Thornewood Open Space Preserve
Check pricesA 167-acre hillside preserve above Woodside with gentle hiking and horse trails around a wildlife lake.

Photo: Steve Jurvetson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
A 3,137-acre Midpeninsula preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains, known for ridge views, spring wildflowers, and hawks and eagles overhead.
Los Altos Hills, CA
Managed by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, this preserve covers high ridgelines and grassland slopes above the San Francisco Peninsula. Hikers can reach vistas that look toward San Francisco Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Trails include a steep climb to a 360-degree viewpoint and a stretch of the Bay Area Ridge Trail. In spring, poppies and lupine color the hillsides, and later in the season other wildflowers bloom. Raptors such as red-tailed hawks and golden eagles are often seen here. Dogs are not permitted, bikes and horses stay on designated trails, and camping and fires are prohibited.
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