Have long eyed the Castle Rock State Park and glad we finally went! The park charges a nominal…read moreparking fee ($10 at time of writing); the parking fee is waived if you have one of the supported passes. Check their site for more info: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=538# We really enjoyed our hike here. The space is beautiful, and the trails are well-maintained. The trailhead had plenty restrooms as well. We made it up to Goat Rock Lookout, back down, then detour to the waterfall. It took ~1.5 hours in total, which was perfect for a end-of-day hike before the park closes at sunset. The view up at Goat Rock Lookout was breathtaking!

If you're looking for another place that has breathtaking views surrounding the whole Santa Cruz…read moreMountains (but don't want to go all the way to Portola Valley), Castle Rock State Park is the place for you. This place is usually my go to when the weather is just perfect and you want good views of the mountains viewing the Monterey Bay and the Santa Clara Valley. In addition, the park is even open during the cold winter season, where it occasionally will snow (because of how high the elevation is, the main base is situated at about 3,200 feet above sea level). This place has been my go-to park for hiking for a while, because of its terrain. At the same time, it's also been because of how much snow they get when cold fronts come into effect. They are also open year-round, so definitely swing by this state park when you do get the chance to! It's a decision you'll never regret.

Staff were super helpful and knowledgeable. They helped me select gear that fit my budget and…read moreneeds! I would recommend this shop for every mtb need :)

100% hands down these guys are the real deal. Super friendly, super knowledgeable. What an LBS…read moreshould be. Lars the owner knows way too much about MTBikes, than you'd ever want to know. Dylan and team are legit. Big shout out to Jessie, Dave, Jericho for servicing my SWorks Turbo Levo. Highly recommend these guys for all your bike needs.

Rock the Block Alum…read moreRock Park is what many, myself included, consider to be *the* crown jewel of CSJ parks, and it's easy to see why. From the vast 730-acres of green space includes thirteen miles of trails that run the gamet of flat sojourns, to steep hikes to Eagle Rock. It's also California's oldest Muni park (1872) but has always served as land since 1777 when the Pueblo was established. The Good: *Variety of trails, as mentioned above, and they're mostly shaded. *Lots of history here as there's remnants of an old train trestle that used to run visitors up to a health spa of sorts. There's still remnants of the spa as you can see--and smell thanks to the sulfur springs. *Trails also connect to adjoining Sierra Vista OSP, and is part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail. *Sand volleyball courts *Playground *Reservable and non-reservable picnic tables *Restrooms *Six miles of Horse trails *Three miles of Bikes trails *Home to the YSi (Youth Science Institute), which I highly recommend to parents. They have a bunch of summer camps that are great ways to get kids to love nature. The Meh: *No dogs allowed *Lots of poison oak *Parking costs $6 *Cell service is spotty, at best. The Ugly: *Budget cuts, budget cuts, budget cuts... Thanks to the lack of caring by our leaders for our parks, this place is not as great as it once was. As there's several entrances that have been closed off for nearly thirty years! *I can't believe I haven't written a review for this place yet. As the (unofficial) Mr San José I find it very shameful and shall self-flagellate immediately. Conclusion: Not as great as it used to be, but still pretty damn amazing.

If you arrive before they open at 8 am, there is a line to enter. Luckily parking in the…read moreneighborhood and walking into the park is fairly easy. Arrived at one the trailheads hoping for a park map near the restroom but none were to be found. The trails were a little hard to follow and we ended up landing on a different one. Fortunately they all connect! Great place to hike with a ton of trails to choose from. Finished my hike at 9:30ish and the park was packed!

In the past few years, I've explored many different entrances to this open space. Surprisingly,…read moremany of the entrances are close to or even on private land, with an easement. For example, the entrances nearby Walnut Avenue are often interspersed among largest estates. Generally, the trails are well marked. But not always. And sometimes trails do not show up on the official Park map. Having said that, this is a delightful Park with tons of interesting trails. In most areas there are no facilities or water, so keep that in mind.

