Garland Ranch Regional Park
700 W. Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel Valley
(831) 372-3196, www.mprpd.org
The dogs may have egged their owners on with this vote. Canines give it a “four dog bone” rating because there is a river to play in and they get to be off-leash (albeit under voice/visual control). Other great aspects of a hike in Garland: no fees, open dawn to dusk, feels like wilderness though it is right off Carmel Valley Road, offers a variety of topography and biotic habitats with spawning steelhead in the river to deer in the hills. And, for the directionally challenged, getting lost in Garland is hard to do. The trails, thanks to a great staff and 50-plus volunteers, are well maintained. They have good signage and are brushed each year to keep them clear of nasty things like poison oak.