![]() I would see Mt Umunhum several other times during the hike. So I modified the angle somewhat, but in such a way that Mt Umunhum was visible in the background. For this hike there was a slight additional challenge for the photo, since the picnic table that was intended to be in the picture’s foreground was occupied by a group of hikers also enjoying the beautiful day. I did this hike by myself, as I often do, so I took a picture that included my day pack and hiking poles. The wide gravel trail is popular with equestrians as well as hikers. You then post the picture to social media with hashtags. Looking back down the English Camp Trail. The idea of the Challenge is that you hike a route, generally 5 miles or less, that passes a specific location where you take a picture, preferably of yourself or the group you are with. There are many remnants of this mining history, including English Camp, Church Hill, the Hidalgo Cemetery, and many mine ruins, several of which I visited on this hike.Īlmaden Quicksliver is also the location of one of the seven hikes designated in the 2018 PixInParks Challenge. The history is mainly related to the mining of quicksilver, or mercury, in the latter part of the 19 th century. I would say children ages ten and up can enjoy it, and handle the steep grade.Almaden Quicksilver County Park is a Santa Clara County Park rich in California history and located in the New Almaden National Historic Landmark District. It is quite steep, and small children may not be able to handle it. It’s definitely a family friendly area, but I would caution trying this trail with small children. There were a few people running, and we saw a couple people walking their dogs. The majority of people we encountered on the trail were friendly, and were hiking. Other than that, the trail is smooth and easy and safe. These hiking boots were perfect for gripping the ground, and making me secure on the trail. 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. The dirt has a sand-like look to it, and is very fine. My kids complained a little bit, but they were able to handle it and they really loved the view. I would call this an intermediate level trail. The reward is an absolutely gorgeous view of San Jose. The Hacienda Trail at Quicksilver Park is a steep trail, which takes you up and over 1000 feet in elevation. haha, It was worth it for the comfort and ease of use! ![]() My only complaint with them is that they are made for snow conditions, so our necks got a bit hot. 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. This time, we wore balaklavas which we found to be ideal for hiking. 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. 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. They took up the whole trail and were just standing there talking and not moving aside for hikers, runners, and walkers. ![]() We did encounter one group of three families who obviously didn’t live together, hiking in regular clothing without masks. The listed lease rate is contact for pricing. Of this, minimum divisible area is 30,075 square feet. Current availability totals 30,075 square feet. ![]() The space listed for lease is described as retail. I would say about 90% of the hikers we encountered while on the trails were adhering to our county social distancing requirements. There is currently one space available at Almaden Via Valiente Plaza - Anchor. 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. It’s very easy to get to if you are coming from highway 85 like us! To hike Hacienda Trail, we parked in a large parking lot on Mockingbird Hill Lane, which is right off Almaden Road in San Jose. There are a few different areas to park, with several different trail-heads. It is a beautiful, well-kept county park with several trails. 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!Īlmaden Quicksilver Park is located in South San Jose, in the Almaden area. 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. 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. 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. Jane Kay, Tracking a toxic trail / Long-closed mine identified as largest source of mercury in San Francisco Bay. In Fitness tagged hiking / outdoor fitness by Bay Area Fashionista
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