This is a big park, considering how close it is to the city. Its 3600 acres encompasses most of the Los Capitancillos Ridge, which runs almost the entire western length of San Jose's upscale Almaden Valley. Its location at the southern end of the Santa Clara Valley provide some spectacular views of the southern Bay Area. Its hills rise to over 1700 feet. From high points in the park, you can see most of the Silicon Valley. On clear days, you can see the bay waters and bridges, the skyscrapers of San Francisco and Oakland, the Diablo and Santa Cruz Ranges, and all the way to Mt. Tamalpais in Marin. It's a great place in the springtime. The grassy hills turn a rich green, and wildflowers of types and colors bloom everywhere. It can get hot on the exposed trails in the mid-day summer sun, but summer evening walks are great. There are only three entrances to the park: McAbee Road at the north, Mockingbird Hill at the east, and Almaden Road (the Hacienda Entrance) at the south. The latter is in the historic town of New Almaden. The New Almaden Museum there has exhibits on the history of the area. Here is a link on its history. Here is another link on a tour of the park and more background history on the mining activities.
Wildlife abounds in the park. I've personally seen more deer than I can count, families of feral pigs, elusive bobcats, cute little brush rabbits, and flocks of quail. This is mountain lion territory. I've never seen one, but there are signs at the entrances warning about them and what to do if you encounter one. Hawks and turkey buzzards constantly roam the skies above.
There are 29 miles of trails in the park. Most are wide and graded. Except for the New Almaden Trail, they allow hikers and equestrians. Bicycles are not permitted. (It mystifies me why bicycles are not allowed on the broad (10-12 foot) flat trails of Almaden Quicksilver, but are allowed on some of the steep, narrow, blind-cornered trails of the Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District. Oh well, different jurisdictions, different politics.) Dogs are allowed on some trails. There are some new trails being proposed. Here are the main trails:
- The Mine Hill Trail is the main trail, running the entire
length of the park. It's a wide graded road that's 6.4 miles long. It rises
gradually but relentlessly from the Almaden Road entrance to Mine Hill
at over 1500 feet, following just below the oak-forested eastern crest
of the ridge. Just before the crest of the trail is a rest stop at the
fenced off entrance to the San Cristobal Mine. If you bring a flashlight,
you can peer down the mine tunnel. The trail crests at Bull Run, then follows
along the chaparral-covered top of the ridge before descending steeply
in places to the McAbee Road entrance. On the way, it passes through more
forests and grasslands, with the high-priced homes, riding stables, and
country club of the Almaden Valley in view. Taking the entire Mine Hill
Trail is an all-day effort, but shorter loops are possible. The most scenic
part of the trail is from the southern junction with the Penitencia Trail
to the junction with the Guadalupe Trail. Looking north, the view epitomizes
the wild and civilized parts of the Bay Area, with the undeveloped forested
slopes of the Sierra Azuls and the waters of Guadalupe Reservoir on the
left, the ridge of the park down the middle, and the housing tracts, shopping
malls, and high-tech industries of the Silicon Valley on the right. The
summit of Mine Hill is a restricted area that is accessible by guided tours
only.
View from the Mine Hill Trail: Guadalupe Reservoir, Almaden Valley.
- The April Trail is a short loop off the Mine Hill Trail. It passes by a restored brick gunpowder storage house and a remnant of a railroad trestle, with a big rusty metal ore-loading chute that looks like an elevator. The trail passes below and over the trestle.
- The Providencia Trail is short 1.2-mile loop off the higher reaches of the Mine Hill Trail. It drops off in a steep downhill to pretty little Providencia Pond, with scenic views of Guadalupe Reservoir and the Sierra Azuls.
