Ravenswood Open Space Preserve covers 376 acres of bay wetlands in East Palo Alto. It's one of the easiest walks on the Peninsula. A flat pedestrian and bike trail runs along the levee around the marsh, according to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, which manages it.
The trail
Most of the 2.1 miles of Bay Trail inside the preserve is paved. It runs along the top of a levee beside Cooley Marsh. A raised boardwalk with overlooks and interpretive signs connects the trail to University Avenue. Midpen says the trail and observation decks are accessible to visitors using wheelchairs or strollers.
The City of East Palo Alto says the Ravenswood Bay Trail project, which Midpen managed, opened on Aug. 7, 2020. The project built a 10-foot-wide asphalt multi-use trail with observation platforms and more than 1,000 feet of wooden decks. The city says it created a continuous Class I bike trail from Bayfront Expressway to Bay Road and around Cooley Landing.
What you'll see
Midpen says the marsh draws migrating sandpipers, dowitchers and avocets, and great blue herons, white pelicans and egrets are common. The marsh is protected habitat for the endangered Ridgway's rail and salt marsh harvest mouse. At high tide the wetlands become a maze of channels through cordgrass and pickleweed. At low tide, mudflats open up for feeding birds.
Hours and access
- The preserve is open from a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset.
- As a commuter route, the Bay Trail between University Avenue and Bay Road stays open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- A separate northern section, reached from a frontage road near the Dumbarton Bridge approach, has a 0.7-mile easy-access trail and roadside parking.
- The nearby Cooley Landing Education Center, run by East Palo Alto, adds walking trails, picnic tables and an outdoor amphitheater.
For a related outing, see our king tide viewing guide.