Garland Ranch Regional Park
700 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley
(831) 659-6065, mprpd.org/ garland-ranch-regional-park
A perennial winner in this category, Garland has something for everyone: a lush riparian corridor, tree-lined meadows, steep climbs through oak woodlands, redwood canyons, a seasonal waterfall and at its top, Snively’s Ridge. Here hikers can see the expanse of Carmel Valley, and when turning around, the Santa Lucia Mountains, looking the same as they did back when notorious outlaw Tiburicio Vasquez sometimes hid out in them in the mid-1800s. Acquired by Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District in 1975, Garland was the district’s first park – the “granddaddy” of them all – and nearly 50 years later, it remains the most popular.
