outdoor fitness

Rancho San Antonio County Park hiking trails in Cupertino

 in Fitness  tagged family / hiking / hiking gear / outdoor fitness / summer 2020 by
rancho san antonio perserve hiking trails cupertino review

Rancho San Antonio Park is a large Santa Clara County Park with a series of hiking trails, and a small farm. I have always wanted to hike there, and we finally did!

We took our family hiking at Rancho San Antonio County Park on a Saturday morning, when we thought it might be slow. We were mistaken! This is a popular park, and the multiple parking lots fill up quickly. I recommend getting there well before 9am if you want an easy time finding a parking space.

Although the park is heavily trafficked, it is very large, so it can accommodate a large volume of hikers; even during this time of social distancing.

Rancho San Antonio County Park hiking trails are set up to ensure social distancing. The county made the trails one-way, so you cannot turn around and go back. Get ready to hike!

The one-way trails are a gift, and a curse. If you get tired, you have to keep going; there is no turning around and going back from where you came from. Luckily when my kids saw the one-way signs, they were mentally prepared to gut it out. They did the whole hike!

We were out there for two hours, and hiked roughly four miles. It was really fun, and a very pretty hike. While there wasn’t an abundance of views, as there are on other trails I have covered, there was a cute farm, known as Deer Hollow Farm, and lots of trees. We loved the large amount of shade on these trails! The shady trails are perfect this time of year.

The one-way trails may end at a different parking lot than the one you started at. Don’t worry, all the parking lots are in a line, so you can easily find your way back to the lot where your car is parked.

The terrain isn’t very steep, this hike is more sloped; making it ideal for families with children, and anyone who isn’t into steep hikes. I would say this is an easy hike, but right now, it is long-so bring water and snacks!

There is a mask ordinance in the State of California, so you will need to wear a mask while hiking Rancho San Antonio Reserve hiking trails. I like to hike while wearing a balaclava which is easy to pull down around my neck when no-one else is around. You can wear any mask you are comfortable hiking in.

Rancho San Antonio County Park hiking trails are easy to find. Take the Foothill exit off 280 and head west. Turn right onto Cristo Rey Drive and drive a couple minutes until you see the large sign. Then you can enter the parking area and find a lot with open spaces. You can’t miss it! It’s easy to find 🙂

Have you hiked on the trails at Rancho San Antonio County Park in Cupertino? What are your thoughts?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

Almaden Quicksilver Park Mine Hill Trail

 in Fitness  tagged almaden quicksilver / family / hiking / outdoor fitness by
Quicksilver Mining equipment on display at the Almaden Quicksilver Park Hacienda Trailhead in San Jose.

We are have having so much fun exploring the trails in Almaden Quicksilver Park! We decided to park at the Hacienda Trailhead in order to catch a trail from there. It was fun to see some historical mining equipment near the trailhead, and learn more about the quicksilver mining history in the area. Isn’t the equipment cool!

There are a few trailheads you can catch at the Hacienda entrance, and we decided to hike the Mine Hill Trail. It was a nice, uphill hike with views of Almaden Valley’s more rural areas. We could see historical homes, buildings, and rolling hills. It was really pretty. The trail was wide too, allowing for easy social distancing.

Mine Hill Trail in Almaden Quicksilver Park was slightly busy, but I believe it was due to the fact that hiking is one of the few things open right now.

This trail attracted more than just hikers. We encountered a lot of bike riders, and a few runners and dog walkers. The bikers rode pretty fast, and as a hiker, you had to be aware of them or you would get run over. Just a warning 🙂

Once again, I wore my balaclava as a mask. It’s easy to slip up and down when people are around. I would say 80% of the people on the trail were wearing masks. If you go, be ready to turn your head if someone comes by without a mask.

Shop my hiking gear:

This was a great trail for my kids to hike on. It wasn’t too steep, and they were able to keep up with only a couple of breaks. There was a mix of bright sun and shade during the hike. It was a comfortable hike, and it felt like medium intensity. We really enjoyed the Mine Hill Trail!

I hope you are getting out there and enjoying the nice weather! To find the Hacienda Trailhead in San Jose, take Almaden Expressway to Almaden Road. Continue all the way through the historical part of Almaden. Shortly after the museum, which you can’t miss, you will see the parking lot for the trailhead. There are several trails you can catch there. We will definitely go back!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Almaden Quicksilver Park Hacienda Trail

 in Fitness  tagged hiking / outdoor fitness by
quicksilver park hacienda trail

The San Francisco Bay Area has so many beautiful trails, and with the Shelter-in-place order, we are discovering trails we hadn’t visited before.

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and have always visited the same group of trails in the Marin Headlands, and around Mt. Tam. Living in the South Bay, I have hiked a few trails close to my house, but hadn’t ventured too far to explore other parks. Now that hiking is one of the few activities we are allowed to do during this pandemic, we are exploring trails we have always said we wanted to check out, but hadn’t!

Almaden Quicksilver Park is located in South San Jose, in the Almaden area. It is a beautiful, well-kept county park with several trails. There are a few different areas to park, with several different trail-heads. To hike Hacienda Trail, we parked in a large parking lot on Mockingbird Hill Lane, which is right off Almaden Road in San Jose. It’s very easy to get to if you are coming from highway 85 like us!

Santa Clara County has done a really good job of posting large signs at trail-heads in order to ensure everyone is reminded to social distance while hiking on the trails. I would say about 90% of the hikers we encountered while on the trails were adhering to our county social distancing requirements. We did encounter one group of three families who obviously didn’t live together, hiking in regular clothing without masks. They took up the whole trail and were just standing there talking and not moving aside for hikers, runners, and walkers. Other than that group, everyone else we passed was in single file, and roughly 75% of the people we saw had a mask of some sort.

The first time we hiked during the pandemic, we wore dust masks we normally keep in the garage for when we are doing work projects in the garage. This time, we wore balaklavas; which we found to be ideal for hiking. With the balaklavas, we are able to wear them around our necks, and then lift them to cover our noses and mouths when there are other people around. They are comfortable and easy to use. My only complaint with them is that they are made for snow conditions, so our necks got a bit hot. haha, It was worth it for the comfort and ease of use!

The Hacienda Trail at Quicksilver Park is a steep trail, which takes you up and over 1000 feet in elevation. The reward is an absolutely gorgeous view of San Jose. I would call this an intermediate level trail. My kids complained a little bit, but they were able to handle it; and they really loved the view. Love that!

The trail itself is quite clean. The dirt has a sand-like look to it, and is very fine. Parts of the trail have several small rocks, so in a few areas we needed to make sure we didn’t slip on the rocks. These hiking boots were perfect for gripping the ground, and making me secure on the trail. Other than that, the trail is smooth and easy and safe.

The majority of people we encountered on the trail were friendly, and were hiking. There were a few people running, and we saw a couple people walking their dogs. It’s definitely a family friendly area, but I would caution trying this trail with small children. It is quite steep, and small children may not be able to handle it. I would say children ages ten and up can enjoy it, and handle the steep grade.

Have you been trying new trails during this shelter-in-place? If so, where have you gone? We are defintly going to continue checking out new trails!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy