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    Sunnyvale Bay Trail

    4.0 (27 reviews)

    Sunnyvale Bay Trail Photos

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    Egret
    Kelly M.

    I cannot believe we never knew about this place until this weekend! It's dog-friendly, and a great place to walk, jog, or ride bikes. We saw plenty of birds on our visit: egrets, herons, ducks, and cormorants! Most of the trails are flat, but there is also a modestly sized hill to ascend. The trail meets up to Don Edwards San Francisco National Wildlife Refuge. It's a bit of beauty surrounded by urban blight. In any case, the birds seem to be perfectly happy there!

    Michael L.

    Right off the bat it helps that I live minutes away from the trailhead because this is an easy & fun trail. How is it fun? You will see ducks and if you look real hard you will see hunters shooting these duckies in open season, which is these couple of months. If you don't see that far then you will surely hear the bang bang bang. How easy is this trail? I've seen old and young, men and women of all fitness levels on this leveled walking/bike path. This trail connects into other trails and you can walk or pedal to Mountain View and beyond if you are so inclined. Be mindful that it gets windy this time of year so dress accordingly & always have water with you. For those planning on a long walk, be mindful that the porta-potty is at the trailhead, not anywhere else in between that I have seen. This is a heavily trafficked trail so good luck sneaking behind a skinny bush to relieve yourself. Finally, Street parking has not been a problem for me and you can also park at the water treatment plant.

    Snow Geese and a few babies
    Fred T.

    As part of a the larger Bay Trail this is one of the shorter but way cooler segments IMHO. It skirts the backside of Moffett Field and thus you can be treated to a variety of different aircraft taking off and landing if your timing is right. From the private jets of the Google elite, to all sorts of military birds you never know what you are going to get. Personally Ive seen F-15's C-17's, C-5's the VC-25A aka AF1, An-124's, C-130's, T-38, F-18's..... the list could go on for days. You also get to go by an old "special weapons bunker" How Special? lets just say they don't have double razor wire, lighting protection, and guard towers for just any old weapon. There is also a fair amount of wildlife to be found beyond the expected ducks and chipmunks. Depending on the time of year you can run into nesting snow geese, storks of various sizes, rabbits, hawks, an eagle, and lots and lots of snakes. Think that's just a stick in the road? Think again. The trail is well graded and fairly smooth. Its perfect for bikes and running/walking. As someone who bikes the trail quite often, please keep to the right if you are walking. We both have headphones on and you seldom hear my passing call, so do us both a favor and stop meandering into the left lane lest we also have to do a Yelp review of the EMS response this far out. It also may be fun for kids but I would pack a lunch and sunscreen as there is no water and zero shade. Trail: Gravel Suitable For: Hiking, Mountain Bikes iffy for narrow tired road bikes Services: None Length: 1.5 miles

    Jim A.

    Its a nice little 2 mile loop. Just don't do it in the sun unless you have sunscreen or a cap. It can get a little smelly. But it is a marsh after all. Plenty of wildlife out there to see. If the ground is wet like after a rain steer clear of the exposed dirt which is most likely clay. Try waling on the pebbled trail. Don't go in the water you will get stuck. Very clay like mud.

    Sara G.

    This is the trail to go to if you are looking for a place to crank out some miles. The Sunnyvale Bay Trail is part of the bigger San Francisco Bay Trail that will eventually encompass 400 miles around the Bay Area. The Sunnyvale Bay Trail starts right by a waste disposal site, so you usually won't find this trail by casually driving around, you have to be actually looking for it. The trails are very flat and go on for miles. I have even gotten all the way up to Shoreline which is about 10 miles round trip. The trail travels right along the SF Bay. There is a ton of wildlife that you can see while visiting from various birds, butterflies, hawks, and ducks . As you get further out, it is very peaceful. It is never crowded. Whenever I come, I only end up seeing a few cyclists and some casual walkers & runners. The trail is a lovely way to escape the craziness of the Silicon Valley without actually leaving it.

    Landfill hill
    Luke X.

    Nice hidden trail near Sunnyvale pollution control plant. The marshes here are home to diverse wildlife including Nene, Mallard, Canvasback, and Great Egrets. We visited this trail during duck hunting season in December. Catch is plentiful around this time according to local hunters. Landfill hills create a scenery towards the west mountains. The extension into bay allows for great views of the east bay mountains such Mission Peak. Overall, the walk is serene and peaceful away from the city noise. Be aware of the waste water treatment ponds.

    Shriya P.

