Nice relaxing place despite the number of people visiting…read more The first dirt parking lot we saw was actually an overflow parking. The signs in that lot were quite confusing. The signs point toward the hill like you can drive up the unpaved path but don't. The actual entrance actually has the Dragon Mountain sign with a paved parking lot further down the narrow road marked "private property." There's a blue boat in the parking lot. Two ways to get up to the monastery: hike up the long driveway or stairs next to it OR drive up the winding road. There's very limited parking at the top. Stairs have some steep sections. Free incense to light at any of the incense stations in front of the diety statues. They had free water bottles. No food ro purchase so bring snacks if you plan to stay long but don't litter. There were a couple of areas away from the main lot that are great for meditation. You can hike up higher, above the Mother Earth temple. Very clean. They have a public restroom.

What a great place to do a sunset hike! The total trail is about 4.6miles and we finished it in a…read morebit over an hour. We arrived at the parking lot around 6pm, no fees needed. The first part is all stairs, after reaching the end of maybe about 200 flights, we arrived at a lawn patch with some big Chinese gods statues and a panel about Jesus. There's one man there burning the incense to pay respect but mostly it was just visitors checking out the place like visiting a museum than worshipping gods. This spot also has a restroom. Then there're more stairs up, and soon transitions to uphill trails with big patches of grass growing along sides. No cows or other animals insight. To our left is the beautiful valley and a dropping sun. When the wind blows, it was beautiful and magical. As we continued the climb and reached the top where there are a lot of smaller porcelain statues displayed on top of poles. It was super windy up there so we didn't linger. Going down was much quicker. There's a portion of the trail where it was slippery with gravel, fortunately, next to it there's a flight of stairs for easier walking and the steps are not that high. By the time we got down to the first gods lawn, there's a security car probably clearing out the place. A car just arrived and was told to turn back because they were closing. We were all very satisfied with this hike.

***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.

Beautiful place to walk no restroom and limited parking look for all the turtles in the lakeread more

Way back in the day, I used to ride my horse here. There was a nearby boarding stables where I kept…read moremy mare for a while. The trails are pretty and some are rather steep. My husband and I brought our dog here recently, since she had never been there. The sad thing is that I don't remember which trails I used to frequent; it's been so long. We walked around the man-made pond near the golf course. and watched the hang gliders/parasailers come down from the hill. I did not see any horses on this occasion, unfortunately. We did see a few cows in the pasture. It's a pretty place for a hike or a picnic. They charge $6 for parking.

Best dog park and walking trail with lots of cows and wildlife!…read more Be sure to do a once around before letting your dogs run free -- there are snakes that climb out of the gopher holes. If you do see this, send someone to scout for a park ranger.

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!

I can't believe I've lived here almost my entire life and didn't know this was right in my…read morebackyard! We came here last weekend to hike around 10 am and got lucky with parking. I'd say that's the biggest downside--there is only one small lot for the entire space and fills up very quickly, with rangers monitoring and prohibiting parking anywhere else on Sierra Rd. So either come early or be prepared to make a few circles and speed back as soon as you see someone leaving. The trails themselves have such beautiful views of the South Bay. I do wish there were more signs on what paths are what--there are a couple but there were a few forks where we weren't 100% sure which route would keep us on the loop. It is a pretty steep hike downhill to begin with if you're starting from the lot, which unfortunately means it's almost all uphill back but hey, you can feel good about earning that extra side of fries afterwards! There are also no restrooms so be sure to go before leaving the house!

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.

Honestly? Alviso Marina County Park isn't really bad after all. The first time I went was a few…read moreyears ago when I visited after a rainy day and that the trails are very muddy. Rarely any people came here. However from this visit, I came in the right time. It was sunny during the day and many people came here for a reason. Keep in mind that it's not a regional park but rather a wetland. When you look at the water, it's colored slightly red from its edges. Also, the trails are light since there is no elevation here. It's really good for jogging and biking. I've seen people do that here. The trails are very long which is why I selected a stop so I can turn back to where I started. Ideally, you want to come here in earlier in the morning so that you can hike longer and end sometime in the early afternoon. It was hot outside and I prefer not to hike longer. Basically, I powered walk from halfway. It's not necessary to bring hiking shoes due to light trails but you should use them if it's muddy. Perhaps, I should come here way earlier so that I can maybe hike longer.

Mostly dog friendly location in Santa Clara. There are a few decks that dogs are not allowed but…read moreit's like 1% of the whole thing. The views are jaw dropping! You can see the mountains in the background. Very clean and well maintained. I love seeing the wildlife. I've seen so many different bird species, plants species and I've even seen a seal once. Super special place indeed.

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!

A group of 5 of us decided to do Rose Peak Trail from Sunol. This is a brutal 17.8, 9.5-10 hour…read morehike and up to 20 miles depending if you start from the visitor center. Started late at 9 am with few breaks and got to 3k elevation and still didn't reach the peak at 1:30 pm. A lot of hills and valleys with climbing/walking for 4.5 hours straight. Going back wasn't as easy since there's still some hills to pass. All in all, we did 18 miles for 8.5 hours of hiking. At least know what to expect for next year. The trail markers are numbered decently with not all marked. Bring a map and plenty of water! 2.5-5 liters is recommended by people who finished. Start right at 8 am. Saw 3 tarantulas and there are rattlers/mountain lions from the signs. Definitely one of the hardest hikes in the bay! Not much to see on the trail or views.

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.

If you arrive before they open at 8 am, there is a line to enter. Luckily parking in the…read moreneighborhood and walking into the park is fairly easy. Arrived at one the trailheads hoping for a park map near the restroom but none were to be found. The trails were a little hard to follow and we ended up landing on a different one. Fortunately they all connect! Great place to hike with a ton of trails to choose from. Finished my hike at 9:30ish and the park was packed!

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!

It's a nice park but the parking situation is pretty bad. I almost gave up and turned around…read morebecause there were no empty spaces left. I saw a bunch of people coming back to the parking lot. I decided to wait and luckily a spot opened up. I came on Friday morning and it was really nice. Slight breeze with the sun peaking out a bit. Park is great to visit during the rainy season. Rolling green hills for miles. I enjoy this park when I can find parking.