For years, a sign on southbound U.S. Highway 280 has been reminding me that I have never bothered to pull over and visit this park that touches the south side of the freeway then reaches up into the surrounding hills. A few Saturday's ago, a friend and I decided to make the long overdue trip to the park.

Not included in the many attractions at Rancho San Antonio is solitude. Located on the edge of Los Altos, Cupertino and Sunnyvale, it is handy to many people seeking a day under the sun. After two loops through the handful of small parking lots, we finally hit pay dirt - an open spot. Our elevated parking site was next to a nongas model airplane flying area and overlooked the large open South Meadow area that includes an equestrian staging area.

Not sure where to go, we dropped down to the lower parking area near the trail head to consult a map. To my eye, the visitors coming and going here fell into three categories: runners, families with children and casual hikers. Our short hike here would prove the park's ideal suitability for all three groups.

A flat one-mile walk along Permanente Creek Trail and Lower Meadow Trail leads to Deer Hollow Farm, a 10-acre working ranch with animals, an orchard and a garden that generate fresh eggs and produce for purchase. The farm runs a variety of school and summer programs, including a Summer Wilderness Camp, which touch more than 5,000 children a year. For more information, visit the Friends of Deer Hollow Farm Web site, www.fodhf.org.

For a guy who fancies himself an astute map reader, I confess being a little turned around by the trail options that emanate beyond the farm. From here you can devise a walk to satisfy all appetites. The most ambitious hike is a ten-mile loop that climbs 2,400 feet and stretches to the far end of the preserve.

Our loop was a modest 2 1/2-mile walk beyond the farm along the Wildcat Loop Trail returning on the Rogue Valley Trail, but it had great variety. We climbed gently up a wooded creekside trail, then up through chaparral to Vista Point with a great view stretching across the Silicon Valley. The return along the Rogue Valley Trail was a flat walk along a comfortable wide dirt road that returned to Deer Hollow Farm.

The close-in trails we walked are all worn to wide, smooth paths with even footing making them perfect for the families with small children and the runners that we saw all along our walk. There are limited walk-in picnic spots - at Deer Hollow Farm and along Permanente Creek Trail (no trash service, so pack it out), and dogs are not allowed, but with those limitations, Rancho San Antonio is a great spot for a family frolic.

Instead of the heavy waffle-stompers, strap on your cushy striders, grab a water bottle and your child's hand. Save your wilderness trek for another day. The walk to Deer Hollow Farm is a great way to take a child or a friend for a stroll in the woods that will only please.

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Ron Erskine writes an outdoors column every Friday for the Dispatch. He can be reached at ronfoxtail@msn.com.