- The Hacienda Trail is a butt-kicker of a trail. It's not the longest trail in the park (3 miles), but it's the steepest. It starts at the Mockingbird Hill Lane parking lot in a shady forest. It then starts climbing steeper and steeper, in a series of switchbacks with some grades exceeding 30%. The views become more and more impressive, which is an incentive to keep climbing. The southern Almaden Valley is visible below, as are the hills of Santa Teresa Park and the hilltop buildings of IBM's Almaden Research Center. The trail reaches the crest of a ridgeline and runs straight up and down the sides of several steep hills along the ridge. (I guess the ridge was too narrow for switchbacks, or the road builder was too lazy so he just went straight up the hill.) At one saddle, a short branch runs to the west to join the Mine Hill Trail at Cape Horn Pass. Further along, it hits the No Name Trail, which branches off to the north. It then wraps around a wildflower-covered hill, descends into a wooded valley, and rises to join the Mine Hill Trail near the Almaden Road entrance. A nice loop trip is to take the Mine Hill Trail from Almaden Road, the Hacienda Trail east and north, then back to the Mine Hill Trail via Cape Horn Pass. A longer and much tougher loop is to take the Hacienda Trail from Mockingbird Hill Lane, the Mine Hill Trail via Cape Horn Pass, down to the southern trailhead of the Hacienda Trail, then back along the Hacienda Trail to the No Name Trail, which leads back to Mockingbird Hill Lane.
- The No Name Trail, which now has a name (the Virl O. Norton Memorial Trail), but is still called the No Name Trail on the park maps, is a 1.2 mile trail that starts at the Mockingbird Hill Lane entrance and runs mostly level or downhill along low hills above houses and stables. Just when you think this trail is a cakewalk, it rises steeply in a tough climb to join the Hacienda trail.
- The Senator Mine Trail is a short (.8 mile), easy trail that starts at the McAbee Road entrance and passes by the ruins of the Senador Mine. There you can find three huge two-story concrete ruins that were once Hereschoff furnaces for the mine. Kids like to climb into the ruins and play peekaboo through the vent holes. The trail then begins a steady, sweeping, shady climb up a hill to reach the Guadalupe Trail.
- The 2.3-mile Guadalupe Trail is probably the wildest and most scenic of the multi-use trails. It's the farthest trail from the suburbs of the Almaden Valley, though ironically it runs the closest to a public road--Hicks Road on the west side of Guadalupe Creek--and comes the closest to the Guadalupe Landfill. The trail begins on a hill at a junction with the northern end of the Mine Hill Trail and the New Almaden Trail. It passes through forests, and meets the Senator Mine Trail at a grassy pass (see the picture below), with a lovely view of the towering Sierra Azuls. The steep, narrow valley on the western side of the park is only sparsely inhabited. The only signs of human habitation are narrow, winding Hicks Road, some powerlines, and a few large homes. The trail winds down the grass-covered hills to reach Guadalupe Creek. As the trail descends, it comes closer to the lower slopes of the Sierra Azuls, whose solid green-carpeted slopes resolve into individual trees. They contrast sharply with Almaden Quicksilver's grass, scrub, and scattered oak tree-covered hills. There's a picnic table for a rest stop on the shady bank of the creek. The trail runs through the shade of trees along the creek bank, with steep hills on the left. It then starts the climb to the top of Guadalupe Dam. A mine tailing pile, some abandoned sheet metal buildings, and the huge concrete chute of Guadalupe Dam's spillway are soon visible to the west of the trail. Suddenly, the dam appears over a rise, and the waters of Guadalupe Reservoir appear behind it, depending on the season. Unofficial fishing trails follow along the east shore of the Reservoir. People also fish from the dam. I'm not sure if this is legal, but I haven't seen anyone get in trouble for it. The steep-walled spillway prevents crossing from the east end of the dam to Hicks Road. While fishing is allowed on Guadalupe and Almaden Reservoirs, eating the fish is not. The downside of the mercury mining history of the area is the legacy of mercury contamination in the fish. Guadalupe Reservoir is particularly beautiful when it's full, like it is after this El Nino winter. The main trail continues its steady climb above the reservoir to eventually meet up with the Mine Hill Trail. Deer can often be seen grazing along the hills in this area.
