A family greenway ride: Bryant Street to Mitchell Park

Palo Alto calls Bryant Street the first bicycle boulevard in the United States. It is a residential street where barriers and traffic calming keep cars few and slow, so bikes can ride down the middle of town in comfort. For families, that makes it the easiest way to turn a short spin into a real outing. This ride follows Bryant from downtown through Professorville, Old Palo Alto and Midtown to Mitchell Park, home of the Magical Bridge Playground, then comes back the same way.

It is flat, nearly car-free in feel and lined with parks. Our bike rides with kids page picks short routes by age. This page goes deeper on one longer route. For the history and future of the street itself, see our bike boulevards guide.

The ride at a glance

We traced the route on OpenStreetMap and sampled U.S. Geological Survey elevation data. The whole ride stays within about 30 feet of the same elevation. The distances are estimates.

Start, parking and Caltrain

From Palo Alto station, ride a few blocks east through downtown to Bryant Street. Caltrain's electric trains have two bike cars. A weekend train is much calmer than a weekday commute run when you are managing children's bikes. If you drive, the downtown garages are the easy option, or start at Rinconada Park off Embarcadero Road and ride south from there to shorten the trip.

Turn by turn

1. To Bryant Street. From the station, cross downtown on a quiet street such as Lytton or Hamilton Avenue and turn right onto Bryant Street.
2. Through Professorville. Ride south on Bryant past the old brown shingle houses of Professorville. Stop signs come every block or two. Teach children to stop fully.
3. Embarcadero Road. Cross the busy road at the signal. For a break, ride a few blocks east to Rinconada Park and the Junior Museum and Zoo, then return to Bryant.
4. Old Palo Alto. Continue south on Bryant through tree-lined blocks.
5. Oregon Expressway. Cross at the signal. This is the widest road on the route, so cross together and walk bikes if children are small.
6. Midtown. Bryant carries on south through Midtown to its end at East Meadow Drive.
7. East Meadow Drive. Turn left and ride about half a mile east on East Meadow Drive. It is a busier street, so keep children close to the curb side and ride single file.
8. Mitchell Park. Lock up near the Magical Bridge Playground, play, rest and ride home the same way.

Surface and traffic

The route is paved all the way. Bryant itself carries mostly local cars at low speed, with traffic calming that discourages cut-through drivers. Expect parked cars, driveways and the occasional delivery van. Teach children to ride a door's width away from parked cars and to look for brake lights and people in driver's seats.

Four spots need attention: downtown streets near the station, the Embarcadero Road crossing, the Oregon Expressway crossing and the short run along East Meadow Drive at the end. The two big crossings have signals. On school days, Bryant fills with students riding to school in the morning and mid-afternoon, so weekends and holidays are better for a slow family ride. The city's own Bryant Street project page still showed its 2021 status in 2026, with planned updates on hold. The city adopted a new bike plan on June 15, 2026, so expect changes on some streets over the coming years.

Water, restrooms and a coffee stop

• Mitchell Park. The city lists restrooms at the park. The Mitchell Park Library and Community Center next door adds indoor restrooms during its open hours. Our Mitchell Park guide covers the playground and the rest of the park.
• Rinconada Park and the Junior Museum and Zoo. The museum closes at 4:30 p.m. from November 1, 2026. Check the city's Rinconada page for current park restrooms, since a new building was funded separately from the park's renovation.
• Philz Coffee, 101 Forest Avenue, near the start. Its website lists hours from 4:30 a.m. on weekdays and 5 a.m. on weekends, until 6 p.m. Grab drinks before you set off or on the way home.

Carry a bottle for each rider and a snack. Small riders run out of energy fast. A stop at the halfway playground works better with food in hand.

Shorter versions for small legs

Seven or eight miles is a lot for a five-year-old. Pick the piece that fits your crew:

• Rinconada Park to Mitchell Park. Drive or ride to Rinconada, then follow Bryant south. About 3 miles each way, with a playground at each end.
• Downtown to Rinconada. About 1.5 miles each way from the station, ending at the Junior Museum and Zoo. Good for children who are just off training wheels.
• One way plus Caltrain. Ride from Palo Alto station to Mitchell Park, then ride about 2 miles to California Avenue station and take the train one stop home. Check the timetable first, since weekend trains run about every 30 minutes.

Whatever the length, plan a turnaround time rather than a turnaround point. If the group is tired at Oregon Expressway, that is the place to turn back.

Closures we checked

We found no closures on Bryant Street or at Mitchell Park in early November 2026. Nearby, the city listed the Bowden Park playground on High Street as closed from November 10 to 17, 2026. The city's open space alerts page, updated in September 2026, listed no alerts for the Baylands, which you can reach from Mitchell Park by the extension below.

Safety for families

Seasons and extensions

This is an all-year ride. In winter, pick a dry day; the street drains fast but fallen leaves can be slippery. Summer afternoons are warm but Bryant's trees give shade. For a longer day, continue from Mitchell Park along East Meadow Drive and the Adobe Reach Trail to the Highway 101 bridge and out to the bay, as described in our Baylands and Shoreline ride. For a car-free path with donkeys, try the Bol Park path in Barron Park instead.

Frequently asked questions