Have you ever felt like being outdoors, but not able to find anything fun or worthwhile to do when you are out there? Well, if you have, then I have a suggestion for you.

Why not go and take a leisurely stroll down at the county park, San Pedro, which is located on Oddstad Blvd in the back part of Pacifica. There are many trails that one can embark on, and each one offers something different.

The main trail is a very leisurely stroll, one mile in length both ways and takes roughly 45 minutes to an hour to complete. There are numerous benches along the way.

Then there is the Valley View Trail, which is approximately the same distance as the main trail, but it is slightly more difficult due to the fact that half of it is uphill (although the rest is downhill). The Valley View trail is my favorite of all of the trails because, as its name implies, when you get to the top of the trail, you can see the entire San Pedro Valley sprawled out in front of you in all of its majesty.

There is the Hazel Nut Trail, which is close to three miles and brings you across the mountain range opposite to that of the Valley View. I have only traversed this trail once. If you are going to undertake it, you need to devote an entire afternoon to it. The good news is that most of the trail is under protection of shade.

One trail will take you to a point where you can look out at Brooks Falls. There are other trails, but I have not yet experienced them.

If you don’t feel like going on a hike, there is a nice, wide-open picnic spot situated towards the front entrance to the park. There are a dozen or so tables and barbeque pits, and there is even a large lawn, perfect for some after-lunch football, Frisbee, or tag. In addition, to the immediate left of the lawn, there are six horseshoe pits.

If you go to the far right-hand side of the park, there is the ranger station and a museum, which has figures and pictures of animals on sale, among other things.

Another major draw is all of the wildlife that inhabits the park. While you are visiting, you are bound to see deer nibbling on grass, quail and lizards scurrying across the dirt path, and rabbits camouflaging in with the surrounding brush. If you are lucky, you may even see a bobcat or coyote.

Once, I even got to see a bobcat stalking a deer and eventually giving chase – don’t worry, as far as I can tell, the deer got away. The best time to see deer and bobcats is early evening, about 7:00 pm. For some reason, going in the early afternoon will usually yield quail, rabbits, and lizards.

“What I like most about San Pedro Valley Park is the scenery and the trails,” said Peter Song. “Feeling like you are lost in there. It is like you are jumping into another world in the woods.”

There is one time in particular that I will never forget. My dad and I went down to go on a walk one evening, even though the weather was foul and it was starting to rain. We didn’t think, in a million years, we would see any animals out and about during those conditions, but, when we got there, we ended up seeing three deer and one bobcat.

In the end, what I love most about San Pedro Valley Park is that it offers all of the luxuries of nature and the wilderness, but also the comfort of home.