San Mateo County Parks

Have you spotted herons in agricultural fields while hiking along the San Mateo Coast, and thought are you supposed to be there? In fact one of their preferred hunting locations for voles is meadows with short grasses especially near wetlands. #WildlifeWednesdays

One #TakeAHikeChallenge is #MemorialPark! Take a 2.2 mile hike through the peaceful redwoods, coming across our 1,600 year old tree! Memorial Park also has an ADA alternative. Download the trail map here: https://bit.ly/3htyURd ADA: https://bit.ly/3guo63m #TrailTuesday

Check out the Marbled Murrelet puppets that these junior rangers made at Memorial Park! Protect the endangered Marbled Murrelet by keeping your campsites crumb clean

Happy 4th of July! Did you know you can host your 4th of July Picnic at one of our many picnic areas. Check out this link:https://bit.ly/3AaTFIk to find out what parks have drop-in and reservable picnic areas! #ParksAndRecreationMonth

Did you know you can find dunes on San Bruno Mountain? These are left from an interglacial period when sea levels were much higher, about 80,000 to 125,000 years ago. These dunes now host a rare inland dune plant community! #SedimentSaturdays

Bicycle Sunday not offered July 4 to ensure adequate staff in nearby parks this holiday weekend. Cañada Rd will be open to vehicle traffic -- drivers & bicyclists share the road, be safe & be aware.

Lizard Tail also known as Wooly Seaside Daisy is part of the coastal sage scrub plant community which are drought, salt and wind-tolerant! Their flower produces one single seed which is dried and used by Coast Miwok people to make pinole, a ground meal. #FoliageFridays

Happy #ParksAndRecreationMonth! Every week this month we will be sharing great recreational opportunities we have in our parks! Starting with playgrounds, pictured here is our playground at Coyote Point Recreation Area! Find other playgrounds here: https://bit.ly/3y8iFOI

In 1968, scientists Elizabeth McClintock and Walter Knight published Flora of San Bruno Mountain. Their book explained that #SanBrunoMountain is an important ecological island. Their publication provided the facts needed to protect the park we can visit today! #ThrowbackThursday

The black-tailed jackrabbit isn’t a rabbit, it's a hare! Hare’s have longer legs and ears. Their long leg's let them run at speeds up to 40 mph and their big ears keep them cool during the summer. They can be found in our oak woodlands, scrub and grasslands. #WildlifeWednesdays

The Cowell-Purisima Trail will be closed June 30 due to agricultural and cattle operations. The trail will reopen Thursday, July 1 at 8 am. Please adhere to trail and parking lot closures.

New Sign Alert! Quarry Park has a new sign, on burrowing owls along the Middle Ridge Trail! To find it for yourself check out the trail map here: https://bit.ly/3Adsixq #QuarryPark... #TrailTuesday See more

Have you seen miner's lettuce in any of our parks? It got its name from the California Gold Rush, when miners used to eat the plant as a source of Vitamin C to prevent diseases like scurvy. Now, it's used as a light, fresh addition to salads and sandwiches!

Join us Saturday morning at 10am on Facebook Live for Arts and Crafts with a Ranger! This week's craft is a paper snowflake! All you need to join is a piece of paper and scissors. We'll discuss how frost forms and different kinds of precipitation. Hope to see you then!!!

Parking prohibited Jan. 15 on Crystal Springs Rd at south entrance of Sawyer Camp Trail for maintenance by SMC Roads Division. Trail will be open. See map for alternate parking https://bit.ly/3icjE9R

One of our rangers caught a glimpse of a double rainbow near Fitzgerald Marine Reserve this morning! Did you see it too? We hope you're having a lovely holiday season and hope you get a chance to visit your San Mateo County Parks! : Ranger Rob Cala

Tunitas Creek Beach fans see the park’s conceptual design that you helped develop and join us for a virtual walk through Jan. 27, 6:30 pm. See design & meeting information: http://bit.ly/2VTVAyE

Mirrorment: Birds are flowers flying And flowers perched birds. -A. R. Ammons... #naturepoetry Photo: Ranger Rob Cala

'Tis the season! Toyon berries (aka Christmas Berry) mark the beginning of winter in San Mateo County and are a great winter food source for birds and mammals! San Mateo County Parks wishes everyone a happy holiday season! Come for a visit to try on your red rudolph nose too! :)

Curious about raptors? Join us for our next Junior Ranger Program presented by Full Circle Falconry this Saturday at 9 AM. Register here: https://bit.ly/2IOFkvu... Photo: Ranger Rob Cala

Join us for a fun lesson about leaves and a quick and easy craft that can be done anywhere! More fun activities: https://parks.smcgov.org/explore-nature-home

Reading with a Ranger - Towering Redwoods! Park Online Resources: https://parks.smcgov.org/explore-nature San Mateo County Libraries: https://smcl.org/

Join us tomorrow morning at 10 AM on Facebook Live for our weekly segment of Reading with a Ranger! This week's topic is "Towering Redwoods!" Be sure to check out the Curbside Pickup options at your local San Mateo County Libraries! https://smcl.org/ #ReadingwithaRanger

New growth! Can you name this tree at Huddart Park?

