Great hike on a heatwave kind of day. We went on a weekday, so parking wasn't a problem for the…read moreapprox. 8 mile hike (out and back). Most of the trail is shaded and although the elevation is over 1,000 feet, there weren't any steep sections. There is a restroom at the parking lot, but not one at the top. No water at the top either so plan ahead and bring water! Wildflowers are starting to bloom, which is always a wonderful addition to spring-time hikes. In addition to the view, I appreciated all of the historical signage at the top.

Growing up in Almaden since I was a little kid, everyone always see and can recognize that little…read morebuilding/block on the top of the mountain. You always know how to find home just by looking at Mt. Umunhum. Once I got older, they opened it up at a tourist site where you can drive up, walk around and visit it! Been coming up here since high school and it never disappoints! Driving up, it's a windy 30 min drive for me and you get scenic views the whole way up. There are hiking trails on the way up too and bikers. Upon arrival there is a huge parking lot and stairs to get up to the main area. Enjoy the views at the lookout spot with history on the walls of what the purpose of this block/building was in the past. It was the Almaden Air Force Base! Highly recommend visiting and if its raining in the valley, it might be snowing up here. Came here when I was in highschool to experience it haha.

I was here late in the afternoon and had a wonderful visit. Initially, I was incredulous that this…read moreis even called a park given that there's nothing here but once you make it to the top of the hill and get on the trail, it's beautiful. I did not see one other person on the visit and had a very serene run with great views of the Bay Area.

"After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb."--Nelson…read moreMandela Foothill Park (FP) is a rather unusual park located at the base of the Santa Teresa Foothills. It's essentially a trail (actually SCVWD access road) that follows the Coyote-Alamitos Canal (CAC)--which protects against hill runoff, and conveys water between Coyote Creek and Los Alamitos Creek. FP might be known more for what it doesn't have, than what it *does* have. What it does have are great views of Santa Teresa/Blossom Valley, and a fun adventure if you have young kids; if those two things intrigue you, then read on. The official beginning of the park begins at the south end of Cahalan Ave at Foothill Dr. There you'll have to hike up a decomposed granite trail for ±150' elevation gain on a series of switchbacks until you get to the top. Then you will be faced with a perilous decision: left or right? Left (Southeast): This is the less interesting direction; it just essentially follows the CAC as it parallels Colleen Dr until you reach the end of the line at Snell Ave. Right (Northwest): This the more compelling of the two options, as it provides an interesting shortcut to Almaden Lake Park. It starts out much the same way as the left side, following the CAC and paralleling Foothill Dr until you reach the official "end" of the trail about one mile in. However, if you're feeling adventurous, near the end is an unofficial, well-used dirt bike trail, that will take you up another small foothill (with even better views!) and towards Almaden Lake. I believe the master plan is to eventually have the trail officially take you there, but until funding is available it's nice to know it's still a viable option. Parking- Plenty of street parking is available on Cahalan Ave and Foothill Dr. Amenities- No restrooms, no playground, no nothing--this is a no frills park that's just dirt, trails, trees and rocks. Although, there was one lone picnic table and garbage can halfway up the hill, but that's about it. Ordinarily, I don't give parks with such few amenities anything above 2-stars, but there's something about FP that's alluring to me. It's peculiar, and peculiar is welcome in my book. Plus, it's a great place to take your kids hiking, and that's always a good thing. Now grab your hiking stick, some granola and come check it out!

I love how easy this hike was! It's dog friendly (cat too) and easy for children to do…read more I normally don't like open space trails just because being exposed to the sun is not something I enjoy so much with hiking. However, since I was bringing my dog and my cat (first time), I wanted to make sure it was an easy trail for both of them. My Shiba Inu is 8, with developing arthritis, so this was an easy and short trail for her to do. Took us about an hour to complete the loop that we were on. If you need a break, there's two benches available to take a break at with a pretty nice view. If your dog is a squirrel chaser, I would not recommend this trail at all. There were so many squirrels!! Luckily for me, I had a good hold of my dog, but if she was a much larger breed, she'd probably pulled me left and right and would take me forever to get her back. So yes, I would not recommend this trail for dogs who get overly excited when seeing squirrels. Unless you're strong enough to hold them back every minute because I saw 2-10 squirrels every second ..not exaggerating. Out of respect for other Hikers who are afraid of dogs, pet is required to be on leash at all time. Waste bag is provided by park at the entrance of trail. Mountain biking is not allowed but I saw a lot of people with their bikes still. Some even on the trail. But they were respectful to hikers that day. So I'm not complaining. The drive up was super easy also! I'll be returning a few more times this year since my dog loved it very much.

I absolutely loved this trail I did the Lisa Killough it was 0.2 miles which was perfect because I…read morealready walked so much earlier in the day but my friend begged me and to my surprise all the loops are under 0.5 miles! The sun was setting it was about 66 degrees. The parking lot had lots of parking! And there is cell service which is great.

I agreed right away to a hike on Labor Day because the night before I had Panda Express and a scoop…read moreof ice cream from Baskin Robbins. His brother is sort of like me.. we like to be up and out and about so a hike was a great idea but the trail we wanted to go to was closed so option A was out so we went w/ option B. Parking wasn't an issue. The trail was nice and flat. I was thinking to myself this place would be a great place to take Gavin once I get him a bike. Here you have it all; a road, the lake, and a bathroom facility if you can't hold it. We didn't walk the entire lake because he needed to use the restroom and I had work so.. it was a steady 45 min. walk accompanied w/ great conversations, too. Though I am sure I didn't burn many calories but fresh air and a short walk is better than staying in bed.

