Palo Alto Duck Pond is located across from the Environmental Volunteers' EcoCenter. There is a…read moresmall attached parking lot for easy access. Nice views, while peaceful and relaxing to either walk a couple of laps or just sit and enjoy watching the airplanes taking off / landing and ducks / water (not the most ducks here anymore, at least during our visit). Even on a sunny day, it is a bit windy here, so remember to bring a jacket / sweater. Watch where you step though, as some paths are not even and there are some poop and other trash scattered around in some areas. Overall, nice little hidden gem.

As of May 2022, there are no ducks here, so don't come with unreasonable expectations. I went here…read moreto go for a run, and there's plenty of open space in the Baylands Nature Preserve, some trails throughout, stretching into the marshlands, but I spent most of my time running laps around the pond (one lap is a quarter mile at most). Even though there are no ducks, there are several other birds that can be found, not only waterbirds (see my pics). The best thing I saw was a family of geese hidden in the grass as I was running along the dirt/rock pathway around the pond. Two adult and two baby geese, chomping on grass, and making their way to the trail toward the pond. I took photos of them as they waddled away, it was soo cute and made my day :D The entire setting is just beautiful and peaceful, even with the planes flying in and out of the Palo Alto Airport adjacent to the duck pond (the busiest single runway airport in CA). They're actually pretty quiet, and such small cute planes. So it adds to the charm of this place. I found plenty of benches bordering the pond and along the trails, as well as picnic tables hidden behind the trees surrounding the pond, and a cute little picnic area next to the Baylands Ranger Station, too. I didn't see a public restroom, but I did see one single porta potty next to the pond, so plan accordingly. There are several small parking lots, so if one is full, keep driving and you'll easily find another, you can't miss it. But this place is pretty isolated, and it doesn't seem to get super crowded.. I can't imagine parking being a problem. Great place to be surrounded by nature, but still so simple, not too much to take in, and easy to get to, right off the 101 freeway (though you'll feel like you're far away from civilization).

I didn't know this area is called Annabel Lake! My husband and I walk around the lake, about a…read moremile around with our doggos. It's got dog poop stations, facts about the lake, lots of places to sit and relax and there's a coffee shop open on the weekdays. We usually park near the Target, Super Duper Burgers and then just walk over. It's a nice relaxing stroll.

What a pleasant place to be after hanging out at the mall across the street…read more This was a quiet very peaceful Park with a lake. It is behind an office building. You can easily come here to have a quiet picnic. We walked around and it was actually a pretty big lake area. Probably about 20 minutes to 30 minutes walk. There were a lot of small gray color fish in the water and they would chase us as we walked around. A charming place to get away from the bustle and hustle of the mall across the street where we just had a nice udon lunch.

So this reservoir was built in 1874 but closed to public, then opened for recreational use in the…read more60s. So the trails around the lake have matured really well. Like most parts of the paved trails are very well shaded from trees that have grown over those years. My dog and I walk for around an hour to hour and a half, so we usually pick west or east from the parking lot and return the same way. I think we've only explored like half of the lake so far. I've seen wild turkeys, deers, rabbits, and ducks around. And if you are wearing overear headphones, you get the natures remix with all the birds and insects chirping.

I've been to this east Bay regional park a million times and I've had a great visit each time. They…read moredo lots of races here and I've enjoyed running the bike trail up at the top coming through the Eucalyptus trees. It's's fun except for a challenging hill called live oak trail. If you've never tried it before, try running up the hill as fast as you can go. It will be a fun experience for you. You could thank me later. In the Marina. there's a small Cafe--sort of like a bar-and-grill except for no bar. They also sell fish, licenses and rent boats. One of my favorite all time parks in the east bay regional park system

This is a nice neighborhood park and lake . It is dogs , birds , ducks friendly scenic lake with a…read more1.2 mile paved loop trail for jogging , leisure walk and biking . The man made lake is beautiful curved with willow trees planted along the shore . A lot of shade and lounge chairs to sit and relax . I sane some young parents with baby strollers , a few people Ja's fishing poles , jogging groups . It is a great place to enjoy the views of the wild life ( birds ) , plants and scenery along the lake . There is a small parking lot at the entrance. If it gets full in the morning , you can easily find street parking with access to the lake . I enjoy the peaceful environment very much .

I'm realizing more and more how vital it is for one's mental (and physical) health to spend time in…read morenature. During a particularly low day, I was literally craving me some nature. Which makes sense when you're in a concrete urban jungle day in and day out - we just weren't meant to live this way. I literally searched Yelp for a park in the area on my way home, and Lakeshore came up. Tucked away in a residential area, Lakeshore is a small-ish, serene, well-kept park with, as the name implies, a lake being the central point. I strolled on the path for a bit. I'm not sure how long the path is, but it seems like a good spot to get a decent walk in, and there were a few walkers and joggers. After stretching my legs for a bit, I grabbed some bench and watched the birds - geese (these guys are huge!), seagulls, ducks, and crows - hanging out and eyeballing me to determine if I had food. They were so cute. There is nothing that gets me feeling better fast than being around animals. The human animals that passed by were nice as well, with smiles and hellos, how refreshing. I spent some time just sitting and resetting. It was good. I need to do this more. Nice park, enjoyed a much-needed reprieve here, and would return.

