulick Preserve Trail
A sweet little frogtopia, ever-changing clusters of wigwams and lean-tos, natural balance beam, intersections of tiny streams, seasonal wineberry hors d’oeuvres and a Christmas tree garden – all in a…
Montgomery Veterans Park Trail & Arboretum
First things first: there’s a zipline! In fact, absolutely nothing’s missing from this gargantuan recreation area made up of an amazing new playground, expansive park, arboretum and adjoining soccer complex.…
Community Park North & Pettoranello Gardens Trails
A paved pathway ambles around Pettoranello Garden’s pond, passing scattered picnic benches and a charming amphitheater on its way. As you head North, asphalt gives way to a footpath that…
Bessie Grover Park Trail
New playground, picnic tables, BBQ pits, flat rock beaches, shallow river, winding footpaths, mini cliffs, a port-a-potty – all waiting for you if you don’t blink as you’re driving past.…
Beech Woods Park Trail
Orderly, spacious and groomed as a country club, this park tucks its adventure all into one corner – and when you tuck into there too, the park’s name makes perfect…
Reichler Park
Though technically you could footpath along the pipeline, paralleling the train tracks – you don’t even have to leave the parking area to take in the full wonder of this…
Kunkel Park & Pennington Loop Nature Trail
Two charming wooden archways act as portals between the wonderworld that is Kunkel Park – with its large sandbox, play structure, covered picnic benches and rolling meadows – and the…
Van Horne Park Trail
Hidden in plain sight, this spacious park is an excellent place for strollers or taking off the training wheels. A paved path encircles a large deer wilderness as well as…
Davidson’s Mill Pond Park Trail
A lake, lily-padded ponds, vibrant wetlands, creeks, wide open meadows, grand old forests, boardwalks, sweet meandering footpaths with loads of natural stone steps and broad, shaded bikeable trails …. not…
Hobler Park Trail
The expansive recreation lawn, brand new playground and large gazebo with plush BBQs come into view when you pull into the large parking lot. The wonderfully intricate and naturally ornamental…
Zion Crossing Park Trail
The centerpiece of this post-industrial naturescape is the waterfall (especially after a good rain). At 7 acres, the linear adventure is limited, but oh the possibilities for play headquartered at…