Markham Nature Park and Arboretum is a dog-friendly 17-acre island full of natural beauty near the heart of downtown Concord. People who visit for the first time are surprised that such a lovely, natural park exists inside the city limits. The Markham is unique among local parks as the emphasis is on quiet discovery rather than crowds and activity.

The serene setting includes a very active nursery stocked with unique, unusual, and whimsical plants, staffed by landscapers, arborists, native plant enthusiasts and master gardeners who can answer questions about what grows well in the area. You won’t want to miss the International Garden, a sprawling-yet-compact set of demonstration gardens with the park surrounding the Bud Hansen Arbor. This area displays plants from climates like ours—Australia, South Africa, South America and Europe—that will motivate and inspire you to try them in your garden at home. The park also has separate rose and camellia gardens, a bee farm, a community garden and a path that links to other parks.

The Markham Tree Walk will introduce you to forty-five different species of trees throughout the park. Many of these trees are native to California, while others are drought-tolerant species from other Mediterranean-climate regions that thrive in Northern California. The Tree Walk is especially lovely on a hot day, as hundreds of trees shelter you in dappled shade. You can move at your own pace without the pressure of keeping up with crowds.

Walking through here with your dog on leash, you’ll get a real sense of how a working botanical space operates—people are actually tending gardens, propagating plants, and testing what works in this climate. It’s educational without feeling like a museum. The quiet atmosphere means you can actually hear the birds and water features, and your dog won’t be overwhelmed by activity. Most visitors are genuinely interested in plants rather than rushing through, so the whole pace feels different from typical city parks.