    This place was such a nice discovery! I was looking for a place close enough to work so that I could get in a quick run before picking up the husband from work. This place is ideal! There is hardly anyone on the trail (slightly scary after dark) and you get to run for miles and miles! A lot of bikers seem to use the trail to commute and I do on occasion see some people walking. The access is hidden behind a waste disposal site, where you park and walk up to the trail. The trail forks into two - three directions and each side is as beautiful! You do see a large variety of birds on the trail and in the water. The sunsets here are pretty spectacular too. There is a small hill with a trail going up and down to get in an easy hill run.

    Carmen V.

    There is nothing as exciting as impromptu discoveries. And finding out about the San Francisco Bay trail was just fantastic. A colleague from out of town visiting Sunnyvale and well versed in local trails, asked me to go for a soft hike after work and take pictures of the wild yellow flowers. She parked at the Yahoo parking lot (not sure if that is the proper location to park, but we did not have any issue) and started the trail from there. It was breezy and sunny by 6 pm and we stayed there until almost sunset. We just walked and walked (flat surface, very easy for all levels) but we had to watch for bikes all the time (too many, I guess was that hour of the day for the cyclists). Lots of birds, butterflies and that sense of being so far away from civilization yet across the street from a myriad of high tech companies. Very recommendable for walkers and runners alike.

    Matt S.

    Not a bad trail. They really need better markings and distance markers. I was able to get 6 miles in, but there was a lot of meandering... Not sure how it is in February, but in late August the water has receded significantly.

    Ashley L.

    The trails are pretty bland but kept clear and are wide enough for passing and bicyclists. There's a pretty decent amount of wind but on a sunny day it's fairly refreshing and there's no smell, plenty of wildlife and it's not that crowded. However it's a pretty dull view of power lines, gullies and man made structures so if you want a place in nature away from civilization this isn't it. Also, parking is a tad tricky just due to the location. In my experience, stop and park in the lot at the end before you hit the gravel.

    Penny in her basket on the trail
    Amy G.

    This is such a beautiful trail. The path is kinda short but definitely scenic. I was able to bring my dog in her basket. Parking is very limited.

    Map of the Sunnyvale part of the Bay Trail

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    8 years ago

    The trail is marked but led us along poop ponds so the hike smelled like you were walking inside a port-a-potty.

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    Ask the Community - Sunnyvale Bay Trail

    Are any sections of the trail closed after dark? I noticed there are some gates you have to pass through, for example, when travelling from Shoreline to the area behind Moffett Field.

    Not that I’ve seen. The gates shut during the duck seasons but bikes and people can pass. I’ve ridden through there late 10pm ‘ish with no problems. When Air Force 1 landed at Moffet they kept the trail open as well

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    Review Highlights - Sunnyvale Bay Trail

    The access is hidden behind a waste disposal site, where you park and walk up to the trail.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Braly Park

    Braly Park

    4.3
    (23 reviews)
    3.8 mi

    Amazing hidden gem. SV maintains the park very clean. Playground, sandy volleyball court, water…read morespray area, tennis court, horseshoe court. Highly recommend.

    They renovated the playground area. It's much nicer than before. it has swings, slides, climbing…read morestructures (even a rope one!) and a spinning platform. The little kids enjoy the frog that sprays water. There is a public restroom next to the playground so you don't have to drag the little ones too far to use it. The rest of the park has some reservable picnic table areas with BBQs. You'll find 2 tennis courts way in the back, and also a horseshoe pit. Sometimes you'll see people playing volleyball at the sand volleyball court. There is a path that makes a loop around the park. People like to use it to walk or run laps. There is a pond that used to be filled with an unnatural blue color water. This would attract Candadian Geese to the park and they made a big mess pooping all over the park. There was a time when it got so bad that you could not safely stroll along the walkway without running into geese poop. Trying to avoid these land mines is not a fun way to enjoy the park. They've since turned off the water features and the geese no longer plague the park. The park is definitely much cleaner now. There is a small parking lot by the playground and also street parking along the street that leads up to the parking lot. The parking lot dead ends, but they have designed a roundish area at the end -- this area is not designated for parking in -- at the end to help you make a u-turn to drive back out. Sometimes it is difficult to make this u-turn when people park in this area. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=a3c15emWpHiehs81jdgHHw&userid=isQotFiKU_S_TI4Qt4MtMQ https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=7OFU_4ZnZNDS9b1LMP3QtQ&userid=isQotFiKU_S_TI4Qt4MtMQ https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=rxdAa2RDw46kCSADO9H7hQ&userid=isQotFiKU_S_TI4Qt4MtMQ .

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    Careful... Tree fell over
    Careful... Tree fell over
    Braly Park
    Braly Park - playground

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    Braly Park - playground

    Sunnyvale Bay Trail - parks - Updated June 2026

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