Was in the area and looking for a place to take my dog for an off leash walk and this was it. It…read morewas after some rains, so lots of muddy spots on trails. We did a nice mile and a half loop, perfect length for my small dog. I got parking, but there are not many spots, so that could be an issue. I also didn't see any bathrooms, forcing me to figure out alternatives. Rolling hills, but nothing too bad. Some native plant restoration work was being done and everybody I passed by was polite and pleasant. The trails are very exposed, so I would limit my hiking here to days with more mild weather, but it wasn't busy a really nice change of scenery for me.

I wish they had a bathroom. Everything else was cool. Did the Fir Trail and Tafoni Trail to the…read moreSandstone Formation and tacked on the vista point which was about 3.5 miles total. Be careful crossing the street to get to the trail. The main El Corte de Madera area has restrooms and it's just a 5 minute drive away.

Lovely hike with lots of shade. This would be wonderful in warm weather too. Our goal was to visit…read morethe Tafoni sandstone structure. We parked our car at Skeggs Pt. Parking lot. We hiked along the Tafoni trail to get to the sandstone structure and returned to the car via the higher Fir trail. This was an easier hike exiting the park.

I love Garland ranch. There are several different walking trails. They have a visitor center and…read morebathrooms. Make sure you have on good hiking shoes and bring sunblock and water on warm days. Bring your dog or come solo, the beauty of nature is always so peaceful here. Our kiddos definitely enjoyed getting out to enjoy the area, we will return!

Wonderful park to explore and hike if you are ever in the Carmel Valley area. Plenty of parking…read moreboth on the street as well as in a designated parking lot. Much of the area in the lower section is flat and easy to walk around, however, there are also some trails with steeper elevation climbs for those who want to get more of a scenic view of the area. Cool historic barn is easy to get to and on hotter days you will definitely want to take some water as some of the trails are exposed to the sun. There is a public bathroom area by the visitor center.

If you're reading this, there's a high probability you are residing in the Milky Way galaxy. But,…read morehave you seen it? Really, let me ask again, have you actually viewed your galaxy? Chances are that you haven't. Light pollution blocks 99% of Americans from viewing the Milky Way; about 80% of the USA is light polluted. However, some countries in Asia are 100% light polluted; in fact, the residents of some of those countries have a hard time adapting their vision to darkness. On a recent night, after researching dark skies and making some calculations, I photographed the Milky Way here at Panoche Hills. This place is downright amazing if you're into stargazing, astrophotography, or getting off the grid. I stood there, alone, in awe seeing shooting stars, meteorites, a billion stars, and the elusive Milky Way. The views here are stellar (yay pun) but you will need to be ready for a journey because it is not easy to get here. I recommend coming in from the northern route due to the roads being in better shape. I stood there around midnight alone and it did cross my mind, "Yikes, what if something happens no one will find me." Darkness, stars, and owls flying around staring at you can be a tad scary for a city-dweller. The longer I was out there the more serene and wondrous it all became. Seeing the Milky Way rise puts things into perspective that is hard to describe; it must be experienced. Before you can see the Milky Way, however, you're going to need to do some research. Even a half-moon can hide it. Be aware that we're in the northern hemisphere so it will not be visible all year. There are a few other places in California to view it like this but for me this was the easiest to get to. If you come, I would not recommend coming alone like I did (hey I like adventure). Bring water and flashlight. Also, keep in mind cell phone service is nil unless you get lucky; but, assume you will be out of contact with the world. I hear this is an excellent place to view the perseid meteor shower and I might come back in August for that. The good news is that Mercy hot springs is less than a mile south so if some real emergency happens they are there.

From the owner: Bureau of Land Management is a land management agency providing public access for recreation and…read moreeducation while preserving natural and cultural resources.

If you're looking for a spot to ride your bike or you have a little one that likes to ride, this is…read morea great spot. Went here today and there were kids of all ages present. Some as young as 3. This bike park has some really killer hills and dips. We didn't see the bathrooms, but one of the other parents told us that they have them in the back. There's also a little area for people to sit down and observe, which is great if you're planning on staying a while. There's lots of parking available here, but be careful if you are parked across the street. Some of the traffic driving by are carelessly fast so once you get inside if you have little ones, make sure that the gate stays closed. Especially if you have little runners.

We love this pump track. Improvements have been made. The track is smoother now…read more Great place for kids. The bathroom is clean!