Bol Park and its bike path

Bol Park is the kind of place that makes people move to Barron Park. A strip of lawn and play equipment runs along Matadero Creek. A paved path on an old railroad line passes through it, full of kids riding to school and adults walking dogs. And just off the path, in a pasture behind a fence, there are donkeys. There have been donkeys here, on and off, for about 90 years.

The park is small and easy to miss from the main roads. It is worth finding. This guide covers the path, the creek, the donkeys and the family that started it all.

The park at a glance

Bol Park sits in Barron Park, the semi-rural neighborhood in the southwest of Palo Alto between El Camino Real and the foothills. The park and its path corridor total about 13.8 acres. The heart of it is a lawn and playground beside Matadero Creek, shaded by mature trees.

The park has no grand features. That is its appeal. It feels like a village green that happens to have a bike highway through it. On a weekday afternoon you will see Gunn High School students riding home, toddlers on the swings and someone reading under a tree.

The Bol family and the first donkey

The park is named for Cornelis Bol, a Dutch physicist best known for inventing the high-intensity mercury vapor lamp. He later held a position at Stanford. The Bol family moved to Barron Park and lived on Roble Ridge from 1936 until the death of his widow, Josina Bol, in 1966. Cornelis Bol died in 1965.

The donkey story starts in 1934. According to the Barron Park Donkey Project, Bol took his sons to the county fair to buy a horse and came home with a donkey instead. Over the years the herd grew to nearly half a dozen. The animals grazed on the family's pasture, which later became the park.

After the Bols were gone, the neighborhood worked to save the pasture. Santa Clara County acquired the land in May 1971 while Barron Park was still unincorporated. When Barron Park voted to join Palo Alto in November 1975, the park passed to the city later that month. The Bol family's original sale covered about 5 acres. A second phase added about 9 more, including the bike path.

The bike path

The path follows the old Southern Pacific Railroad right of way, which had just been abandoned in the mid-1960s. Southern Pacific donated about three acres to the effort in 1974 and Stanford owned the rest of the corridor. Construction began in 1979 and the regional bike path was dedicated in May 1980.

Today the path is about 1.25 miles of smooth asphalt. Its endpoints:

• North end: Hanover Street, at the edge of the Stanford Research Park.
• Middle: Bol Park, with the donkey pasture just off the path.
• South end: Miranda Avenue and Arastradero Road, by Gunn High School.

It is open to cyclists, walkers, runners, inline skaters and wheelchair users. Because there are no cars, it is one of the safest routes in the city for kids riding to school. On weekday mornings and afternoons it is a student commuter route, so expect a steady stream of bikes at those times. Ride at a moderate speed and give a bell or a call when passing.

Where the path takes you

For visitors the path is most useful as a way to the foothills. From the south end, ride west on Arastradero Road to Pearson-Arastradero Preserve, where bikes are allowed on the trails. Small Esther Clark Park is also close by. Heading north, the path leads into the Research Park and toward Stanford. Our biking guide shows how it fits into the rest of the city's network.

The Barron Park donkeys

The last donkey of the Bol family herd, Mickey, lived on for many years after the family was gone. In 1997 a young donkey named Pericles, called Perry, arrived. A year later came Miner 49er, known as Niner. Volunteers formed the Barron Park Donkey Project to care for them, supported by neighbors and donors.

Perry became famous. DreamWorks animators spent hours watching, sketching and filming him while they developed the character of Donkey for the film Shrek. His handlers always said he was not the Shrek donkey to them but simply their Perry. Niner died in 2016. Jenny, who joined after him, died in November 2020. Perry died in early January 2025 at about 30 years old. A memorial was held for him in Bol Park.

The herd continues. Coverage of Perry's death named two donkeys, Buddy and April, as his companions in the pasture. Herds change, so check the Barron Park Donkey Project website for who is there now.

Visiting the donkeys kindly

• The pasture is private land along the bike path near the park. For mapping apps the project gives 3590 Laguna Avenue.
• You can visit at the gate at any time. Talk to them quietly and keep fingers out of the fence.
• Do not bring food. Donkeys are prone to diabetes. The project says carrots, apples and even fresh grass are bad for them.
• Volunteers have long walked the donkeys into Bol Park on Sunday mornings so people can meet and pet them. As of 2024 the project listed 10 to 11 a.m. Check its site before you go since schedules can change.

Matadero Creek

Matadero Creek runs along the park and gives it its shade. It begins in the foothills and flows through Barron Park, under El Camino Real and on toward the Baylands. In the park's early years the water district funded erosion control and planting along the banks. In winter the creek runs fast after storms. In summer it slows to a trickle or dries in places. Kids love it, but keep an eye on small children near the banks after heavy rain.

Visiting tips

There is no parking lot. Most visitors park on Laguna Avenue near the park, where spaces are limited. Parking at the Hanover Street end of the path is very limited too. Riding or walking in is easier and fits the spirit of the place.

Nearby

From Bol Park it is a short ride to the foothill preserves. It is also a short drive to the Dish and Foothills Nature Preserve. El Camino Real is a few blocks east, with restaurants and the California Avenue district a little farther north. If you want to explore by bike but did not bring one, compare bike rentals in the Bay Area.

Frequently asked questions