Palo Alto's mountain park, draped over 1,400 acres of oak woodland and grassy ridges in the foothills above the city. The preserve famously closed itself to non-residents for fifty years before a 2020 court ruling opened it to the public — it now welcomes everyone.
Twelve miles of trails climb to ridge-top views over the entire Bay. The reservable Vista Point campground at the top is one of the closest legal car-camp sites to San Francisco. Best in late spring when the wildflowers are out; in summer the grasslands turn golden and the lower trails get hot.