- The Randol Trail is a fairly level trail that winds in and out of canyons along the middle of the eastern slope of the park's central ridge for 4.7 miles. Trees provide shade on hot afternoons, as the sun is on the western side of the ridge. The trail branches off of the Mine Hill Trail at Cape Horn Pass and rejoins it just before the junction with the Guadalupe Trail. Along the way are significant remnants of the mercury mine. The Day Tunnel is a sealed off hillside mine tunnel, with a pool and spring running out of it. Piles of mine tailings lie below it. Further on are huge piles of mine tailings that lead to the ruins of the Buena Vista Shaft. Here are huge granite-lined pits and foundations that once held mining equipment. The Mine Hill and Randol Trails can be combined for a day-long loop trip, starting with the tougher Mine Hill Trail and returning on the flatter Randol Trail. The Great Eastern and Prospect trails are short, steep connector trails that connect the Randol to the Mine Hill Trail.
- The New Almaden Trail is a long (6.7 miles, the longest trail in the park), winding trail that is a great trail to take if you want a quiet, solitary walk in the woods. Even though this trail is closest to the civilization, it takes you closer to nature and has more surprises and varied terrain than the other trails. Unlike many of the other trails, this one is heavily-shaded for most of its length, so it's a good trail to take on hot days. Some areas are lush, with ferns and small creeks tumbling down rocky ravines. It's a narrow, hiking-only trail, which can be a relief for the nose compared to the other trails, which are popular among the many equestrians in the Almaden Valley. Because the trail is so narrow, it's not good for couples who like to walk abreast. When they say this is a footpath, they're not just talking about its use, they're talking about its width. Actually, in some places, it's barely as wide as your foot, often overgrown by grass, so it's more like a wilderness trail than the other trails, which are former mine roads. Watch out for ticks and poison oak. The New Almaden Trail mostly runs along the lower portion of the hills, along the eastern edge of the park. Because of the heavy forest and lower altitude, you don't get the spectacular views of the higher trails, but you do get some nice views forests, hills, and meadows. In some gaps in the trees, you can see the million-dollar homes in the Almaden Valley. It starts at the Mockingbird Hill Lane entrance and runs northwest to the northern junction of the Guadalupe and Mine Hill Trails, then it drops down steeply for a third of a mile in a narrow valley, past mountains of mine tailings to join the Senator Mine Trail. There are no official branch trails that lead into the park from the middle of the New Almaden Trail, so you either have to make out-and-back trips from the ends of the trail, make a car shuttle trip from one of the trail ends to the other, or make a giant all-day loop trip with a return on the Mine Trail. I've only hiked partway into the ends of the trail. The north end climbs high up and runs fairly flat after it crosses the Mine Hill Trail, running in and out of small wooded ravines. The south end starts lower down and climbs somewhat. At the beginning stretch of the trail are interpretive plaques on the flora and park history. It then drops down into a ravine behind some expensive homes, then climbs gradually up a hillside. It crosses several small creeks on wooden bridges. On one of these creeks is a nice, heavily-shaded picnic area. As the trail climbs up over a hill, you can see both the Almaden Valley and the valley in the park just below the Mine Trail. Someday I'll try to hike the whole length of the trail when I have more time.
- Here is a link on photographing mushrooms in Almaden Quicksilver.
Almaden Quicksilver County Park in spring (along the
Guadalupe Trail with the Sierra Azuls in the background)
This 730-acre park is administered by the city of San Jose and is the city's oldest and largest park. It's located in a rugged, rocky canyon on the foothills of the Diablo Range east of San Jose. It's famous for its mineral springs that bubble out of little stone "temples" that were built into the canyon wall many years ago. The springs drain into a creek that runs down the heart of the park. The park is a popular destination for city-dwellers, with grassy picnic and play areas and the Youth Science Institute nature museum. Trails lead up the canyon walls.
Here are some Alum Rock Park pictures.
Here is some information on Alum Rock Park trails.
This 677-acre preserve is small for an open space preserve, but is huge for a city park. The City of Palo Alto runs this hilly preserve, which includes 6 miles of trails, mostly old ranch roads. The preserve is located off Arastradero Road, a half-mile west of Page Mill Road, on the west side of I-280. A few miles east is the northernmost and most research-oriented part of Silicon Valley, anchored by Hewlett-Packard, Xerox PARC, and Stanford University. However, in these hills, which are former ranchlands, the city and modern technology seem far away. A short distance from the road, along the Corte Madera Trail, is shady, reed-lined Arastradero Lake. Breaks in the reeds allow fishing access. The Corte Madera Trail follows willow-lined Arastradero Creek, with tree-covered slopes on both sides of the trail. At the end of the trail is a small pond, surrounded by tall reeds. The Meadowlark Trail runs through the middle of the preserve and leads up into the grass-covered hills, with views of Palo Alto and the Bay below. Here is a link on the wildflowers at Arastradero Preserve.
