Almaden Quicksilver County Park
Category: Active Life Parks Parks [Edit]
Hacienda Entrance Off Of Almaden ExpresswayNew Almaden, CA
(408) 268-3883
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
9 reviews for Almaden Quicksilver County Park
9 reviews in English
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Review from Diana K.
Cupertino, CA
9/21/2010
I came here for a half marathon trail race which is put on yearly (includes a 10k) and it was brutally tough but the views were magnificent. The park is huge, you could do endless miles of hikes, walks, or trail runs. The trails are nicely paved with narrow steep inclines at times , but not too rocky or technically difficult to maneuver.
I highly recommend bringing your camera when you come here as the scene at the tops of various peaks are gorgeous. Bring lots of water, there weren't any water fountains we came across. I love Rancho San Antonio but challenge of Almaden quietly puts it to shame. There were plenty of mountain bikers that passed us so that is also an option when you visit. There is plenty of parking at the Hacienda entrance and easy to find off Old Almaden Rd.
I'll def come back here. Simply awesome. -
Review from Glenn O.
9/1/2007
I get a great workout on my mountain bike at this park. It's 'mostly' fire road and about 1/3 of it is covered by nice large trees for the much needed shade in the summer. (This place gets HOT! ! !)
I park at the Hacienda entrance (Park opens at 8am) which is off of Old Almaden road. (Off of Almaden expressway) You can pickup a trail map at the entrance and do a clockwise loop heading up Mine Hill to the picnic bench. Stay on mine hill to the top where there is another picnic bench. This is about 3 miles and 1000ft of climbing (Not for beginners)
From there, continue on mine hill down towards Guadalupe reservoir. Be very careful as you can get going quite fast. Head back on the scenic and shady Randol trial back to the 1st picnic bench and back to the car.
The speed limit is 15mph and there are hikers and equestrians, be careful and cautious.
I have hiked here too in the past and it is scenic with great views of south San Jose and towards downtown SJ. Each person should have their own LARGE WATER bottle on a hot day! (Tip: Bring a Camelbak filled with Ice water) If you want to stay away from bikers, look on the map for the hiking trail only, you will see that it runs above and along the neighborhood in south sj. Quite a bit of the trail is tree covered, so you''ll be out of the sun in the summer.
There are another 3 entrances to the park accessible to hikers:
*Mockingbird off of Almaden. Very steep climb/hike.
*McAbee road off of Camden. Nice hiking loops here. No bikes allowed so you do not have to worry about running to the side of the trail when crazy Mtb'ers speed past at 20mph. =}~
*Woods Road off of Hicks. Out of the way, probably not worth the time to drive here.
Now get off your butt and burn some calories from all of those restaurants you visited based off of the yelp reviews..............! -
Review from pardees p.
San Jose, CA
4/2/2009
I love this park. It's a great place for leisurely hiking. Though Once you start to ascend (after about 2-3 miles, though varying on which way you go), the trail can become a bit more challenging and steep. You'll see me 'power hiking' the few times i end up here....basically going up as fast as i can and looking like a madman, then stopping every hour or so to catch my breath and realize how beautiful everything around me is (the delirious tiredness adds to the experience). there are some breathtaking views of almaden valley here, and it doesn't take a lot of walking to experience that.
Last time i ended up meeting an old iranian dude on the trail and conversed with him all the way down...made my hike a bit more interesting, and i got to work on my farsi skills.
And yes, there's a slim chance you'll even see some mountain lions (i haven't seen them in quicksilver but have seen them from a distance in other parts of almaden), but they'll probably keep to themselves and stay away from the trails. -
Review from Rita V.
6/5/2008
This is a great park to go on a hike or even run on the trails.
There are great views when you are on the trail. You may encounter snakes, rabbits, wild boar, and deers. When I see these animals, I tend to run faster so I can pass by asap.
There are many trails to choose from based on how long you want to spend. I like to call them 'small loop' which is about 2.2 miles, or the 'big loop' which is about 5 miles. If you take the big loop, you'll get to see water stream. =)
I notice that everyone is really friendly and always eager to say 'Hi' when you pass by. =) A lot of people bring their dogs, too. -
Review from Tara H.
4/25/2010
My boyfriend and I decided we needed to do something different on the weekends and have decided to start hiking! On our way to a trail we found on a hiking website, we made a wrong turn and ended up at Almaden Quicksliver park. We had our little yorkie with us, so we went off blindly and started to hike the trail to the right. We had no idea what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. It's is a bit of a hike, it's an uphill climb all the way up. The weather for the day was perfect and we saw the most beautiful views of San Jose from the trail. We made it up only about 2 miles before we turned around as we were a bit tired, since this was our first hike. There are lots of mountain bikers and friendly couples and families that walk the trail as well.
After, I grabbed some of the pamphlet and learned this was a historical park for the Quicksliver mines and as you hike around there are various mines and areas where you can see how this mine functioned and where the miners lived. Quite interesting.
We plan to come back again and explore all the trails, there are a ton! Also be-careful, although we didn't see any, there are mountain lions, wild boars, bobcats and apparently in the spring it is tarantula mating season so watch out for those big guys! And ticks, we found a couple crawling around on little Charlie, but got rid of them. -
Review from Cheryl A.
San Jose, CA
8/16/2011
Great place to get good exercise. The trail starts off at a moderate grade
before hitting a more uphill grade. The people you run into on the trail
are friendly and courteous. Great views once you get to the top. Also,
there are many paths and levels to choose from. Happy Hiking! -
Review from Jenn T.
San Francisco, CA
12/25/2008
Who loves snakes?
Rabbits?
Mountain Lions?
Gorgeous backdrops and glute pumping hills?
Quicksilver is the best place to go for a few hour hike, roll up to the short summit where the horse troughs are and the wide picnic benches are and enjoy the view.
Whenever I come to San Jose this is a great place to go hiking, go for a run....and on the way home I always check out the neighboring "Ghost Town" for nostalgia purposes. -
Review from Jessica M.
San Jose, CA
8/9/2007 1 photo
Right or Left?
I have ALWAYS started this "looped" hike going left. However, I must admit that the curiosity bug has bit me a couple times while playing with the idea of starting on the right. I would like to share that I killed the curiosity bug this week!
On Monday I started Quicksilver doing my usual left and yesterday I decided to venture outside of the "the box" and started on the right! So which one would I recommend?
I guess the thrill of the newly trekked route made it extra satisfying. The "backwards" experience will definitely be traveled again. I busted my booty a little harder in the beginning and had a "soft" finish. Normally, I hold out on my water pains until I hit the dam (my halfway point). Although, yesterday I noticed that I NEEDED to drink water more towards the beginning of the hike and held out while nearing the finishing line. A lot of "normal" markers that I mentally note weren't there anymore and I had to map out new familiars. It was a very interesting hour-twenty... LOVED IT!
For now... I'll stick to being a righty!
There are a few ways to enter the Almaden Quicksilver Trails. This one in particular is near Castillero Middle School. So if you go past Castillero on McAbee towards the newly developed houses the trail will be in the right side.
**Look at the picture provided and travel the highlighted route** -
Review from Scott P.
Updated - 9/15/2010 1 photo
Still love this park... However, what is the deal with all the dog poop? The entrance that I use is like a minefield of cah cah. I have yet to catch this sneaky person, who seems to be the Johnny Appleseed of dog poop.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/30/2010
This is my go to place for a brisk paced walk or run. Easy to get to and navigate. The hills add a… Read more »
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