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Shoreline at Mountain View

Shoreline Lake Park was originally a landfill accepting garbage from San Francisco, but the city of Mountain View turned it into a 750-acre recreation area with an 18-hole golf course and driving range, a 50-acre artificial lake filled with water pumped from the Bay, and nearly eight miles of trails, many of them along sloughs and marshes. You...
Shoreline Lake Park was originally a landfill accepting garbage from San Francisco, but the city of Mountain View turned it into a 750-acre recreation area with an 18-hole golf course and driving range, a 50-acre artificial lake filled with water pumped from the Bay, and nearly eight miles of trails, many of them along sloughs and marshes. You can hike, golf, boat on the saltwater lake, fly a kite, let your dog run free at the off-leash dog park, eat at the lakeside café, or loll around on lawns. Benches are plentiful throughout. At the restored, accessible Rengstorff House (ca. 1876) you can take a free docent-led tour of one of the finest examples of Victorian Italianate architecture remaining on the West Coast. The huge white tent of Shoreline Amphitheatre (a music venue), just outside the park, is visible from many parts of the park. Moffett Airfield is not far away, so lots of planes fly by.

A string of parks and preserves allows hikers to explore the Bay to the north and south. The undeveloped areas east and north of the lake are crisscrossed by a couple of miles of pleasant, unnamed paved and hard gravel paths, including a more than 2-mile paved section of the San Francisco Bay Trail. This trail connects to the Adobe Creek Loop Trail in the Palo Alto Baylands.  On the trails you may meet cyclists pedaling the colorful bikes Google furnishes to its employees. Shoreline and Baylands parks harbor lots of wildlife, and you may see common birds such as ducks, avocets, swallows, sandpipers, and white pelicans.

Trail/Pathway Details

Bay Trail

Trailhead: Kite-flying parking lot at N. Shoreline Blvd.

Length: 2-4 total miles

Typical Width: 30 in. to 4 ft.

Typical Grade: Mostly level or gentle

Terrain: Firm

The route has a combination of paved sections and firm and stable surfaces.

Obstacles: Where the pavement ends at the fenced levee, there is a hill with uneven surfaces and clumps of small rocks that might be challenging in a manual wheelchair, whether traveling uphill or down.

Description

Three locations with parking offer good starting points for short strolls around the lake or longer outings along the salt ponds and marshes: Terminal Boulevard on the northern boundary, Shoreline Boathouse in the middle of the park, and the longer route I chose, from the kite-flying lot in the park’s southern section. Near the entrance to the lot, a...
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Accessibility Details

The facilities listed below meet all of our access criteria unless otherwise noted.

Accessible spots are in the lot on N. Shoreline Blvd. that serves the kite-flying area, the boathouse lot, at Michael’s Restaurant, the golf links lot, Rengstorff House, and at the Terminal Blvd. entrance. At the boathouse, near the Terminal Blvd. entrance, and at Michael’s café. Accessible portable toilets are in the kite-flying lot and at the dog park.
White pelicans and ducks gathering in a slough
White pelicans and ducks gathering in a slough (Dan Hill)

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Features icon key

  • bicycling
  • boating
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • particularly good for families
  • wildlife viewing

Additional Information

View Map  
Website: www.mountainview.gov/depts/cs/shoreline/default.asp
Managing Agency: City of Mountain View
Address: 3070 N. Shoreline Blvd.
Nearest City: Mountain View
Phone: (650) 903-6392
Hours: Rengstorff House tour: Tues.-Wed., 11 am-5 pm; Sun., 1-4 pm.
Aquatic Center: Daily, 10 am-5:30 pm
Lakeside Café: Seasonal
Fees: None
Dogs: In restricted areas
Only allowed at the dog park
Public Transportation: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Useful Links: Shoreline Park trail map, Stevens Creek Trail
Reviewed by Ashley Olson, December 10, 2014
Access Norhtern California This web guide is a project of Access Northern California.  
California Coastal Conservancy Thanks to our partner the California Coastal Conservancy

DISCLAIMER: Although the information contained in this web-guide was believed to be correct at the time of publication, neither Access Northern California nor California Coastal Conservancy shall be held responsible or liable for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions, nor for information that changes or becomes outdated. Neither Access Northern California nor California Coastal Conservancy assume any liability for any injury or damage arising out of, or in connection with, any use of this guide or the sites described in it.

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Accessible Wheelchair Icon looks like a wheelchair with balloon wheelsBeach Accessible
Wheelchairs Available
  Hiking icon is silhouette of a hikerHiking & Trails
Biking icon looks like person riding a bikeBicycling   Good for Familis icon is a child on a swing'Particularly Good for Families
Boating Icon is a boatBoating   Picnic Area Icon is a picnic tablePicnic
Camping icon is a tentCamping   Swimming Icon is a person swimmingSwimming
Fishing Icon is a fish biting a hookFishing   Wildlife Viewing Icon is a pair of binocularsWildlife Viewing
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