Be sure to watch the skies in the Southwest direction just after sunset this evening!

Join POST's webinar this Friday to learn about the lifestyle of one of the cutest native birds we have on the Central Coast and San Francisco Bay Area, the Snowy Plover! If you’re a regular visitor to Bay Area beaches or bay land parks, you may have come close to this bird, but chances are you didn’t even notice this tiny resident! San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO) Biologist Jessica González will teach participants to identify this adorable bird and learn how to play... a part in efforts to protect their threatened habitats. Register here: https://bit.ly/3qHpWC3 #snowyplover #peninsulaopenspacetrust #post

Every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Photo: Sean Crawford at Memorial Park

On Nov. 4, playgrounds at Quarry & Moss Beach park will be closed so manufacturer of play structures can wash and disinfect all surfaces. Both playgrounds will reopen on Nov. 5

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." Lao Tzu Happy Monday everyone! #mondaymotivation #monday #motivation #MemorialPark #mondayfunday #bananaslug

Reading with a Ranger - Halloween Special! Park Online Resources: https://parks.smcgov.org/explore-nature San Mateo County Libraries: https://smcl.org/

Did you miss our Virtual Junior Ranger Program all about raptors yesterday!? Don't ruffle your feathers! You can watch it on our YouTube Channel or at this link below: https://youtu.be/NfnFEnhtMBM Thanks to Full Circle Falconry for the fun and educational presentation!... #raptors

Missed our first Virtual Junior Ranger Program last Saturday? No worries! It's available to watch on our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3mv0xc6 Join us next month (Nov 21) to learn all about Northern California Bats from Corky Quirk! Register here: https://bit.ly/37Lv0hN

Join us October 30th on Facebook LIVE at 8 PM for a special Halloween Edition of Reading with a Ranger!! Prepare for a scare! #reading #halloween #readingwitharanger #ranger #spooky #scary #skeletons #pumpkins

Today is #NationalCatDay and we wanted to highlight a native cat that has been getting a lot of media attention lately. Unlike other large cats, Mountain lions cannot roar. Instead, they produce sounds similar to a house cat. Cubs can remain with their mothers for up to two years while they learn the ways of the wild. Mountain Lions are considered an "umbrella species" for conservation because their conservation depends on the preservation of large amounts of habitat and ther...efore benefits many other species in the process! For more information about Mountain Lions and what to do if you encounter one in our parks: https://bit.ly/35ICorK : Dave Rogers Photography #MountainLion

Reminder to participate in our Pumpkin Carving Contest! Here are some fun designs that have been submitted! You can print these stencils from our website here: https://bit.ly/3jl9q6H... Participants have a chance to win some fun parks swag! #2020SMCParksPumpkinCarvingContest

The following parks reopened this morning: Edgewood, Wunderlich, Crystal Springs Reg. Trail (all segments), San Bruno Mountain. Closed parks due to ongoing projects: Huddart & Junipero Serra

Looks like something the Oogie Boogie Man dropped in the Nightmare Before Christmas, but this is a native creature that can be found in your local parks! We saved the best for last with this #spookynature #wildlifewednesday post. This is a fluorescent millipede at Huddart Park. The reflected light is re-emitted by a chemical in the exoskeleton of the animal. Scientists believe the light serves as a warning to predators not to eat these millipedes because they generate a cyan...ide toxin. Check out this video to see the discovery of these millipedes on Alcatraz Island: https://bit.ly/3jAcjzY : Ranger Carney #oogieboogieman #millipede #fluorescent #nightmarebeforechristmas #spooky #nature

Rutting season has begun! Rutting season is the mating season of certain mammals including deer! The rut occurs between mid-October and early December and includes increased testosterone in males. These two bucks are fighting to proclaim their dominance and defend their territory at Memorial Park. ... Other common rutting behaviors include rubbing antlers on trees and scrapping the ground with their hooves. Have you seen any rutting behavior this season? Please note that Memorial Park is closed. This video was taken by Park Staff. #ruttingseason #deer #blacktaildeer

Curious about what animal creates these gorgeous shells? Join us tomorrow night (10/28) at 6 PM for a webinar all about Abalone! Presentation by award winning author Ann Vileisis.... Register here: https://bit.ly/3iYv3c1

"Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher." William Wordsworth A Red-shouldered Hawk flying above Pillar Point Bluff. : Ranger Rob Cala... Happy Monday everyone! #mondaymotivation #monday #motivation #PillarPointBluff #mondayfunday

Red flag warnings issued, park closures due to dry conditions & high winds Oct. 26 & possibly Tuesday, Oct. 27: San Bruno Mt, Junipero Serra, Crystal Springs Reg. Tr. (San Andreas, Sawyer Camp, Ralston Bike, Sheep Camp), Edgewood, Huddart & Wunderlich.