This 2421 acre park is known for Calero Reservoir, a popular motorboating, sailing, fishing, and waterskiing lake. However, the park has 12 miles of back country trails in the hills surrounding the lake. This is a very popular equestrian area (watch your step). The hills offer fine views of Calero Reservoir and the Almaden Valley. Wildflowers cover the grassy slopes in the spring. Oak forests provide shady walks in the summer. Two small trailside ponds are pleasant surprises along the trails. Calero often has excellent bass fishing, but fishing is strictly for sport, since mercury contamination, as in Almaden and Guadalupe Reservoir, renders the fish hazardous to eat. Here is a link on photographing the wildflowers and wildlife at Calero.
This 1544 acre park in the eastern foothills above Milpitas has a wide variety of activities. It has lawn and picnic areas. Fishing is popular at Sandy Wool Lake, which is stocked with trout in season. Spring Valley Pond is a popular kid's fishing lake. A 16-mile network of trails run through grasslands and oak forests. Monument Peak is the park's high point at nearly 2600 feet.
This is the largest of the Santa Clara County Parks, at 9522 acres. It lies in narrow, steep-walled Hall's Valley, one ridge east of the Santa Clara Valley and one ridge west of Mt. Hamilton, whose Lick Observatory domes look down on parts of the park. The park is a former ranch with 40 miles of trails along the valley, up the steep slopes, along shady creeks, and to a number of small lakes and ponds. The largest lake is Grant Lake, which is easily accessible and offers a warmwater fishery. This park was a farm, and many farm buildings have been preserved. Farming and ranching still goes on in the area. Don't be surprised if you come face-to-face with grazing livestock on some of the trails. Shaded picnic areas and campsites are available. Elevations range from 1600 feet at Grant Lake, to around 2500 feet on the west side along the Dutch Flat Trail, to nearly 3000 feet at Antler Point on the east side. Like most parks in the Diablo Range, this park can get hot and dry in the summer, but is covered with lush green grass and colorful wildflowers in the spring. Here's a link on the wildlife and wildflowers of the park: Bay Area Ramblings - Joseph D. Grant County Park. Many trails run through this park. Some are fairly level and run along the valley. Others wind up the steep hills. A nice loop trail is the Loop Trail. It starts near the park office, runs down the valley, up a hillside along a rocky creek, meets Bass Lake, crosses Mt. Hamilton Road, runs down a shady ravine to McCreery Lake, and comes back to the park office. Instead of looping back to the park office, you can take the Canal Trail at the end of McCreery Lake and follow an old irrigation canal to a short connector trail that leads west to Grant Lake and east to the Los Huecos and Halls Valley Trails. The Los Huecos Trail is a steep trail that goes almost straight up the mountainside, passing through grazing land, and eventually hitting the Canada de Pala Trail. The Halls Valley Trail is a more winding trail that roughly parallels the Los Huecos Trail across a steep valley. It also ends up at the Canada de Pala Trail. The latter is a long trail that starts at 1600 feet where it intersects the Hotel Trail and ascends the mountains to the park's high point at Antler Point. The Hotel Trail starts at the park office and runs along the center valley of the park, climbing up the eastern slopes to an elevation of over 2000 feet at the southern end of the park at Eagle Lake and Pig Lake.
This 3219 acre park is located along the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains at Hecker Pass, between Gilroy and Watsonville. It overlooks both Monterey Bay and the Santa Clara Valley. In its fog-washed higher reaches are redwood forests. On its dryer lower slopes are oak forests, chaparral, and grassy meadows. Tiny scenic Sprig Lake provides trout fishing for young children. A pen holds a herd of rare white deer. There are camping sites in the redwood forests.
