Stories

Great places to explore in Midpen preserves when the water is flowing.

To maximize a safe and enjoyable visit to open space in all seasons, here are some things to know before you head out to the preserves.

Since first opening to the public in 2017, we find the public enjoying the La Honda Creek Preserve in a surprising way—as a new birding hotspot.

In May of 2021, we broke ground on a new 1-mile, easy-access loop trail from the Sears Ranch Road parking area in La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve. Once complete, the trail will be allowed to settle over the winter before opening to the public in 2022.

Join Midpen Interpretive Specialist Ellen Tjosvold and California State Parks Interpreter Alex Trudelle on a video exploration of two unique tafoni sandstone formations in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Midpen recently expanded El Sereno Open Space Preserve, one of the agency’s oldest preserves, to more than 1,600 acres.

From late summer through February, slow-growing, drought-adapted California buckeyes drop their leaves and go dormant.

The anti-racism resources here can help you stand together with your neighbors to stop hate and welcome all to engage in the healing power of nature in our public open space lands.

Midpen works towards strengthening connections with our local communities and exploring new partnerships that enhance our collective resilience with an eye toward a better future.

Midpen provides everyone in our region, regardless of race, background, income, gender, sexual orientation, age or physical ability, the opportunity to connect with nature — and with each other as humans on this shared planet.

Indivisible - We Stand United.