This is actually just one of several reservoirs that make up the Mount Tamalpais Watershed. There…read moreare also creeks and a dam that add to the features. One of the main roads to get up there is just above the town of Fairfax in Marin County. It is a windy road but short, like 10 minutes or so. There are also a lot of bikers who like this area, so watch out on those narrow roads. Once you get closer to the park, the pavement stops and you will have to drive on large gravel for quite a bit, so don't be bringing your high end luxury car here. Lol Once there, an $8 parking fee through a kiosk awaits. I did a 6 mile loop starting at the dam and starting on Alpine lake. Easy start for the first mile or so, with most of it being lakeside. Then the middle 3 miles goes deeper into the forest cover and is more strenous, a constant climb that will speed up the heart rate. Love doing this amongst forest air. Deep in city confines...not so much. The descend will bring you back to where Alpine Lake and Bon Tempe Lake meets, by the dam. The top of hike is exposed and rocky but still gorgeous. Actually reminded me a bit of Tahoe with rocky trails and exposed blue skies. There will be a view of the lower elevations of Southern Marin County. There will also be many glimpses of neighboring Mt. Tam. And after that great morning workout, I was able to have a nice relaxing outdoor meal at one of the many charming independent restaurants in Fairfax, just 10 minutes down the road. Great way to start my stay-cation.

A post on NextDoor.com caught my attention. Someone had just moved to the neighborhood and was…read moreasking how they could hike without paying the $8 parking fee they'd noticed in some areas. The deluge of responses made it clear: if you're paying to park in Marin County, you're doing something wrong. With only a single exception in memory, I don't think I've paid to hike anywhere in the county and these days all I do is hike. But, if you want to hike the grounds of the Mount Tam Watershed it is true that there's a $8 cost to that. You can get around this by purchasing an annual parking pass or checking a pass out from the Marin County Library system. Bon Tempe Lake is my favorite hike within this area of the Mt. Tam Watershed. With an easy to follow, well-trod, 4.8 mile path around the lake's perimeter, and situated only minutes from downtown Fairfax, Bon Tempe is a quintessential Marin experience. You're in nature, beside a gorgeous, placidly serene lake yet only 10 minutes from a good brunch or latte. There's nothing difficult about the hike around the lake and though it isn't flat, it's elevations are quite gentle. If you need more, add a loop around Lake Lagunitas (the two paths intersect) to increase your hike by another 1.2 miles. Fishing is allowed here (but no swimming) and the parking area - for Bon Tempe in particular - fills up early on weekends. All the more reason to make time for Bon Tempe on a weekday. There's lots of hiking options here in the Watershed but for my money, the half-shaded-half-sunny path around Bon Tempe is the loveliest of them all.

This picturesque lake is so impressive. I went here to fish, but there's something to do for pretty…read moremuch everyone. There is a $6 entry fee, and plenty of parking in multiple spots, and closes when the sun goes down. The fish limit is 5 fish per person. There is a lot of fishing space, some on muddy terrain, and some over rocks and grass. People were paragliding and hang gliding on the beautiful lush green hills next in the back. If the only thing you can do is walk, then it's a great one filled with much wildlife like cute hawks and birds; not too short not too long with plenty of shade if you stick near the lake with dispersed picnic tables, and that wonderful view. Cell phone service here sucks. They have barbecue pits and fish cleaning stations. Definitely a hidden bay area gem.

We recently had a large group picnic at the Sandy Wool Group Area, which is a reservable picnic…read moresite right next to Sandy Wool Lake. The Sandy Wool Group Area includes a giant gazebo with a new-looking roof providing shade, a large BBQ grill in the center, and plenty of picnic tables surrounding the grill - plenty of space for our group of 30+ to spread out. Very peaceful area, even on a weekend. + Plenty of parking available ($6 per car) + Clean restroom, even stocked with pads and tampons + Dogs allowed Note: none of us had any cell phone service there, so make sure to coordinate beforehand and enjoy the present moment! I'll have to come back another time to walk around more and maybe try my hand at catching some fish in the lake.

Lovely park with lots of local wildlife, flora, and birds! Plenty of parking when we went right…read moreafter dinner and walking the stretch around the lake is enough to kill around an hour if you're just jaunting around and more than enough to digest a big meal. Around sunset on a Monday there were still lots of people sitting on the benches, walking, biking, jogging, and roller blading. Felt pretty safe, but when the sun sets there's not many walkway/street lamps so keep that in mind. Lots of Canadian geese and we got to see their awkward teenage goslings. There's some ducks and we got to see what looked like cormorant and I think a small heron. We also got to see small song birds and some robins too. It's neat that they have bird houses on some of the trees too and we got to see some ground squirrels. I think the prehistoric themed playground is super nice too. I LOVE themed things so the little saber tooth structure from the distance was quite nice. Along the lake are some "work out equipment" like a pull up bar and parallel bars. Lots of bird turds, so be wary of where you walk, but other than that. A solid park.

most elizabeths are great. to name a few - the queen (rip), elizabeth taylor (the queen), and…read moreelizabeth hurley (also the queen especially when she pulled up in that versace dress, if you don't know what i'm talking about just google it). lake elizabeth is a spectacular elizabeth! it reeks of geese droppings and i'm HERE FOR IT. not in a weird way. it's super nostalgic for every fremont kid, has a great scenic 2 mile trail, and also offers alternative trails like the one behind the railroad. great place for community events and parties. squirrels are cute. note - trail is flat but there is one section that's super bumpy. not ideal for roller skaters like me who only have indoor wheels! some personal memories from childhood: watching an old guy catch a rainbow fish out of the lake, getting chased by a goose, falling off the brown playground slide, getting screamed at by a random parrot