A nice flat concrete trail, good for a leisurely stroll around the park, and for runners like me,…read moreoptions to increase the distance and challenge as it connects to other nearby trails (Los Alamitos Creek Trail and Upper Guadalupe River Trail). With the trail wrapping around Almaden Lake Park, I was able to enjoy the scenery along the pathway while attending the SJ Water Lantern Festival this past weekend (for the umpteenth time). A lovely setting with enough space to get my steps in, I have no complaints.

Great experience..! It was nice and the view is amazing. We absolutely come back and spend more…read moretime.

Some friends from work asked me to organize a short hike. We…read morehad 9 people, carpooled into 2 cars to Pueblo Day Use Area. Started SouthWest ward on Mine Trail, passed restrooms, continued to Rocky Ridge Trail, left to Coyote Peak Trail, left to Hidden Spring trail to parking lot. 3.8 mile with 700 ft elevation gain, about 2 hours time at slow pace. It was a nice easy hike on a Sunday. I got to chat with friends while we walked in beautiful weather in mid Oct. Hardly anyone else on the trail - there were a few bikers, one trail runner, very few other hikers. Views of South San Jose were cool.

Where fresh river water meets the Bay!…read more The lower part of Guadeloupe River Trail subtlety vibrates with a different shade of green life. Here different plants grow that are irrigated by both the waters of the Bay and river water. When the tides comes in you can see this part of the rivers change course. All the water flows upriver. It is a strange sight to see, even though the tide changing is the least strange thing to witness. I suppose growing up near San Jose, I didn't live day-to-day experiencing the changes of the tides. So, what might be somewhat mundane for the fisherman is magical for me. If you stand on Gold Street bridge in Alviso you too can see some of this beauty.

THIS TRAIL WAS NOT IT Having just moved from Portland to San…read moreJose, I was eager to find my new go-to biking route. I spotted this trail along the Guadalupe River on Google Maps and thought it had potential, so I set out on a Sunday morning to test it with a ~20-mile round trip from DTSJ to Alviso and back. Let's just say, I PR'd because I've never biked so fast in my life. LMAO! DON'T RECOMMEND Starting from Arena Green Park on the east side of the trail, my initial excitement quickly dwindled. The beginning of the trail was NOT ideal. There were numerous homeless encampments, piles of trash, and stretches where I honestly felt unsafe - even in broad daylight. HALF OK, HALF BAD Some sections ran alongside the highway, with no one else in sight for miles. In other areas, I had to bike under long, dark overpasses. It wasn't until I passed the airport and the tech company buildings near Montague Expressway that I finally felt a bit more secure, especially seeing other people walking and biking. Unfortunately, that feeling was short-lived. Past Southbay Freeway and into Alviso, the trail became increasingly barren and far less scenic. TLDR While I did like that this trail goes on for miles, I wouldn't recommend tackling it alone, especially in certain areas. Some parts are decent, but this overall first experience left me looking for another go-to biking route.

Paradise reclaimed. It's not perfect, but the city of San Jose has done a great job of helping…read morepeople find housing and cleaning detritus. I wrote through recently and was pleasantly surprised to see a couple other riders and even person jogging with no tents.

I frequently run the lower trail as it's closer to home, it's quiet and clean for the most part, I…read moreoften pass by adorable waterbirds along the pathway, and good for me it connects to Alviso Marina Park (over the train tracks and past South Bay Yacht Club). The full trail is at least 11 miles long, but I usually try not to go more than a few miles beyond Alviso and definitely try to avoid the downtown SJ area, a less desirable portion of the trail, littered with trash and graffiti, and I've crossed paths with foul-smelling homeless camps and questionable characters, it just doesn't feel very safe. But on my recent run through the Guadalupe River Park on a Saturday afternoon, it was emptier than usual, still a few shady looking individuls around, and beautiful murals tarnished by dirt, graffiti, and wear and tear, but the area as a whole was tolerable, for a daytime run at least. Lupe the Columbian Mammoth, a life size sculpture made up of bent steel pipes, is a cool statue to check out along the trail as well, near West Trimble Road, about 4 miles from Alviso.

Calero County Park is such a peaceful place to relax and enjoy nature. It's only about 5 minutes…read morefrom my house, which makes it super convenient for a quick evening escape. My husband was fishing while I just enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere, beautiful lake, and amazing sunset. It was quiet, relaxing, and the views were absolutely worth it. The only downside is that once it starts getting dark, the mosquitoes come out and skim across the water. I ended up getting a few mosquito bites, so definitely bring bug spray if you're staying into the evening. Overall, it's a beautiful, peaceful park that I'd definitely visit again.

This was a nice place to go for a hike. My boyfriend and I came here for a hike a couple weekends…read moreago along with his English Bulldog, Meatball. There's a parking lot there, and it's free. They have maps at the front entrance. The park had a few different trails, and I just follow the one that my boyfriend chose. There were ups and downs along with some flat trails. There were some parts shaded, but a good bit was not. Meatball was huffing and puffing. He was so out of breath during and after the hike. He's not used to walking that much. Poor fella. We saw lots of horse poop on the trails, and there is a sign at the parking lot that people are supposed to pick up after their horse. I can see how it would be difficult to pick up the horse's poop while riding them, but it would have been respectful if they did.