Foothills Nature Preserve, covering 1400 acres in the Santa Cruz coastal mountains, offers a retreat to a rural setting in the bustling San Francisco Bay Area.
Fifteen miles of trails provide access to three distinct habitats: chaparral, oak woodland, and grasslands.
Chaparral plant communities, found on many south-facing slopes and ridges in the park, are adapted to hot, dry conditions. Deep root systems and small, thick leaves positioned to reduce surface area exposed to the sun are adaptations these plants have developed to help conserve moisture. Chamise is the dominant plant species, along with manzanita, ceanothus, and scrub oak.
The oak woodland community is represented by coast live oak, California Buckeye, madrone, California laurel, and wicked poison oak. Common wildlife include the dusky-footed woodrat, white-footed mouse, scrub jay, and slender salamander.
California’s summer golden grasslands are dominated by annual species brought by early European settlers. These grasses have largely crowded out the native grasses that colored the hillsides gray-green in summer. In fact, many of today’s grasslands were forests before woodcutting and livestock grazing took their toll. The grasslands are home to huge numbers of insects, rodents such as mice, gophers, and jackrabbits, and larger predators like bobcat, red-tailed hawks, owls, and coyotes.
Athletic and highly intelligent coyotes play an indispensable role in California open spaces where they are often the top predator. Coyotes keep rodent populations (mice, gophers, ground squirrels, and rabbits) in balance, helping to maintain a healthy ecosystem.
Hiker’s Quest: Redwood Rest Seats of Foothills Nature Preserve
One of the many improvement projects taken on by The Friends of Foothills Preserve was the installation of 18 redwood rest seats at various trail locations throughout the preserve. Each bench has a unique number carved into it.
To encourage hiking in the preserve, the Friends produced a downloadable, two-page flier with photos of the 18 benches and their locations. Hike to each bench, get its carved number, and write it in the space provided on the flier. Turn in the completed sheets to a park ranger for a prize.
Hiker’s Quest: Redwood Rest Seats of Foothills Nature Preserve
Foothills Nature Preserve Web Site, City of Palo Alto
The Foothills Nature Preserve web site contains the most current information on hours, entrance fees, park visitor limit, history, preserve rules, maps, things to do, and more.
Foothills Nature Preserve Trail Map
Foothills Nature Preserve Trail Map and Brochure
Directions and Access to Foothills Nature Preserve
Foothills Nature Preserve
GPS Address (see Google Maps below):
11799 Page Mill Road
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
Mailing Address:
3300 Page Mill Road
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
Phone:
650.329.2423
From Highway 101 in Palo Alto, take the Oregon Expressway Exit West. After crossing El Camino Real, Oregon Expressway becomes Page Mill Road. Continue West on Page Mill Road for approximately 5 miles to the Foothills Nature Preserve entrance.
From Highway 280 in Palo Alto, take the Page Mill Road Exit West and drive approximately 2.5 miles on Page Mill Road to the Foothills Nature Preserve entrance. (If coming from San Francisco, turn right onto Page Mill Road; if coming from San Jose, turn left.)
Effective December 17, 2020, Foothills Park is open to the public. Previously, the park was open only to Palo Alto residents and their accompanied guests, but this no longer applies. (Foothills Park was renamed Foothills Nature Preserve in 2021.)