Los Altos...paradise

Written By Katie Mehrer

Los Altos is a little idyll. It could even be called a paradise—one specially built for those with big-town jobs that want to live in small-town peace and privacy. It is known for its grand homes, high-end boutiques, and neighborhoods that exemplify magazine-cover-worthy design. Ironically, it is also a mecca for free, family-friendly community events.

One of the most noteworthy areas to visit near Los Altos is Black Mountain, a hiker’s and biker’s paradise that is free to enter and explore. Here, on the border between Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve and Monte Bello Open Space Preserve, everything that exemplifies Southern California’s beauty is on bounteous display. The two preserves double the outdoor access for Los Altoans.

Rancho San Antonio offers equestrian trails, meadows, picnic areas, tennis courts, and a staging area for model-airplane enthusiasts. Kids and adults alike will enjoy visiting wonderful Deer Hollow Farm, with its livestock, organic garden, and well-preserved turn-of-the-century ranch buildings. Meanwhile, the more-than-3,000-acre Monte Bello preserve is rich in wildlife and provides a self-guided nature walk that helps to explain its varied ecosystem and habitat. The preserve also offers the only campsite on District lands. Both of these cherished open-space areas provide innumerable activities and adventures to families including such programs as a “storytelling stroll by the bay;” a May Day celebration; the “after-work ramble;” and educational programs about wildflowers, spiders, grizzly bears, slugs, Native American history, landscape photography, and so much more. At zero dollars and zero cents for admission, the price is right to attend these programs and bring the whole family to romp and picnic in flower-strewn meadows.  

Meanwhile, downtown, sleepy Los Altos comes alive each season with popular community events such as the Pet Parade, held in May. This 60-year-old tradition is the city’s most renowned civic event. It attracts thousands of children, who tote their pets along on leashes, in cages, in wagons, and perched on their shoulders. Bands play music, teenagers gossip, and parents meet up with their neighbors for a delightful stroll. The highlight of springtime, the Pet Parade reminds locals of the friendly atmosphere for which Los Altos is known.