18 1 Day Treks to Explore in Santa Clara County

4,163 acres (17 km²) park that includes the grounds of former mercury ("quicksilver") mines. The park is named after the New Almaden Quicksilver Mines, which were named after the mercury mine in (old) Almadén, Spain, and produced mercury that was used to process ore during the Gold Rush.

The 720 acres (2.9 km2) park offers 13 miles (21 km) of trails. The narrow floor of the valley includes a visitor center, a small museum/animal rehab facility, picnic areas, playgrounds, lawns, sand volleyball pits, mineral springs, lush plant life, woodlands, creek play opportunities, and occasional group camping.

This is an artificial lake in Morgan Hill, located in southern Santa Clara County The 4,275 acre Anderson Park also features the Coyote Creek Parkway multiple use trails, the Jackson Ranch historic park site, the Moses L. Rosendin Park, and the Burnett Park area. It provides limited fishing, picnicking, and hiking activities. Although swimming is prohibited, boating, water-skiing and jet-skiing are permitted in the reservoir.

This is a mountain in the Diablo Range of eastern Santa Clara County, east of Poverty Ridge and Arroyo Hondo, and about 10 miles from Milpitas.The peak is one of the highest in area. The northern half of Black Mountain is an oak woodlands while the southern half is barren. Black Mountain can be clearly seen from most parts of the Santa Clara Valley including Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Mountain View and San Jose. The peak is visible from the Mount Hamilton and Monument Peak.

This majestic 4,471 acre park is nestled in the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Two distinct areas define this park: Calero reservoir, which offers a host of water-oriented recreational activities, and the adjoining "back country" which reveals to the visitor California Oak woodland, chaparral, riparian plant communities and associated wildlife habitats.The back country offers 18.9 miles of trails available to hikers and equestrians.

A 390-acre lake surrounded by a 1,050-acre park located in north central Omaha, Nebraska. The lake was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control and recreation and opened to the public in 1977. It has tent camping, no-wake boating, fishing, hiking, bicycling, picnicking and horseback riding.

This majestic 1,558 acre park is one of Santa Clara County's most unique regional park and recreation areas. It has the traditional features of an urban park such as picnicking, fishing and play areas, with the complex trail system of many regional wilderness parks. The park's recreational facilities include a hang gliding and paragliding area, a dog park, and horseback riding areas. Ed R. Levin County Park has two lakes.

This is a 1,400-acre park and nature preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. The park contains nearly one tenth of all land in Palo Alto. About 90 acres of the park are developed with amenities including a large grassy field, picnic sites, a walk-in, tent-only campground, and a nature interpretive center. Boronda lake is used for fishing, rowing, and canoeing. The park also has 15 miles of trails.

This is an attractive preserve on some low hills just outside Saratoga. Its grassy hills interspersed with stands of eucalyptus trees gives it a unique ranch-like appearance. The preserve contains 14.7 miles of hiking trails, nearly all open to equestrians and bicycles. The preserve contains many miles of trails and connects with other nearby locations, such as Stevens Creek County Park and Montebello Open Space Preserve.

This is an open space with Beautiful scenery and colorful history await.The Guadalupe River takes center stage at the park. Step away from the river to find the more peaceful areas. Explore 13 miles of hike and bike trails. Trails range from the 2.86-mile Painted Bunting Trail to the 0.3 Mile River Overlook Trail, which leads you to a scenic overlook of the river.

The Guadalupe River Trail is a core trail system within San José's trail network. Once fully developed, it will extend about 20 miles and link the San Francisco Bay to south San José.The path runs along the banks of the Guadalupe River. The trail is currently composed of two discontinuous segments: a short segment along the Upper Guadalupe River and a longer segment along the Lower Guadalupe River. This trail is heavily used for both recreation and commuting.

The Los Gatos Creek Trail is a 9.7-mile pedestrian and bicycle trail that runs through western Santa Clara County in California, from Lexington Reservoir in Los Gatos, California through Campbell, California to Meridian Avenue in San Jose, California alongside Los Gatos Creek. The trail is heavily used.

A majestic mountain, at 4,265 feet overlooking Santa Clara Valley and is the site of Lick Observatory. The asteroid 452 Hamiltonia, discovered in 1899, is named after the mountain. Golden eagle nesting sites are found on the slopes of Mount Hamilton. It is a good trekking destination and also it offers beautiful views from the top.

This is one of the highest peaks in the Santa Cruz Mountains at an elevation of 3,486 feet and It is the fourth-highest peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains, after Loma Prieta, Crystal Peak, and Mt. Chual. Most of the mountain is located within the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. With 26 miles of multi-use trails for hiking, dog walking, biking and horseback riding, the varied landscape offers visitors views of serpentine grasslands, rocky and steep chaparral, dense stands of bay trees.

This is one of the most majestic of Santa Clara County's regional park and recreation areas. This 3,688 acre park is dominated by the redwood forest so characteristic of the Santa Cruz Mountain range. The park offers hiking and equestrian activities along its 14-mile trail system, as well as an archery range and an amphitheater. Facilities for picnicking and overnight camping are also provided.

This is a beautiful mixture of rolling grassland and evergreen forest. It protects most of the Arastradero Creek watershed, including its ephemeral Mayfly Creek tributary. It also includes the upper reach of the Felt Creek tributary to Stanford's Felt Reservoir. Each area of the preserve has something different to offer, whether it is a view of the bay, a quiet walk through the grasslands, or a snooze by the lake.

Santa Teresa County Park is an 1,674-acre park in the Santa Teresa neighborhood of San Jose. It is rich in history, offers spectacular views from its trails above the Almaden and Santa Clara Valleys. The secluded upland valleys of the park provide a quiet interlude for exploring the natural environment minutes away from the surrounding developed areas.The park offers over 17 miles of unpaved trails for equestrian, hiking and bicycle use.

Stanford Dish, is a radio antenna in the Stanford foothills. The 150-foot-diameter dish was built in 1961 by the Stanford Research Institute. The dish is still actively used today for academic and research purposes. The area around the Dish offers a popular 3.5 mile recreational trail. This is a popular local hiking trail, with view of 280 and Stanford. There are a few trails but the main one is 3.56 miles