Enjoy the great outdoors
When the time is right, take a break and enjoy what Stanford and the greater Palo Alto area have to offer. Here are some fun things to do outside and off-campus this summer.
You’re probably working hard this summer, but don’t forget to take a break and enjoy the season. Stanford offers plenty of fun outdoor activities like hiking around the Dish, the Stanford golf course and driving range, a walking path around Lake Lagunita, and of course fountain-hopping. But the greater Palo Alto area also has some fun summertime opportunities. From hiking to outdoor movies, there are lots of fun things to do off-campus without having to travel far.
This map marks the various opportunities near Stanford.
If you’re looking to explore the local outdoors while also getting exercise, there are plenty of trails close to campus. A 20-minute drive southwest of Stanford, just past Portola Valley, is the Windy Hill Open Space Preserve. The 1,300-acre preserve features open grassland ridges and dense forests of redwood, fir and oak trees. Windy Hill is an ideal place for a long hike, picnics and flying kites. While leashed dogs are allowed on most hiking trails, biking and equestrian activities are limited.
Farther south is the Los Trancos Open Space Preserve located in the Santa Cruz Mountains above Palo Alto. The 270-acre preserve rests on the San Andreas Fault and is a great place to learn about earthquake geology. The 1.5-mile brochure-guided Fault Trail provides information about how the fault shaped the region’s landscape.
Nearby is the 3,400-acre Monte Bello Open Space Preserve, which has rolling grasslands and creek-side forests. Access is limited for dogs, bikes and horses, but the preserve does offer overnight camping.
A bit closer to campus is Foothills Park. Bordered by Portola Valley and Los Altos Hills, the 1,400-acre park offers miles of trails with access through rugged woodlands, fields and chaparral. Wildlife abounds as the area is home to many deer, coyotes and bobcats. The park is open to Palo Alto residents only. Proof of residency is required to enter.
The Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve is almost 2,000-acres of undisturbed marshland and is a popular place to run, bike, bird-watch, windsurf and kayak. The preserve is also home to the EcoCenter, a public nature center offering hands-on activities such as touch screen exhibits, a green building tour and a nature art gallery, as well as guided hikes.
There are plenty of free outdoor cultural offerings close to campus. The Palo Alto Festival of the Arts will take place in late August on University Avenue. The annual event brings together artists and crafters who line the street with booths exhibiting their work. The festival also includes microbrews and fine wines, piano performances and a street painting expo.
The Menlo Summer Fest on Santa Cruz Avenue in Menlo Park takes place later this month. The festival will feature live music, more than 200 art exhibits, home and garden exhibits, artisan food purveyors, health and wellness displays, an organic and green product showcase, and entertainment for kids.
Redwood City also offers several free outdoor entertainment opportunities. Every summer, the city hosts free outdoor movie screenings and public music performance at the Courthouse Square. Movie screenings are every Thursday at sundown, or about 8:45 p.m.
Don’t forget that Stanford always offers a number of events and activities on campus, many of them outdoors. Visit the Stanford Events webpage for further details about what’s happening this summer on the Farm.