This is one of the coolest of the county parks, temperature-wise. It's a good place for hiking on a hot summer day. It's in a steep canyon on the eastern slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains, deeply-shaded by redwood trees. As a rule, if you want cool shade, find a redwood forest. The park is also well-developed, with large grassy lawns, RV and walk-in campgrounds, group picnic areas, manmade ponds, a youth hostel, and a nature center. Short easy trails run through the redwoods and along the creeks on the lower reaches of the park. The steeper Sanborn and San Andreas trails ascend the mountains, reaching all the way to Skyline Blvd. along the summit of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Summit Rock, which is a popular rock-climbing spot with great views of Saratoga and the South Bay, is at the upper edge of the park, easily accessible from Skyline Blvd. The park contains the start of the Skyline Trail, which runs along the ridge of the mountains, and the Skyline-to-the-Sea trail, which runs to the ocean. Lake Ranch Reservoir is a small, scenic mountain lake at the southeastern side of the park, separated from the main part of the park. It's accessible by a steep canyon trail at the end of Sanborn Road, or a longer, but flatter trail starting at Black Road. The latter, which runs high up along the sides of Lyndon Canyon, is a lightly-used trail, but is very lush and shady, crisscrossed by small streams tumbling into the steep-sided canyon, which was formed by the San Andreas Fault.
Santa Teresa County Park in spring, looking down the Fortini Trail to the Almaden Valley
This is my favorite park, primarily because it's the closest open space park to me, but also because it's a beautiful park with a lot to offer. It's a park that has gradually grown and changed over the years. More and more surrounding property have been added to the park, until now it covers 1688 acres. It's a smaller sister to Almaden Quicksilver, running parallel to it along the Santa Teresa Hills. It ranges in altitude from 200 feet at the Santa Teresa Golf Course to 1155 feet at the top of Coyote Peak, the highest point in the Santa Teresa Hills. The park has 14 miles of trails. It guards the southern gate to the Silicon Valley. To the northeast is the Blossom Valley/Santa Teresa area of San Jose, with its high-tech industries and middle-class suburbs. Beyond that to the east is the high, dry ridge of the Diablo Range, topped by Mount Mt Hamilton and the domes of Lick Observatory at 4213 feet. To the southwest is the wealthy Almaden Valley, the Los Capitancillos Ridge of Almaden Quicksilver County Park, and the steep green Sierra Azuls, reaching 3486 feet at Mt. Umunhum. All of this can be seen from the heights of the park.
Though smaller than Almaden Quicksilver, Santa Teresa Park is more developed. Near its entrance is the public Santa Teresa Golf Course. At the southern end of the golf course is a field archery range that extends into the hills. In the center of the park in the Pueblo day use area are parking lots, family and group picnic sites, restrooms, open fields for sports, and a horse corral. At the top of one of the hills is the off-limits Muriel Wright Girls' Ranch, run by the County Department of Corrections. The main park road, Bernal Road, runs into the park and ends at the entrance to IBM's Almaden Research Center, one of the premier private research institutions in the world. Much of the land northwest of the park is IBM property, part of which has been granted as an easement, along the Stile Ranch Trail. Southeast of the park are hilly ranchlands, which are owned by IBM, leased to cattle ranchers, and provide a backdrop to the IBM Santa Teresa Programming Laboratory on Bailey Avenue.
Coyote Peak in fall, view from Rocky Ridge
Coyote Peak provides the best view of the park and the southern Silicon Valley. There are several trails up to Coyote Peak. The easiest way up is to park at the Pueblo day use area, at 600 feet, then hike the remaining 500 feet up the Hidden Springs Trail to the Coyote Peak Trail. The most challenging way is from the valley floor entrance to the narrow winding Ohlone Trail, the moderately steep Coyote Peak Trail, and the very steep Boundary Line Trail, with a total altitude gain of 900 feet. At the top is a huge antenna tower, a porta-potty, horse trough, and benches for resting and taking in the incredible 360-degree view. On very clear days, you can see Mt. Tamalpais in Marin and the towers of San Franciso and Oakland.
