Deer Hollow Farm

We had an amazing day hiking through the Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve to get to the deer hollow farm. This preserve has acres of land and miles and miles of beautiful trails, very family friendly and it’s open to public and free. I have to say we were not too prepared, and the little farm is quite a hike/​walk from the parking area. We also took a long path hiking through the coyote trail so it took us almost an hour to get to the farm (with a stroller). However, the trails are very nice and beautiful, and still stroller assessable (note that it is a dirt road though). Luckily we still got to the farm in time before they close (4pm), and my son was so excited to see cows, pigs and ducks up close. On the way back we found a much shorter and paved path so it only took 20 min to get to the car. This place is truly a (not-​so) hidden gem in Cupertino. Come early as parking does fill up fast on the weekend, and bring water and snacks. They also have a model place flying field so you can watch all the enthusiasts flying and showing off their model airplanes. Will come again to enjoy the outdoors!

Here in Silicon Valley, where we are surrounded and imprisoned with cement, automobiles, highways and byways, titan companies and unicorns, and ambitions of becoming bazillionaires, there is this precious little nonprofit farm, still working after 160 years.
Thousands of children and adults get to enjoy a relaxing hike and appreciating farm animals in their nurturing environment. They offer summer camps and other programs throughout the year. Kids can actually enjoy some outdoor fun instead of being lost on their devices at home.
There is even an Ohlone Village where campers can stay overnight!
Dear Deer Hollow Farm: Thank you for not turning into a million condos and yet more commercial for-​profit developed land. Thank you for letting my young children admire and pet your lovely animals. My daughter held a huge rabbit and a chicken for the first time there! And Thank you to all the employees and volunteers… my kids will have wonderful memories for a long time to come.

I LOVE coming to Deer Hollow Farm and seeing the cute goats, cows, chickens (my personal fave), pigs, ducks, and sheep. The animals always seem loved and well taken care of.
The farm cat is also super friendly and will come over to you and let you pet her if she’s in the mood. Generally, though you aren’t allowed to go into the pens and pet the animals, (for safety reason, I imagine).
They have volunteer docents and guides on some days to answer questions about the farm/​animals. One time I even saw them milking the cow.
I never get tired of stopping by to say hello to the farm animals. In fact, I don’t even bother coming to hike Rancho unless the farm is open for me to make a pit stop!
P. S. Best of all, admission is free!

It is a little over-​rated. There isn’t much of a farm. It is less then ¼ acre. It usually gets very hot beyond 11:00 am, so be prepared especially if you have small kids. Try to be there in the morning as most animals are napping in the afternoon.
The 1 mile trail leading to the farm gets very crowded with hikers, and I should add most of the hikers have a stiff upper lip so don’t even bother greeting them or saying hello.
Boards with signs to the farm are not very clear. So please start at the trail head at the very other end of the parking lot (the one where they have the rest rooms).

Really not worth the hike with a kid who’s excited about getting to see bunnies and lambs. You get to see the animals over the fence. The animals are asleep and not interested in you because you can’t feed them or anything. Too disappointing

omg, this place is the cutest farm! i’ve run the trails at rancho san antonio many times and typically run past this farm on my way up, but i don’t ever take the time to stop and say hello to the animals.
the other day, i was hiking with a friend along the wildcat loop trail and we stopped by here on the way back to the parking lot. we saw chickens, roosters, bunnies, sheep and cows. lots of kids and their parents were also there, admiring these animals, watching them eat, sleep, and play.
other reviews indicate that you are allowed to enter some of the pens to touch the animals, but this was not so on the day we visited. we had to stand outside the fence to see the animals and could not touch them. hopefully i’ll have the opportunity to return on a day when petting is allowed.
admission to the farm is free, but hours are limited to 0800 – 1600 on tuesday, thursday — sunday, and 0800 – 1300 on wednesday. note that they are closed on mondays. check the website for their most up to date hours and visitor information:
parking is available at the main rancho san antonio county lot, which is about a one mile walk from the farm.

Cute farm! The kids and I did the one mile hike to the farm. It was an easy, flat walk/​hike. Once there, we were immediately greeted by the two huge cows looking at us from the wire fence. There were plenty of animals for the youngsters to gawk at. We saw pigs, sheep, goats, chicken, ducks. My favorite were the many baby goats. We weren’t allowed to go into the barn, but you can peak through the barn doors to see the baby goats eating and talking away. We were lucky to be there during feeding time. This made our visit that much more exciting. This is a place I recommend if you have kids that like farm animals. It’s low key, free, and easily accessible. The trails are flat so you can definitely push your stroller all the way there with ease.

Great place to go to see some farm animals. We listened in as they were training their summer staff so we learned all the details about the cows, chickens, pigs, and goats! They obviously take good care of their animals and maintain the facility well.

Visit in the spring and enjoy all the farm babies. They have special events that allow you to actually go inside the animal pens. In the fall they have an event «Ohlone Day» where you can learn how the Native Americans lived in this area. It’s a great place to visit for all ages!

