Bay Area Riding Locations Compiled in November 2024 by QSER Board Member Magda Bartilsson

Wilder Ranch State Park

The trails here are gorgeous with ocean views, small wooded patches and amazing picnic spots. You can start at the old Wilder Ranch on Hwy 1 in Santa Cruz, go through a tunnel under the road, and work your way up the hills and may even cross Empire Grade Rd for a loop into UCSC land and Pogonip County Park. Bicyclists love this park too, but most trails are wide with good visibility so not a problem. Suitable any time of year except after heavy rains as the trails tend to get muddy.

Trailer parking: Wilder Ranch equestrian parking.

Coyote Lake and Harvey Bear Ranch County Park

Located in Gilroy, these well-maintained, mainly wide trails in open landscape take you to a rim overlooking a lake. You can really let your horse move out here, so it is a perfect spot if you are training for an endurance event. This park is home for the endurance event Quicksilver Fall Classic (September 27, 2025).

Trailer parking: Coyote Lake and Harvey Bear Ranch parking lot

Sunol Regional Wilderness

The trails here weave in and out of small wooded areas and cattle pasture land. There are often cows here so you have to pay attention not to get surprised by them. Riding up to the top there is an amazing view point for a lunch break. It gets really muddy after rains and is hot in the summer, so best for spring and fall trail rides.

Trailer parking: Sunol Regional Wilderness parking lot

Purisima Creek Open Space Preserve

Wonderfully shady, cool trails for summer riding. There are ocean views on clear days, but the misty days are magical, too. You can ride along the Purisima Creek down in the canyon and have a lunch break right by the creek with the horses tied in the woods. Not suitable for rides once the rains start as the Whittemore Gulch trail gets closed during wet conditions. This is a very hilly ride with some great trails for faster spurts. Available for horses usually at least May-Oct.

Trailer parking: North Ridge trailhead at Skyline Blvd

Huddart County Park

This is also a cool and shaded area for a reprieve from the summer heat amongst the verdant redwoods. It is suitable for rides year-round because of the well-built all-weather trails. To avoid crowds and for easier parking, start from Skyline Blvd and ride down into the park. Because of the grade and curvy single-track trails, slower rides are best here with mainly a walk, with some trot and canter sections.

Trailer parking: South Purisima roadside parking

Wunderlich County Park

For rides it’s good to park at the El Corte de Madera OSP equestrian parking and cross over Skyline Blvd to ride in Wunderlich County Park. Mostly wide, easy trails with lots of shade from mixed forest and redwoods, and also some sunny sections including a beautiful meadow perfect for a picnic. Possible to do faster rides. Suitable for riding all year except after heavy rains.

Trailer parking: El Corte de Madera equestrian parking

Skyline Ridge OSP and surrounding preserves

A variety of loops start at the equestrian parking lot of Skyline Ridge OSP. The area is truly beautiful, riding through mixed forest, over oak studded hills, around lakes, along ridges with ocean and canyon views. The best show of wildowers can be found here in the spring. Open all year but sometimes a bit hot in the summer and when there is a drought many creeks might be dry so need to plan for water for the horses. Loops can include trails within Russian Ridge, Upper Stevens Creek County Park, Long Ridge, Monte Bello and Coal Creek.

Trailer parking: Skyline Ridge OSP equestrian parking lot

Long Ridge OSP and surrounding preserves

A different starting point within the Skyline area, you can park your trailer at the roadside parking of Peter's Creek trailhead and Grizzly Flat trail of Upper Stevens Creek County Park. You can make loops including Long Ridge, Saratoga Gap and Monte Bello, Skyline Ridge and Castle Rock State Park. Mix of shaded and exposed trails, mainly wide and easy trails, except for Saratoga Gap which has a pretty technical single-track trail.

Trailer parking: Peters Creek trailhead

Sanborn County Park

This ride is great when you want to get away from the crowds, with few visitors even on a weekend. You can squeeze in your trailer at the Sunnyvale Mountain trailhead and ride an in-and-out ride on the Skyline trail. Here you find cool and shaded single-track trails with some technical sections. Fun for long trots, and also great for a slower ride. The trails are good all year round, except for a few days after a heavy rain.