The park is a wildlife sanctuary. I almost always see deer grazing there. I've seen huge wild turkeys on occasion. Quail, hawks, and turkey buzzards are common. The park includes Coyote Peak and is on the edge of the Coyote Valley. Once I was hiking on the Bernal Hill Loop Trail and heard an eerie screaming cry. I looked up to see the silhouette of a large doglike animal on the crest of the hill. It was a coyote. My friends have seen bobcats on the trails. This is prime rattlesnake territory. I almost ran over one that was stretched across the Fortini Trail. This is also mountain lion territory, like most of the open spaces in the Bay Area. I've never seen a mountain lion, but have heard of people seeing them or their tracks.
Fall View from Coyote Peak looking east, Tulare Hill,
Diablo Range, and Mount Hamilton
Spring View from Coyote Peak, looking south, IBM Santa
Teresa Lab property in the foreground, Coyote Valley, Morgan Hill in the
distance.
Spring View from Coyote Peak, looking northwest, Santa
Teresa County Park and Hills
There are many trails through the park:
- The main entrance to the park begins at Bernal Road and Heaton Moor. A few parking slots are at the intersection. Bernal Road continues into the park, climbing up the hills. A short walk from the entrance, just before the Coyote Alamitos Canal on the left side of the road, is a gate. Past the gate is the start of the nature trail. The nature trail goes into narrow Laurel Canyon, with interpretive signs marking some of the trees and bushes. The path parallels the creek. At the end of the trail is a cool nook, with a small seasonal waterfall splashing down the rocks.
- The Ohlone Trail is a narrow footpath that runs along the lower and middle slopes of the east faces of the hills. It winds in and out of shady ravines and across grass-covered hillsides. The easiest way to access it is to take the path to the nature trail. You can take the trail up the hill to the right to its end near the beginning of the Hidden Springs Trail. Or you can take it to the left, where it passes above the cool green lawns and placid lakes of the Santa Teresa Golf Course. It then crosses the beginning of the Coyote Peak Trail in an oak woodland. The Ohlone Trail continues along the hillsides, ending up near the entrance to the archery range.
- The Coyote Peak Trail starts off in a lush, shady oak woodland, just above the largest pond in the golf course. It climbs up the hill, alongside a valley strewn with moss-covered boulders. After .2 miles, the Ridge Trail branches off to the right, while the Coyote Peak Trail climbs steeply upward in a big loop to the right. It eventually joins the end of the Hidden Springs Trail. Antenna-topped Coyote Peak looms above you. It's pretty obvious which way to go. The trail sweeps up and around Coyote Peak, with the views becoming increasingly more impressive with every step. Finally it reaches the top of the peak. A gravel-paved loop leads to the benches on 3 sides of the peak. The trail continues down along the ridge to the southwest, past an apparently abandoned microwave station, heading into the Almaden Valley. Signs say the Rocky Ridge Trail branches off to the north just before the abandoned microwave station, but it's not on the park map. The Coyote Peak Trail continues south, then passes by a gate leading to paved Country View Drive. It turns west and continues on an old dirt farm road and ends at a private road. There's no official trail looping back into the park from here yet, so you have to back-track to Coyote Peak.
- The Hidden Springs Trail starts halfway up Bernal Road. It passes through a shady woodland, past a densely-vegetated hillside. There must be a spring there to cause all this plant growth, but it's hidden. The trail climbs up the hill below the girl's ranch. It crosses the remnants of what used to be Bernal Road. (This old road is still paved and accessible, but it's not maintained as an official trail, so it's becoming overgrown and can be swampy near its terminus at new Bernal Road.) As the trail climbs up steeply, it rounds a hill, revealing steep Laurel Canyon. At the head of Laurel Canyon is a beautiful seasonal waterfall that is only visible from one part of the Hidden Springs Trail just before it descends into the developed area of the park. The trail passes by the Pueblo Day Use Area and is easily accessible from here. It then begins the climb up to Coyote Peak. It climbs steeply upward, passing by a creek. The Ridge Trail drops down to join it from the left. The trail levels off at a seasonal frog pond that feeds the creek. The chaparral-covered slopes of Coyote Peak come into view, and the trail ends where it meets the Coyote Peak Trail.
