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From breaking ground on new playgrounds to restoring an eroding creek, there is lots being done to make nature more accessible on the Peninsula in the year to come.
And if you’re looking to get outside this summer, grab your sunscreen and check out these new trails, parks and playgrounds.
If you’re up for a challenge, San Mateo County is hosting its annual Take A Hike Challenge. If you complete seven hiking routes – located at Quarry Park, Fitzgerald Marine Reserve and Pillar Point Bluff, Huddart Park, San Pedro Valley Park, San McDonald Park, Sawyer Camp Trail and Junipero Serra Park – by Oct. 31, you can claim prizes. More information is available at smcgov.org/parks/2025-take-hike-challenge.
New outdoor spaces
Evelyn Park, Mountain View
Mountain View opened its newest green space, Evelyn Park, on May 28. The mini park is the city’s 46th park and includes a small play structure, a large lawn with a sculpted mound, pathways, a raised hut structure, a log piling climber and log steppers.
The park, located between Moorpark Way and South Bernardo Avenue at 585 E. Evelyn Ave., is 0.68 acres. There was some pushback from residents of the neighboring apartment complexes who opposed building the space.
The park, which cost $1.5 million to build, is the first park in Mountain View to be maintained entirely with all-electric tools, according to the city.
The City Council approved the park concept in 2023.
Thimbleberry Trail, Los Gatos
Thimbleberry Trail, located in the northeast corner of Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve, opened May 1. The new trail, which is a quarter-mile long, provides a scenic connection from the Beaver Trail to the Oak Knoll Trail for hikers and equestrians.
Thimbleberry is Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District’s newest addition to the trail network in the preserve, which is 3 miles south of Los Gatos.
The new trail was one of the last trail segments stemming from a plan to build about 4 miles of new trail, bringing the total miles in the preserve to 10, according to Midpen public affairs specialist Ryan McCauley.
“The trail network at Bear Creek Redwoods is continuing to grow,” he said.
Staff members are working on expanding a trail in the park to allow for biking in addition to hiking and horseback riding.
In addition to the multiuse trail, the open space district is planning to build 10 new miles of trails in the southeastern section of the preserve over the next five years. Staff is also removing invasive species and restoring an old Christmas tree farm to a natural oak woodland.
Filoli’s new outdoor play space and store, Woodside
In early June, the Woodside estate introduced its new “TROLLS: Save the Humans” art installation, bringing six of Danish artist Thomas Dambo’s gigantic folklore-inspired sculptures to Filoli, located at 86 Cañada Road in Woodside.
Filoli Estate opened a new stretch of trail, the Spring Creek Trail, on the Woodside property in 2024. At the same time that Fioli unveiled the “TROLLS” installation, it opened a new Trailhead Store near the Spring Creek Trail. The store has snacks, drinks, souvenirs and hiking essentials, along with a scenic deck for relaxation. It is open 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.
The “TROLLS” exhibit is on view through Nov. 10.
Filoli plans to continue to build out a trail network on its sprawling lands — 654 acres in total — in the years to come.
To purchase general admission tickets to Filoli to access the grounds, go to filoli.org.
Flood Park’s new recreation facilities, Menlo Park
A groundbreaking celebration was held for Flood Park’s new playground on June 7. Construction on the new playground at the 21-acre park, located at 215 Bay Road in Menlo Park, begins this summer and is expected to be completed in spring 2026, according to San Mateo County.
The event also celebrated the opening of newly completed park facilities, including picnic sites, tennis and pickleball courts, sand volleyball courts, a bike pump track and walking paths. Dogs are allowed on the park’s trails on leash.
The winning bid for the project, dubbed “Realize Flood Park,” went to Jensen Landscape Contractor, LLC in 2024 for $8.9 million.
The new accessible, nature-themed playground will feature climbing towers, bridges, multiple slides, ziplines, different styles of swings and more, including an area for children ages 2 to 5.
Future improvements to the park include a new amphitheater, a large multiuse field and a baseball/softball field.
The changes are part of a plan 10 years in the making to redevelop the 86-year-old park.
Coming soon
Central Park playground renovations, San Mateo
Work on an “adventure village” playground in San Mateo’s Central Park, located at 50 E. 5th Ave., began on June 2. The city broke ground on the project on April 24.
The project cost decreased from $13 million to $8.5 million after design adjustments were made because construction bids came in higher than expected, according to the San Mateo Daily Journal. In March, the City Council awarded a construction contract to Suarez and Munoz Construction Inc. for the project.
The city scaled back the project, relocating and decreasing the size of the younger children’s playground (for ages 5 and under), while the playground for older children (for 5- to 12-year-olds) remains largely the same. It will include natural elements under the existing tree canopy.
Community input on the plan began in 2021. The city first added a playground to the park, along with a miniature train on a 500-foot circular track, in the 1940s, according to the San Mateo Arboretum Society. The city made improvements to the playground in the ‘60s.
The playground area, restroom and part of the central lawn are closed during the 18 to 24 months of construction. Project updates can be found at cityofsanmateo.org.
San Bruno Mountain Park improvements, San Bruno
San Mateo County celebrated a groundbreaking for its $2 million park improvements project at San Bruno Mountain Park on May 30. Improvements to the San Bruno park include nine new picnic facilities, an interpretive pavilion and new restrooms. The county is aiming to finish the project this summer, according to its website.
When complete, six of the park’s new picnic sites will be fully accessible to people of all abilities. Picnic sites will feature new barbecue grills, tables and trash receptacles. All the new picnic areas will be connected by a circular paved pathway.
Near the park’s main entrance, there will be a new, larger restroom with four all-gender and ADA accessible toilet rooms with sinks and changing tables.
During construction, some parts of the day use area will be unavailable, according to the county.
Twin Pines Creek restoration project, Belmont
The city of Belmont commemorated the beginning of construction on the Twin Pines Park Belmont Creek Restoration Project on June 3 at the Redwood Picnic Area Bridge in the park at 1 Twin Pines Lane. The creek sits at the lower portion of the Belmont Creek watershed, and the restoration includes the banks and channel bottom of about 550 to 1,600 linear feet.
The “transformative project” is aimed at restoring the health and resilience of Belmont Creek. The project will reduce erosion and the frequency of floods, enhance public access and support native wildlife habitat. Over time, the creek within Twin Pines Park has degraded because of increased urban runoff, channelization, invasive species and other factors, according to the city.
Belmont Creek flows downstream through the unincorporated Harbor Industrial Area of San Mateo County along the border of San Carlos before reaching San Francisco Bay.
Because it directly impacts Belmont, San Carlos and San Mateo County, the three agencies have been working to fund the project. There’s $600,000 in local funding from the city of Belmont (Measure I), city of San Carlos and the county. The California Department of Water Resources’ $1 million Urban Streams Restoration Grant is also helping to fund the project.
Restoration is scheduled to begin within Belmont Creek on June 15. During this phase, the project area that includes the Redwood Picnic Area and the western portion of Twin Pines Park from the veterans’ memorial to the westerly trailhead at Ralston Avenue will be closed to the public. There will also be occasional short duration lane closures on Ralston Avenue for truck hauling and equipment delivery.
The project is expected to be completed by October.
