Bayfront Park in Menlo Park...a great place to ride with young kids! Note: We may lose this place soon, as the city of Menlo Park is considering turning it into a revenue-producing golf course. The problem is that it costs a fair amount of money to maintain the place, and there's no revenue coming in. If you enjoy riding out there, you might let Menlo Park know that. You might also encourage other cyclists to check the place out! --Mike-- 03/18/02
Bayfront Park is actually a former landfill (OK, city dump) which has been covered over and landscaped into a very nice and underutilized park. To get there take the Marsh Road exit off Freeway 101, head east one block and go straight at the Marsh/Bayfront Expressway intersection. That's it, you're there!
The terrain varies from flat to mildly steep, and as you see here, sometimes you get the hill, and sometimes the hill gets you! Even with six speeds, it can be a bit tough. Fortunately, none of the hills are very long.
If you've ever wanted to get up close and personal with the bay's salt ponds, this is your chance. The purplish color is water that's just about ready to be evaporated for its salt content.
Shift into high gear and let 'er rip!
Views like this are worth millions in the Bay Area...but maybe not when they're on top of a former garbage dump!
Do watch the speed...in this case, high speed around a corner (maybe 5mph?) caused this crash.
...And another family heads into the park as we leave. Little do they know that taking the paved road leads to the sewage treatment plant...
Another happy family outing completed at Bayfront Park (Steve, partner at Chain Reaction, with his kids). This really is a fun place to bring kids, especially if they've got a bike with gears.
Check out our page on Cycling with Kids, as well as our Arastradero Park write up...a bit more challenging than Bayfront Park, but still has some easy options!