- The Ridge Trail branches off the Coyote Peak Trail in the middle of one of the coolest and lushest parts of the park. The Laurel Springs Rest Area has a picnic table by a shady spring. The trail passes between huge boulders draped with vegetation. It then emerges into sunlight and climbs steeply upward. The steepest part of the trail can turn into a muddy mess in the rainy season from heavy equestrian traffic. The trail peaks, then drops down to join the Hidden Springs Trail.
- The Boundary Line Trail branches off the Coyote Peak Trail about .2 miles from its start. It climbs 500 feet in .8 miles and is probably the steepest trail in the park. It's a killer of a trail for those who want a real challenge. It's mostly open, with little shade on hot days. It runs along the southeastern border of the park, with great views of the Coyote Valley. It eventually rejoins the Coyote Peak Trail at the top of Coyote Peak.
- The Mine Trail is a long trail that begins above the old Buck Norred Ranch. The ranch is technically closed to the public, but the old ranch road climbs steeply uphill and turns into the Mine Trail just below the short connector to the beginning of the Hidden Springs Trail. The Mine Trail continues up the hill, paralleling Bernal Road. It eventually crosses the road and loops up and around and down Trench Hill in the middle of the park. This hill is covered with green grass and wildflowers in the spring. The trail comes back into the developed heart of the park, runs above the picnic area and ends at the Hidden Springs Trail, which can be taken to complete the loop.
- The Fortini Trail is one of two trails (the Stile Ranch is the other) that connect the park with the Almaden Valley. It's the flatter and easier of the two trails. It starts out as a wide farm road at a junction with the Mine Trail. The road branches to the left, leading to a private farm. The trail continues as a narrow rocky path as it rounds a hill. It goes past the remains of a pool and picnic area that used to be a resort. It parallels private Fortini Road along a grassy hillside, then turns and eventually hits the entrance to the Stile Ranch Trail.
- The Stile Ranch Trail is an awesome trail. It has some of the best wildflower-viewing in the park and provides great views of both the Almaden Valley and the Blossom Valley. It's on an easement provided by IBM, on a hill just below the forest-green buildings of the Almaden Research Center. Some of the researchers at the center have created some excellent Web pages on the wildlife habitats in the area, with beautiful wildflower photographs. The best way to take the trail is to start from its entrance in the Almaden Valley, at the intersection of Fortini Road and San Vicente Avenue. The trail zig-zags up a steep rocky hillside, that in the springtime becomes a wildflower-covered rock garden, bursting with color. Glowing orange poppies line the trail. As the trail winds higher, more and more of the rural parts of the Almaden Valley come into view, with the hills of Calero and Almaden Quicksilver Parks and the Sierra Azuls in the background. The trail passes through an old stone wall that runs through much of the park. It crests one hill, with views of the eastern part of the park, then drops steeply down into a U-shaped valley. It crosses over a bridge, then climbs steeply up the other side of the valley, crests another rocky hill and drops again into another U-shaped valley. The trail runs over another bridge, then follows the opposite side of the valley to the right, eventually ending at the Mine Trail.
- Using the Mine Trail and Fortini Trail, it's possible to make a loop trip of the Stile Ranch Trail. An old dirt farm road, the Calero Creek Trail, leads west from the head of the Stile and Fortini trails at the end of San Vicente Avenue. It can be taken to join up with the Alamitos Creek Trail, which ends up at Almaden Lake. It's possible to make a bicycle loop trip between the Blossom Valley and Almaden Valley, starting at Bernal Road, to the Pueblo Day Use Area, the Mine Trail, the Stile Ranch or the Fortini Trail to the Almaden Valley, the Calero Creek and Los Alamitos Trail to the head of the Almaden Valley, then take surface streets along the hills back to Bernal Road. You could theoretically walk it, but it would be an all-day trip, with half of it through the suburbs.
