Pearson-Arastradero Preserve

The preserve is very close to my house and dog friendly. It’s also an excellent place to hike. There are a lot of trails within this preserve and you can pick your loop depending on how long you prefer to hike. The parking is free but limited space on weekends. Some of the trails are really really beautiful and scenic. You can take a good view from the hill top for the whole Bay Area.

Dogs are allowed but should be on leash. The dogs pop bags are not available here, please bring your own dog bags whenever you bring your dogs.

At the peak of the trail you get a beautiful view of the valley and the bay. There are bikers here too.
The parking at the preserve is very limited and you might not find a spot during the weekends. But if you wait for a few mins, people coming back from their hikes might leave and you can find a spot then. Else you can park at the side of street a few meters away from the reserved parking area.

Beautiful trails, great birding opportunities with our most frequent sightings being kites and woodpeckers. The little duck pond/lake was also an excellent rest area to watch a variety of water fowl.

This was my second visit here in years. It was 91° so I only hiked to the lake and back. I recommend hiking during lower temps. There were Coyote Warnings around the parking lot recommending to keep dogs on a leash.

Amazing place for a sunset mtb ride! We went on a weekday and it was pretty empty. The loop is only 5 miles but there are nice views and a good combination of up and downhills. There's also a mini terrain park to practice your jumping skills.

Golden in the summer, although quite warm! There are lots of oak trees scattered across the hills, and it has a gorgeous view of the bay on non-foggy days near outlook areas. There are lots of horse trails that are popular as well as trails and bowls for road bikes. The hills are not as gentle as they seem from far away. There are a few shady areas and a population of turkeys that inhabit the area.

Excellent place to hike. There are a lot of trails within this preserve and you can pick your loop depending on how long you prefer to hike. Some of the trails are really really beautiful and scenic. Dogs are allowed as well but should be on leash. At the peak of the trail you get a beautiful partial view of the valley and the bay. You can also buy go mountain biking here on these trails.

The parking at the preserve is very limited and you might not find a spot during the weekends. But if you wait for a few mins, people coming back from their hikes might leave and you can find a spot then. Else you can park at the side of street a few meters away from the reserved parking area.

Overall good spot to hike during the weekends.

Great place to bike or walk/walk dog. There is some horse poo along the walk. We went on the smaller park north of the Arastradero road and was a good 1.5 mile up and down. The path is not good paved, but it has well maintained fine-gravel path. If you want to walk longer, walk south of the Arastradero road. The parking seemed pretty limited, not sure if there is another lot. There are also bathrooms here too.

One of the few places open by foot or bike during covid-19. Parking is closed as of April 2020. Most people park a few blocks away on the side gravel. Unfortunately entrance areas are a bit crowded. The trail can be quite exposed to the sun. Otherwise this is a very nice trail with rolling hills.

Lovely area. Clean bathrooms. Rolling hills but not too steep. Dogs allowed on lease. Not many benches or trash bins along the way. Small parking lot.

I'm not a hiking person but I do love relaxing walks around nature and this is exactly that. Very pretty, relaxing and not strenuous trails. Dog friendly AND informative.

Very lovely hike with wild flowers and a small lake. Easy flat trails.

The hike was lovely. We took the trail to Astradero Lake (my dog and I.) It's a bit drab in the winter but there were many different kinds of birds. We saw quite a few people and Donna and one horse on the trail. If your dog is sensitive to that sort of thing, consider a less trafficked trail. There are restrooms on site as well as a trash can and a water fountain with attachments for filling water bottles and a bowl for dogs.

The parking lot is spacious but was almost full when we arrived at 10AM on a Thursday.

Great park, dog friendly, lots of great trails. Parking can be difficult on weekends, also it can get really hot on hot summer days and many trails have only limited shade.

Great place to hike. There is a vista point about 2.5 miles down the trail, which was good. It was easy to find parking at 8 am on a Saturday. More people started coming in and the lot was getting full around 9 - 10 am.

I took my 5 year old to do mountain biking at this place. The slope is a bit steep for 5 year old with single gear bike. I have to help carry his bike for some part, but we managed to reach the peak. The downhill ride is super fun; my son really enjoyed it.

Absolutely beautiful reserve. Great for biking (mountain and road). Dog friendly. Parking is a little difficult if you get there later than 8:30am on a weekend.

Great place to walk. Mild hills, but lots of flat. 1/2 mile to various trails to add up to about 5-6vmiles. Parking lot off Arastradero. Busier on weekend. Off-road bikes, hikers, horses. Wide paths. Poison oak off path, stay on paths!!!

Great hike…safe…dog friendly…clean restrooms

Place is very nice and peaceful ✌ lots of parking and bathrooms 🚻 are clean great place to go on a run.

If you're looking for a short hike or 🚲 around Palo Alto then this would be a good option.