Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve, Nature preserve and wetland in Palo Alto, United States
Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve is a protected wetland along the edge of San Francisco Bay in Palo Alto, California. It is made up of salt marsh, freshwater ponds, and mudflats, all connected by flat trails that run close to the water.
Palo Alto started protecting this wetland in the early 1900s, at a time when much of the bay shoreline was being drained and developed. Over the following decades, more land was added, making it one of the largest remaining stretches of natural bay shore in the region.
The Ohlone people once fished and hunted in this wetland, and that connection to the land is acknowledged at the visitor center near the entrance. Today people come mainly to watch birds, walk along the bay, and spend time in an open landscape of reeds and salt marsh.
The trails are flat and well marked, which makes the area easy to navigate even for those who do not walk long distances. Weather along the bay can shift quickly, so bringing a layer is a good idea even on warm days.
Although the preserve sits next to one of the most built-up areas in the country, it holds one of the few stretches of natural bay shoreline that was never filled or developed. A small lighthouse building from 1901 still stands on the grounds, once used to guide boats through the shallow bay waters.
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