Words by Johanna Harlow
Have you truly embraced summer if you haven’t gone on a picnic? Dining al fresco, breathing in the smell of freshly cut grass, feeling the gentle warmth of the sun on your skin—these are life’s little pleasures. So select a destination, pack a wicker basket with your favorite finger foods and immerse yourself in this pleasurable pastime.
Gamble Garden – Palo Alto
As Gamble Garden so succinctly says on its website, “Life is simply better in a garden.” A lovely location in any season, this place flourishes from the first blush of spring flowers to the fiery flush of fall leaves. Keep in mind that there are only two picnic tables (first-come, first-served), but plenty of places to spread out a blanket. As you hunt for the right locale, crunch down the garden’s gravel paths where special sections are devoted to roses, lavender, wisteria, herbs, California natives and more. Hoping someone else will plan the menu for you? Attend one of the monthly luncheons on the Carriage House patio.
After you’ve eaten your fill, wander the grounds some more or snap a few photos over at the gazebo. Even if you’ve been here before, you can learn something new by taking a self-guided tree walk. Find the route mapped out on Gamble Garden website (gamblegarden.org), and follow along for an introduction to the garden’s splendid array of trees, from its crabapples and crape myrtles to its Japanese maples and magnolias.
Photo Credit: Robb Most
Huddart Park – Woodside
Grassy meadows, forest slopes and second-growth redwoods await at Huddart Park in welcoming Woodside. With ample picnicking areas to choose from, you’ll find many tables shaded by trees, pergolas or roofed awnings. Some have horseshoe pits and volleyball poles nearby. This over 900-acre park can easily handle larger groups, though you’ll need to make reservations for parties of 25 or more.
Walk off your meal on one of Huddart’s many shaded trails. For something less than a mile in length, opt for a gentle jaunt on the Skyline Trail through madrone trees, sword ferns and huckleberry or the mostly-level Chickadee Nature Trail through redwoods and chaparral. Meanwhile, hardcore hikers can take the nearly five-mile Crystal Springs and Dean trails loop, one of the park’s most popular routes. Don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for black-tailed deer tiptoeing through the brush.
Photo Credit: Johanna Harlow
Central Park – San Mateo
If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of packing your own lunch, San Mateo Central Park is conveniently located blocks away from the city’s thriving downtown. Order takeout, then scout out this park’s plentitude of perfect picnicking spots. Choose to unfurl your blanket across the sprawling lawn, settle at the tables by the playground or dine on a bench in the shadow of Leon, the park’s towering giraffe sculpture.
After lunch, explore the park’s several gardens. Feed hungry koi at the Japanese garden, and embrace whimsy by admiring the tiny, decorated homes at the fairy garden. Then stroll through the rose garden and marvel at its 100 varieties with playful names like Lady of Shalott, Good as Gold and Scentimental.
San Gregorio State Beach – San Gregorio
Recognized as one of the state’s cleanest beaches (according to Heal the Bay), San Gregorio is a pocket beach bordered by dramatic bluffs just south of Half Moon Bay. A smattering of tables on the edge of the bluffs offer breathtaking views of the waves, basking beachgoers and the nearby bridge over San Gregorio Creek, which flows under Highway 1 and spills out onto the sand. As you savor the last bites of your meal, watch seagulls surf the skies, while sea rocket, beach bur and California sagebrush shiver gently in the breeze. Don’t leave without a walk in the golden sand and a quick peek inside the cave tucked into the cliffs. For those seeking to unleash their inner architect, collect armfuls of the driftwood that washes up on this beach and build a fantastical fort.
Photo Credit: Robb Most
Sharon Park – Menlo Park
Load up your picnic basket with sandwiches and watermelon slices, then set out for this peaceful park at the heart of Sharon Heights. With a koi-stocked pond, wooded area and charming walking path, it’s an idyllic setting. Though there are only a few tables, it makes a great picnic blanket locale. As you lunch, watch turtles sunning their shells on the water’s edge, while ducks bob for pondweed. If you’re lucky, you might even spy a stately snowy egret stalking on long legs through the shallows.
A Plethora of Picnic Places: + Coyote Point Recreation Area (San Mateo) + Edgewood Park (Redwood City) + Flood Park (Menlo Park) + Foothills Nature Preserve (Los Altos Hills) + Pulgas Water Temple (Redwood City) + San Pedro Valley Park (Pacifica) + Shoreline Park (Mountain View) + Memorial County Park (Loma Mar) + Point San Bruno Park (South San Francisco)