A very very intense hike up with a lot of stairs lol…read more My legs were sore for a week after. After you get to the first temple with all the white buddha statues, there is a bit of an uphill hike that can get pretty slipper if you don't have the right footwear. I was seeing seniors ascend with ease and feeling pretty weak ngl lol It is an extremely well maintained and beautiful trek up, super serene full of views and lots of positive energy. They have bathrooms once you get to the statue part. We saw deer and they have a lot of pretty blossoming trees and bamboo, definitely a workout so just be prepared to ascend a lot!

This was on my to do list for about a year and met up with my instructor for a morning session. I…read morealmost missed the entrance when I first got their. The 450 500 stairs are steep and there are resting spots with shade along the way. I had a nice feeling when I got to the Gardens so open and tranquil and green. I would recommend a long sleeve/hat and sunscreen. They have bottled water next to statues all around the temple. So serene. Thank you! Enso forever Smallish parking. Good workout. Friendly monks/staff.

Hidden Lake is a great serene park for having lunch, watching ducks, and a great place to exercise…read more Get your steps in at this park by walking around the lake or if you go up the steps there is a pathway that is nicely paved. Ride your bike around the lake or if you have a little one have them burn their energy riding a bike, scooter, or roller skate. Plenty of people are there especially in the morning so I have always felt safe. I have seen some people fish here at different times of the day. It has a small parking lot located in a safe neighborhood. There are no bathrooms at this park.

***the lake itself is part of a community called HIDDEN LAKE as well***…read more OVERALL: Meh. Wouldn't go out of my way to drive here to walk; therefore the 4 stars rating. Due to being part of a community, there are a ton of guest parking (especially near the gates to this park) BUT if you keep driving, the parking lot for this "park" is on the outside (you turn in with the sign "HIDDEN PARK LAKE" in green lettering/tanish brown background and there are a few spots for you to pick from). Two stairways up to other flat cement ground trails. Very quarry lake vibes but not much water. Lake itself is a smaller circular flat cement ground leveled trail. Regarding up the stairs: One way does end up at another park whereas the other way just ends up in another neighborhood/main road. Lack of shade. Lots of ducks. There's few places to sit. Few trash bins. No visible toilets.

The short trail in the park continues to surprise me! Every visit is so different. I decided to go…read moreon a weekday morning and experienced a very relaxing walk with good views. The hike is short. Enough for my mom who never hikes to enjoy it. Did not see any turkeys or egrets, but got to see deer and other birds.

This park offers amazing views of Sandy Wool Lake. The walking trail circles the lake, it is not…read morefully shaded. One side of the trail has plenty of trees, while the other side is more exposed to the sun. It wasn't overly crowded, even on a weekend. I suspect that's because parking costs $6 and there is no street parking available. Unlike many parks where you can park nearby and walk in for free. I visited on a summer day when temperatures were around 90°F. It was quite hot, with little to no breeze. We stayed until sunset, the lake reflected the evening colors, it's beautiful.

Incredible hike! However go early because parking is sort of difficult to find later in the day…read more The best time I find to go is early morning since it's cooler and the parking will be easier to find. Around 7-9 am. Super clear trails, beautiful plants and livestock that occasionally walk by. Fantastic hike and I will continue referring majority of my friends here!

Quite relaxing hike! I went with a couple friends for sunrise and there were great views !read more

This picturesque lake is so impressive. I went here to fish, but there's something to do for pretty…read moremuch everyone. There is a $6 entry fee, and plenty of parking in multiple spots, and closes when the sun goes down. The fish limit is 5 fish per person. There is a lot of fishing space, some on muddy terrain, and some over rocks and grass. People were paragliding and hang gliding on the beautiful lush green hills next in the back. If the only thing you can do is walk, then it's a great one filled with much wildlife like cute hawks and birds; not too short not too long with plenty of shade if you stick near the lake with dispersed picnic tables, and that wonderful view. Cell phone service here sucks. They have barbecue pits and fish cleaning stations. Definitely a hidden bay area gem.

We recently had a large group picnic at the Sandy Wool Group Area, which is a reservable picnic…read moresite right next to Sandy Wool Lake. The Sandy Wool Group Area includes a giant gazebo with a new-looking roof providing shade, a large BBQ grill in the center, and plenty of picnic tables surrounding the grill - plenty of space for our group of 30+ to spread out. Very peaceful area, even on a weekend. + Plenty of parking available ($6 per car) + Clean restroom, even stocked with pads and tampons + Dogs allowed Note: none of us had any cell phone service there, so make sure to coordinate beforehand and enjoy the present moment! I'll have to come back another time to walk around more and maybe try my hand at catching some fish in the lake.

Needed a dog-friendly place to explore and stumbled onto this spacious, scenic park. Definitely…read moreworth wandering around if you're already in the area, especially on a quiet weekday. PROS * Plenty of free parking * Clean bathrooms + welcome center * Mostly dirt walking paths with pretty scenery * Designated dog area with clean artificial turf and a poop-bag dispenser * Dog rules and restricted areas are clearly posted * Loved the wooden archway and walkway--it was my favorite part of the park KEEP IN MIND * Dogs must stay leashed and aren't allowed in certain areas * The surrounding area can feel a little desolate, with not much else around * As with many Bay Area stops, I'd keep anything left in the car out of sight My dog inspected the designated turf and respectfully declined to use it. We still enjoyed exploring all the areas where dogs were allowed. I'd come back. It's pretty, relaxing, and a great place for a walk without needing much of an agenda.