- The Joice Trail starts at the Joice Bernal Ranch at the corner of Camino Verde Drive and Manila Drive at the northwestern corner of the park. This part of the park was added recently and is not yet developed. The old farm buildings are off-limts. The trail is the old farm road that starts behind the barn. It's mostly along steep grassy and rocky hills with little shade, so it's best taken in cool weather or in the morning or late afternoon. It runs almost straight up the hill in a very steep initial climb. It then sweeps around a valley and up around a hill, with great unobstructed views of the Blossom Valley/Santa Teresa area all the way. At a junction, it hits the Bernal Hill Loop Trail. The trail to the right climbs higher up the hill, then levels off. A short connector to the right leads to a gate. When the gate is open, the trail climbs higher, revealing views of the Almaden Valley and Calero Reservoir. It loops around the top of the hill, passes by bushes that shelter and deer and wild turkey, drops down steeply through an oak forest, then comes back to the gate. This area may be closed for cattle grazing. Meanwhile, the main trail drops down a very steep hill. At the bottom, it hits the Bernal Hill Loop Trail. If you take it to the left, it climbs up around the hillside and loops back to the Joice Trail. To the right, the trail passes under the shade of oak trees to join the Mine Trail.
- The trail that runs over Rocky Ridge isn't an official trail. It may even be illegal because it runs through private property. However, it's one of the most popular trails in the park because it's right above the picnic areas. Several volunteer paths lead straight up Rocky Ridge from the picnic areas. Kids love to climb up this hill. This isn't called Rocky Ridge for nothing. At the top are lots of rocks, with footpaths winding between them. There are some volunteer paths leading down the ridge at the west end. At the east end is a fenced off section of private property. Be advised that this is private property, so don't say I didn't warn you. If you go through the break in the fence, you would find a trail that runs further up the ridge and eventually joins the Coyote Peak Trail just below Coyote Peak, or so I've heard.
- The Big Oak Trail is not officially complete yet. It branches off the Mine Trail just west of the paved part of the park, then enters Big Oak Valley. A very steep unofficial footpath branches to the left to climb up to the top of Rocky Ridge. It follows the fence outside the triangular in-holding of private land. Another unfinished trail goes deeper into the valley, then starts climbing along the south sides of the valley.
This park, located in the eastern slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains above Cupertino (home of Apple Computer), is dominated by Stevens Creek Reservoir, a popular fishing lake, particularly for stocked rainbow trout. Trails run along the creek above and below the reservoir and along the ridges above it. It's adjacent to Fremont Older Open Space Preserve, whose trails can be combined with those of Stevens Creek for loop trips. Here are some Stevens Creek County Park trails:
Black Rock Falls at Uvas Canyon County Park
Uvas Canyon County Park is a 1200-acre park located on the steep heavily-wooded slopes of Uvas Canyon, west of Morgan Hill on the eastern sides of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The park has 7 miles of trails through the canyon. In the rainy season, this park turns into a miniature Yosemite, a virtual showroom of waterfalls. The slopes provide a large watershed. The steep, fast-draining canyon sides result in lots of waterfalls in the rainy season. The rocky canyon floor results in good hiking conditions even when wet. The waterfalls dry up in the summer, but the shady canyon provides cool hiking on sunny summer days. The Waterfall Loop Trail is an easy trail that takes you by most of the waterfalls. One waterfall after another, each with its own unique character, appears on the main trail or side trails. Long cascades string them together. Redwood trees provide cooling shade. You can take the short loop back, or keep going up Swanson Creek to Basin Falls, the old hothouse site, and the Countour Trail. The nearly level but winding Countour Trail runs through the scrub oak and madron forests along the hillsides. It terminates in the middle of the Alec Canyon Trail. If you take this trail to the right, you'll reach the short trail to Triple Falls. This is a beautiful fall that drops 40 feet in 3 steps. Beyond Triple Falls, the Alec Canyon Trail runs up along Alec Creek to the site of the old logging camp. Along the way is a rest stop at Manzanita Point, which offers a nice view of Uvas Canyon. You must backtrack along the Alec Canyon Trail to get back. Past the Countour Trail junction, it drops steeply to the start of the Waterfall Loop Trail. For views of Uvas Canyon and the Santa Cruz Mountains and more exercise, you can take the steep .4-mile Knobcone Trail to Knobcone Point, at a little over 2000 feet. For an even better view and a tougher workout, you can take the very steep 1.5-mile Nibbs Knob Trail from the campground to 2700-foot Nibbs Knob. The trail continues upward for another .4 miles to join Summit Road. Here is a "cyber-hike" through the park.