Our daughter loves the farm. We took her here on a whim for a hike one day and she loved seeing all the animals. We went back a few months later for the farm tour and she just couldn’t get enough. Had to pry her from the bunny pen where she was enjoying petting and holding the shyest bunny. We’ve now gone here several times. Great little walk out to the farm.
Bring some water for the walk especially on warmer days as it can get pretty hot on that walk. Well worth it though and highly recommended.

This place is such a treasure for the whole family.
It is a teaching farm and garden. During the summer they run summer day camps, and Ohlone Days.
Whenever I go on a hike, I pass by the farm and pop in when it is open. It is always nice to take 10 minutes to say hello to all the animals and see them grow. Cows, rabbits, chickens, goats, cheep, hogs, geese, and a few sweet farm cats.
In fact, the last time we were there, it looked like the geese were getting a new swimming pool :)
There are certain spots where you are able to pet the animals, but please don’t feed them!
There are fun little facts posted about all the animals. You can learn their names, and when they were born.
There is a barn with picnic tables. Often you see groups of moms with kids who hike out to the farm and stop and have lunch at the barn and walk around the little farm.
Sometimes they have eggs for sale. $ 6 a dozen. I wish they were able to sell raw milk, but it is illegal without proper processing :(
Seeing the farm and garden change through the seasons is always nice to see.
The farm is near and dear to my heart. I love seeing all the kids come up. I hope they pass it along to their kids.

A ‘not so’ secret treasure in the South Bay! Located in the open space preserve this farm is a great place to visit for kids 5 to 55! Roosters, Cattle, Goats, Sheep, Hogs, and more await you to say Hi on each visit. The little historical cabins are very neat as well!
Always a great part of a hike.

«Being an old farm boy myself, chickens coming home to roost never did make me sad; they’ve always made me glad.» — Malcolm X
Deer Hollow Farm (DHF) is a ten acre, 160-​year-​old Ranch and non-​profit, that promotes environmental education and acts as a «Living Museum» for thousands of school children a year. Located in the Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve (RSA), DHF is like walking back through time. This is a swell place to take the young ‘uns on a nature adventure, and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. However, before you go you’ll need some key details that I’ve provided – just for you!
Parking– The best access point is the RSA parking lot off of Cristo Rey Dr. It’s a very busy, but nice sized lot that holds ±230 cars and has a restroom. I didn’t have an issue finding a space, but that was on a weekday. I’d imagine weekends are much different, so get here early.
Ingress– DHF is approximately one mile from the parking lot. To get there you take Permanente Creek Trail north, and then hook a left (west) onto Lower Meadow Trail; both trails are stroller and bike friendly. I didn’t see any signage pointing to the farm until I got about a half-​mile in. So, if you’re not sure, don’t be afraid to ask one of the many trail regulars.
Admission– The farm is free and open to the general public. If you want, you can make a donation through the website, or choose them as your charitable donation through the Amazon Smile program; just go to
, and enter «Friends of Deer Hollow Farm.»
Amenities– DHF has an open-​air hay barn for picnicking, on-​site restroom and water fountains.
Features:
–Century-​old, restored buildings on display
–They have your typical menagerie of cows, chickens, pigs, goats, etc that the kids love to see. We were lucky enough to witness a milking demonstration of Luna the Cow!
–Demonstration garden and fruit orchard. Apparently they will sell some of their fruit, but don’t come in January and expect fresh strawberries.
–Hands-​on Nature Center, that’s only open on the 3^rd Saturday of the month. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to see it, but I’ll be sure it’s open next time I visit.
Depending on how fast you walk, you can make the whole excursion in as little as a few hours, or one can easily spend the entire day navigating the copious amount of surrounding RSA trails. Either way, DHF is a terrific family-​friendly getaway and is highly recommended, by yours truly.

It’s like going back in time. A mile walk in, no traffic or city noise. A farm the way a farm would’ve looked 150 years ago and run as a real farm. This is not a petting zoo, but a place for kids to learn about farm animals, wild animals, local flora & fauna and their place among them. If you want your children to learn as well as enjoy themselves, this is the place to come. Amazing that this place could survive just miles from bustling Silicon Valley. They do have special events that allow closer interaction with animals and the Native American village, but any day is a good day up there. A wonderful way to get the kids away from the electronics for awhile!

What a great place for a family outing. Historical ranch with lots of farm animals, a garden and a small orchard and a place for a picnic in the open hay barn. You can peek in the windows of the old caretaker’s cabin and see what life was like in the 1800s, complete with iron stove, spinning wheel and chamber pot and see old Blacksmith Shed tools and even a horse skeleton in the White Barn. The Nature Center (has a huge stuffed mountain lion!) is open on 3^rd Sat mornings. During the week it’s a peaceful place to be. They have benches to rest and watch the animals. A short walk from the parking lot, which can be crowded in early morning and late afternoon and especially on weekends.

Who doesn’t like farm animals? Deer Hollow is a cool little farm with chickens, a cow, pigs, goats and historic old farm buildings. It’s a really nice place for a lazy stroll with the entire family. My 8 year-​old complained about going for a walk, then loved the trail out to the farm and was thrilled to spend an hour checking out the animals. Fun for the whole family.

