Commuting from Palo Alto to Menlo Park

Menlo Park sits right across San Francisquito Creek from Palo Alto. Downtown Menlo Park is about 2 miles from University Avenue. Sand Hill Road and its venture firms start at the Stanford Shopping Center corner. The large tech campuses along Bayfront Expressway are about 5 or 6 miles away. That spread matters, because the best way to commute depends far more on where in Menlo Park you are going than on the distance. This guide covers each part of town for someone living in Palo Alto, then the reverse trip.

Train times are from the weekday timetable on Caltrain's schedules page in early November 2026. Drive times are approximate.

Caltrain to Menlo Park station

Menlo Park station, at 1120 Merrill Street, is the next stop north of Palo Alto. It is a short walk from Santa Cruz Avenue and downtown offices. Express trains pass through without stopping, so ride a local or limited.

• Palo Alto to Menlo Park: about 3 minutes.
• California Avenue to Menlo Park: about 6 minutes.
• Service: 45 weekday trains each way stopped at Menlo Park on the early November 2026 timetable, generally two to three an hour.
• Weekends: locals about every 30 minutes.

Every trip between the two cities is one zone, since both are in Zone 3. The Caltrain fares page lists an adult fare of $4.00, a day pass of $8.00 and a monthly pass of $96. None of those change on January 1, 2027. Eligible Discount riders pay $2.00 and youth $1.00. From January 1, monthly pass holders must tap on and off on every ride. Our Clipper and fares guide explains how to pay. For a three minute ride many people bike or take a shuttle instead, but the train beats traffic on El Camino Real at rush hour.

Free Menlo Park shuttles

The City of Menlo Park runs free public shuttles, listed on Caltrain's station shuttle page:

The Crosstown is the one that links the two cities directly. The Marsh Road and Willow Road shuttles are the practical way to reach the bayside office parks from the train. Caltrain's page noted no service on Labor Day 2026 for the city routes, so check holiday schedules.

Large employers on the bay side of Menlo Park also run private shuttles for their own staff, some with stops in Palo Alto. Their routes are internal, so ask your employer's commute office.

SamTrans, Dumbarton Express and Marguerite

Menlo Park is in San Mateo County, so SamTrans runs most of its buses. From the Palo Alto Transit Center, SamTrans ECR runs north on El Camino Real past downtown Menlo Park. Routes 280 and 281 serve Menlo Park, Palo Alto and East Palo Alto. Route 296 links Redwood City, Atherton, Menlo Park, East Palo Alto and Palo Alto. SamTrans listed an adult fare of $2.25 cash on its 2026 timetables.

Two more services help with specific trips:

• Dumbarton Express DB stops at Willow Road and Middlefield Road on its way between Palo Alto Caltrain and Union City BART, on weekdays only. The local fare is $3.00 cash or $2.75 on Clipper.
• Stanford Marguerite line S runs free from the Palo Alto Transit Center along Sand Hill Road to the Rosewood hotel in the weekday commute peaks. It is the main transit link along Sand Hill Road. See our Marguerite guide.

Biking

Menlo Park is one of the easiest bike commutes from Palo Alto. From downtown, ride the Bryant Street bike boulevard north toward Palo Alto Avenue, then cross San Francisquito Creek on Alma Street or Middlefield Road into Menlo Park. Downtown Menlo Park and the station are about 2 miles from University Avenue. Our guide to Palo Alto's bike boulevards shows the network.

For Sand Hill Road, ride through the Stanford campus and use the bike lanes along Sand Hill Road west of El Camino Real. The road climbs gently toward Interstate 280, so allow extra time on the way out. For the bayside campuses, a mix of local streets and the Bay Trail works, though the crossings of US 101 and Willow Road need care at rush hour.

Menlo Park station has a BikeHub room, eLockers and racks. Caltrain's eLockers cost 5 cents an hour, or 2 cents nights and weekends. Bikes ride the train free in the two bike cars, each limited to 36 bikes. Folding bikes no wider than 32 inches can ride in any car. See our bike parking guide.

Driving

Most drives are short, but a few corridors jam at peak times:

• Downtown Menlo Park. El Camino Real or Middlefield Road, roughly 10 minutes outside rush hour and 15 to 25 minutes at peak.
• Sand Hill Road. From Palo Alto, use Sand Hill Road from El Camino Real or Interstate 280 from Page Mill Road. Sand Hill backs up near Stanford Shopping Center and the medical center at peak times.
• Bayfront campuses. US 101 north to the Willow Road or Marsh Road exits, or University Avenue through East Palo Alto. In the afternoon, Willow Road, University Avenue and Bayfront Expressway fill with Dumbarton Bridge traffic, so 10 to 15 minute drives can stretch to 30 or more.

US 101 north of the county line is part of the San Mateo County express lanes. They are tolled Monday to Friday from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. in both directions. Solo drivers pay the posted toll, two-person carpools pay half and three or more ride free with a FasTrak Flex tag. For the short run from Palo Alto to Willow Road it rarely pays off, but it can help if 101 is stopped. Our express lanes guide explains the rules.

Parking in Menlo Park

Downtown Menlo Park runs on free parking with time limits. The city's downtown parking page lists three hours free in parking plazas 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and two hours in plaza 4. Street limits run from 15 minutes to two hours. Limits are enforced from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday. Visitors can extend their stay in plazas 1 and 5 by buying a permit at a kiosk. Downtown employees who park all day need a permit, which the city sells through its parking permits page. Office campuses on Sand Hill Road and the bay side generally provide parking for staff and visitors.

Menlo Park's Caltrain lot has 150 spaces and charges $5.50 a day. Hosting clients for a few days? You can compare hotels in Menlo Park near the station or Sand Hill Road.

The reverse commute: Menlo Park to Palo Alto

For Menlo Park residents who work in Palo Alto, the Crosstown shuttle and Caltrain both reach Palo Alto station, where the free Stanford Marguerite lines continue to campus, the medical center and Stanford Research Park on weekdays. SamTrans ECR and Route 296 run south into Palo Alto. By car, the morning squeeze is on El Camino Real near Stanford Shopping Center and on Sand Hill Road toward the hospital. A bike over the creek is often the fastest option of all.

Frequently asked questions