Great place to watch sunset. Can get cold so bring a jacket or blanket. Parking is a bit hard but…read morethere is street parking as well.

Amazing to find such a gem, a remote area just off 680. Nice variety of trails, mostly moderate…read morewith an easy path to Little Yosemite and more challenging hikes available. We did a 4 mile loop: McCorkle Trail from the South Parking Lot to Cerro Este to Camp Ohlone Road. First 2 miles Moderate but continuous uphill. Some shade from the mature oak trees sporadically throughout but largely exposed. A few view spots with benches.

Came on a Saturday in February around 10:45am and there was no parking fee that day. Most of the…read morelots were pretty full, but we were able to find parking in the overflow area. We did the Canyon View to Little Yosemite trail and I recommend downloading the map ahead of time as there was no service in the park. Trail was well maintained and the views of the green hills were very pretty! Came across some very friendly cows as well. Just be aware if you are going during the summer that there are no trees so limited shade. We did the trail clockwise, which starts off with a somewhat sharp incline and finishes with a gradual decline. I would recommend this direction so that you tackle the difficult portion first and then recover at the end with the descent. We also did part of the McCorkle trail, which was pretty tiring, so we decided to skip Little Yosemite using Cerro Este Road - appreciated how there are shortcuts available. Canyon View trail was not too busy, and we ran into more people (+ dogs/kids) on the Camp Ohlone Road heading toward Little Yosemite. Overall, it was a great, moderate hike and I would definitely come back to see Little Yosemite next time!

Rock the Block Alum…read moreRock Park is what many, myself included, consider to be *the* crown jewel of CSJ parks, and it's easy to see why. From the vast 730-acres of green space includes thirteen miles of trails that run the gamet of flat sojourns, to steep hikes to Eagle Rock. It's also California's oldest Muni park (1872) but has always served as land since 1777 when the Pueblo was established. The Good: *Variety of trails, as mentioned above, and they're mostly shaded. *Lots of history here as there's remnants of an old train trestle that used to run visitors up to a health spa of sorts. There's still remnants of the spa as you can see--and smell thanks to the sulfur springs. *Trails also connect to adjoining Sierra Vista OSP, and is part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail. *Sand volleyball courts *Playground *Reservable and non-reservable picnic tables *Restrooms *Six miles of Horse trails *Three miles of Bikes trails *Home to the YSi (Youth Science Institute), which I highly recommend to parents. They have a bunch of summer camps that are great ways to get kids to love nature. The Meh: *No dogs allowed *Lots of poison oak *Parking costs $6 *Cell service is spotty, at best. The Ugly: *Budget cuts, budget cuts, budget cuts... Thanks to the lack of caring by our leaders for our parks, this place is not as great as it once was. As there's several entrances that have been closed off for nearly thirty years! *I can't believe I haven't written a review for this place yet. As the (unofficial) Mr San José I find it very shameful and shall self-flagellate immediately. Conclusion: Not as great as it used to be, but still pretty damn amazing.

Went on early foggy morning hike. Hiked to Inspiration Point and then to Eagle Rock…read more It was a cold morning but much more enjoyable than the Summer heat. The trail to Inspiration Point had gradual climb that's not too long. Lush greens all around. Encountered a group of deer. Ground was not too soft so it was not too slippery or difficult that I felt comfortable with just trail runners on. Restroom at the start of the trail but none for at least another 5 miles. There were buildings that looked like restroom but were closed. Multiple parking lots at the main entrance to a few more inside the park. The trail to Eagle Rock had longer climb but not too bad. Nice view all around.

Pretty big park in a residential neighborhood. I think it's almost 2 miles around. Love the many…read morebenches to sit , a nice playground for kids to play including slides and swing, and paved area dedicated for walking, running or cycling. Plenty of hilly grassy for your pooch to run around and play. There's limited parking but plenty of parking around the neighborhood. Highly recommend. Cheers!

It's a nice, open park with a long loop trail for a jog or walk, but there's trash in places. It's…read morecool if you can meet the chickens that are being raised here. In the rainy seasons, the creek fills up and can be very nice to be around. It feels more like a natural habitat, than a park, which I like. The human parts of this park are what I see as eye sores - the portapotties, the rusty faded info signs, and the trash. Please pick up after yourselves! The chickens deserve a clean home.

Parking at the entrance lot is impossible unless you're one of the first ones there. Street parking…read moreis probably your best bet, but make sure to follow the no parking signs. It's a nice park with a few trails to choose from. You'll enter through a gate that closes behind you and if you're lucky you'll see cows immediately on the trail. The trail is a nice path that is sometimes muddy and sometimes with cow manure haha. We intended to do the Upper ranch trail but it was being blocked by a herd of cows and were forced to do another trail. Highly recommend if you like a semi-easy trail with moderate inclines and seeing cows!

Ive been in my active era and i cant believe i just found out about this hike. So beautiful and the…read morescenery is just breathtaking. You get the greenery, animals, city & water. We did about 6 miles and you obviously can do more or less but I definitely recommend.