We took our son here for a tour over the weekend. The farm is a mile long trek away from the lower parking lot. The trek is stroller friendly and a well defined path with signs leads straight to the farm.
Be sure to watch out for wildlife during the trek; we had a rattlesnake cross our path!!!
The entrance fee was pretty reasonable– $ 5 per head and the farm was not too crowded. Our son had a wonderful time petting the baby animals– the baby goats, especially, were very tolerant of human contact.
The farm is not very big but one can easily spend a good hour to an hour and a half here. They have a cow, sheep, chickens, ducks, rabbits, pigs and goats. The docents are wonderful, patient and knowledgeable.
They also have a well grown vegetable patch at the end of the farm. At times, they also sell fresh eggs on the farm!
We wound up our trip by having fresh coffee-​berry cake, coffee and lemonade served just outside the garden. What a treat!
Be sure to stop at the cute little nature museum at the entrance to the farm which is a treasure trove of taxidermy. We saw a stuffed: mountain lion, coyote, raccoon, rabbit, owl as well as a number of preserved snakes and snake skin. The collection of birds’ nests is also worth looking at — I was amazed to see that a hummingbird’s nest could be so tiny.
Rancho San Antonio has a number of challenging trails, but if you have little ones and still want to trek, then the two mile round trek to the farm and back is definitely worth your while. Be sure not to forget the following before you start: stroller, sunscreen, hats, plenty of water and maybe a snack or two. No restroom stops along the way, though I think the farm has a restroom.
Caveat: Parking at the park is limited. Be prepared to come a little early to get a spot!

My younger daughter Megan and I were first introduced to this place as a field trip for her school and she just thinks this place is heaven!
Her and I had so much fun and now we make sure we visit a few times a year to see how the animals are doing. My other kids don’t like animals as much as the younger one so this is the special thing we do together.
They have plenty of fun activities for the guests to keep them active. The nature center was pretty cool but Megan just wanted to be out side with the animals so that’s where we spend most of our time.
There are so many cute little animals, the goats are my favorite but the goats, and pigs are just so cute! Megan just loves to pet, play, feed and talk to them and loves it when I take pictures so she can show the rest of the family what her and I did.
She had plenty of questions for the employees as to where each animal sleeps, who covers them at night, what happens when the get sick, when do they eat, etc., and always seems to come up with new ones every time we visit. The employees were very patient and polite taking the time to answer each question.
They have another meet the animal day this weekend so I hope to see all of you there!
To the Owners: Thank you for allowing us to experience this wonderful magical place. We love the time we get to spend here and always have a great time when we visit!

Charming little farm nestled in lovely woods near a creek. My 2 year old loved the variety of chickens, ducks and geese. Strangely less impressed by the super pregnant cow, the sheep, goats and pigs. Go figure. Friendly, low-​key volunteers.
Longwinded tips for your visit, particularly if you’re going with children:
1) Do NOT use Google maps for your directions. The pdf on the website is what it takes to get there. Park at the very last parking lot (with the shade and the restrooms)
2) Check their website for hours and special events
3) If you or yours have a low tolerance for glaring sun, heat and misc bugs, go early in the day or wait for a not-​hot day. It is 1.4 miles from the parking lot to the farm. Not a whole lot of shade, yet mercifully pretty flat.
4) Bonus! When we got there at 10:30 or so, there were a bunch of guys flying cool model planes in one of the first parking lots. There were signs there outlining model plane flying etiquette, so I assume it’s a common occurence.
5) Strollers will do better on the bike path than pedestrian trails. I saw lots of walkers, joggers and families on the bike path, so it seems to be generally accepted. Also, the bike path is further from the creek, hence fewer bugs
6) Today it was so hot that many animals were hiding in the comfortable shade of their barns. Luckily, my little one is too young to have been disappointed by promised animals not being visible. No petting or feeding the animals. Happy Hollow would be a good place to go for that.

My guess is that its about a mile or so to the farm from the parking lot.
At the farm you will see some piggy wiggys, some goats, sheep, and other small farm animals. Along the way you might see deer in the wilderness.
Great place to take a flat hike, bike ride, run or walk
Great learning place to take children.

Deer Hollow Farm may loose funding from the City of Mountain View for the 2010 – 2011 year! The «Friends» are doing a great job trying to keep it running. If you would like to write your comment to the Mt View city council, you can use the following application,

Nestled in Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve, Deer Hollow Farm is sweet reward after a brisk hike. On a nice day the paths leading to the farm are crowded with cyclists, runners and parents pushing strollers. If you’re lucky, on the way up you’ll spot lots of deer and other wild life.
The farm itself is a working farm offering several educational programs. My kids have enjoyed watching baby goats frolick in their pen, looked in on baby pigs, fed a cow and watched the chickens run around. This place also has one of the most amazing vegetable gardens I have ever seen as well as some of the most beautiful scenery in the valley.
Word of advice — staying on the paths will keep you out of the poison oak!