Baylands Nature Preserve: Outdoor Adventures in San Francisco Bay Area

Driving east on San Antonio Road in Mountain View, we discovered the isolated marshlands of the San Francisco South Bay, Baylands Nature Preserve. Not knowing what to expect, we were amazed by the vast variety of birds there!

We were so taken by our discovery that we wanted to encourage you to put it on your outdoor activities list for Palo Alto or Mountain View in the San Francisco Bay Area.

We’ve seen this marshland area many times from a plane as we approached San Francisco or San Jose International Airports. From above, the area appears as empty wilderness, islands of grass, and well… marshes… What could possibly be there? We’ve heard from a few friends that Baylands Nature Preserve is a nice walk on the Bay. We decided “Why Not?” and were not disappointed!

Well-maintained trails line the waterways with wild dill and mustard plants everywhere. Pelicans and seagulls, egrets and herons, ducks, swallows, falcons and geese, a lonely crow, and a bunch of other bird species we couldn’t identify — that’s just some of the birds we spotted on our stroll. We were so captivated by the raw landscape and beauty of Baylands Nature Preserve, that we often forgot to take pictures and simply enjoyed the view.

The actual area is quite unique, combining tidal and freshwater into the habitat, perfect for a stopover on the Pacific Flyway. A billion birds migrate along this path (or flyway) every year from Alaska to Patagonia and take a rest in Baylands Nature Preserve. All the amazing diverse groups of resident birds get along splendidly with the traveling visitors as well.

This intermingling of species makes for excellent bird-watching! Some have claimed it to be the best spot for birders in the entire Western United States! Along our walk, we saw several professional photographers grinning into their cameras, attempting to capture their favorite birds in action.

As far as our own favorites – pelicans. They were ginormous, graceful, and absolutely fascinating. Have you ever seen a pelican flying effortlessly, gliding just inches above the water, and then gently landing? Quite a mesmerizing sight!

We hiked to the Pelican Island Area. Seagulls were in full force there as well, squealing and gawking at each other. Ironically, it was the little ducks that were hanging out with the pelicans, like best buddies. Seagulls, of course, were in their separate groups.

The vast size of the bird colonies in that area was astounding. It would be incredible to see them all take flight at once.

We also ran into the swallows’ area. There were hundreds of them and they looked like bats, zipping-n-zapping around.

Palo Alto Baylands Natural Preserve is about 1,940 acres with 15 miles of trails. If you enter from Palo Alto Embarcadero area, near the local airport, you’ll also have a chance to play some golf at Baylands Golf Links, see a big duck pond, and visit Nature Interpretive Center.

If you enter from San Antonio Road from Mountain View, there is parking and a Welcome Center. To your left will be Baylands. To your right – Shoreline Lake Park (boathouse, lake, water activities, windsurfing, kite flying, and Rengstorff House to explore).

If you haven’t guessed by now, we thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon in Baylands Nature Preserve and looking forward to coming back. Dogs are welcome here, on leash. Bicyclists too. Baylands is a nice escape to nature from the business of Silicon Valley.

What’s in your backyard? Explore and share your adventures!

For more outdoor adventures in the San Francisco Bay Area, California check out our posts about Ulistac Natural Area (another awesome place for birdwatching), Alum Rock Park, Rancho San Antonio, and others in our Local Discoveries Section of the website.

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