Garland Ranch Regional Park
700 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley, (831) 372-3196, mprpd.org/garland-ranch-regional-park
It’s not quite accurate to call Garland Ranch a trail – it’s a vast, nearly 4,500-acre park that climbs up the southern ridge of Carmel Valley onto the doorstep of the Ventana Wilderness. It’s home to serene oak woodlands, stately redwood groves, babbling creeks, a lovely waterfall and, of course, the Carmel River which, for most of the year, flows gently toward the sea. Year in, year out, Garland garners this honor from Weekly readers because it’s a park that has something for everybody, whether a trail runner or someone just out for a casual stroll. And unlike a lot of local parks, Garland is dog-friendly, and a perfect place for humans and their best friends to stretch their legs, bathe in the forest and gaze southward into the wilds of Big Sur or up through the canopy of Garland’s majestic creeks and canyons.