Trailer parking: Sunnyvale Mountain trailhead

Rancho San Antonio OSP

This area is close to suburbia and very popular. There is dedicated horse trailer parking but expect a lot of people on the trails for the first mile or two. Even so, the trails are wide so there is room for us all, and the park is so beautiful that it's totally worth it. There are many vista points with expansive views and also enchanted trails in the Wildcat Canyon. Perfect location for fall, winter and spring rides on weekdays. Mostly wide, open trails with a few exciting switchback trails. It's a bit hot here in the summer as most trails are exposed. You might want to avoid riding here on weekends because it gets pretty crowded then.

Trailer parking: Rancho San Antonio equestrian area

Stevens Creek County Park

If you want a short and easy ride with some nice views, go on a ride to the top of the mountain close to Garrod Farm Vineyard. It is also possible to go on a leisurely stroll along the edge of the reservoir.

Trailer parking: Chestnut parking lot

Sierra Azul OSP and Lexington Reservoir County Park

This service-roads-only location is ideal for endurance training as it is hilly with wide, well-built trails, and has a strategically placed water trough. It gets very hot in the summer, but is ideal in the winter, especially because you can ride here even after a heavy rain.

Trailer parking: Limekiln trailhead

Sierra Azul OSP, Woods trail and Mt Umunhum

It is also possible to access Sierra Azul trails from the east side, right next to Almaden Quicksilver County Park. The Woods Trail holds up very well after heavy rains, so a great way to get a ride in when many other places are closed. For a great adventure, there are beautiful equestrian trails all the way up to the top of Mt Umunhum. At the top, picnic tables and horse water are provided. The all-day ride is best on a weekday as there are many bicyclists on a weekend.

Trailer parking: Almaden Quicksilver County Park Woods Road entrance

Almaden Quicksilver County Park

With wide trails with a good surface and gentle grades you can trot for miles and miles. This park also has many spots with great visibility so if you like going fast this is the place for you. You access this park both from the Hacienda entrance and the Woods Road entrance. Suitable any day of the week, and best for fall, winter and spring.

Trailer parking: Hacienda entrance

and: Woods Road Entrance

Pescadero Creek County Park

You will find the least visited and wildest trails here in the deep redwood forest. Even on a weekend you will rarely see anybody. There is a secret grove of virgin redwood trees on Parke Gulch trail, which is a great place to linger for a lunch break, while enjoying the silence and magic of old growth redwoods. The area south of Old Haul Rd was destroyed by the CZU fire and is still closed. You still have access to many miles of single-track trails and service roads and several access points to Pescadero Creek to splash in the water and give the horses a drink. Closed during the winter months usually Nov-May.

(Webmaster’s Note- this is one of the best places to ride an endurance horse in the Bay Area!)

Trailer parking: Hoffman Creek trailhead

Calero County Park

Probably the most popular park for equestrians, you will frequently meet other horseback riders here. You need a fit horse to ride up and down the golden, oak-studded hills, and it is good that there are several well-kept water spots for the horses. You can also ride into the nearby Rancho San Vicente and Rancho Canada del Oro. The trails occasionally close after rains and tend to be hot in the summer. It's a bit crowded on the weekends; some of the trails have heavy bicycle traffic, so it’s best to avoid those trails on a weekend.

Trailer parking: Calero County Park equestrian parking

Rancho Canada del Oro Open Space

This park has fewer visitors than Calero and is great for weekend and weekday riding. It has all the great features of Calero but with fewer people. Best to avoid this area on hot days though. Awesome location for wildowers in the spring.

Trailer parking: Rancho Canada del Oro equestrian parking

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

This place is so lovely and if you are up for pretty technical trails, do ride here. A good access point is the entrance by Hwy 9 in Felton. Many trails are in the redwoods, but there are also sandy trails on manzanita-covered hills. Most of the trails are single-track and many have steps that the horses need to navigate. You need a very sure-footed horse. When it is possible to cross the San Lorenzo river, you can cross Hwy 9 and ride into nearby Pogonip County Park, UCSC land and Wilder Ranch State Park.

Trailer parking: Henry Cowell State Park, Parking Lot

See a summary of Bay Area Ridge Trail with equestrian miles listed by clicking here