Spring is here at Quicksilver! On a Friday morning around 9 am, the Mockingbird Hill entrance was quiet and there was plenty of parking. We did the Hacienda trail from this parking lot and it was mostly at an incline which made for a great workout. It took us a little over 1 hour to do the loop back to the parking lot. The restrooms in the parking lot were very clean and there is a map you can take a photo of to help guide you around the park. There were a few benches scattered throughout and there are views of downtown San Jose on a clear day. read more

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This is a fun place to come and explore. I love that they have a variety of different trails to check out. It is also one of the few places that has no charge for parking! read more

Almaden Quicksilver County Park - Bell Tower - Parks Near Me - San Jose, California

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As an Almaden resident, I've always drove by and explored Almaden Quicksilver at different entrances. Never really hiked it like I did recently with my girlfriend and mom. My mom is an avid hiker here with her friends and knows the trails in the back of her hand. It's a beginner trail forsure but gets steep and mostly feels uphill. We did a 3 mile hike and it wasn't too bad. My mom was just walking so fast, I was gassed. I guess i'm just out of shape haha. Going up the hill, there are some benches with a view and lookout spots. It's super beautiful because it overlooks all of Almaden Valley. read more

We went on an afternoon hike here this past Friday, starting from the Hacienda parking lot. I think most of the trails have quite a bit of uphill pathways. We experienced a lit bit of a challenge on the Deep Gulch Trail and English Camp, but these are supposedly some of the easier trails at this park, so it wasn't too bad. The trails weren't the most scenic or unique, and there was LOTS of poison oak around, but we did encounter some lovely views at certain points. And I appreciate that they offered a historic trail map at the Casa Grande and Mining Museum nearby, if you're interested in the 5-mile history hike. You can also view the Hacienda Mining Display near the parking lot, and there is a restroom available as well. We didn't hike very far, as it was starting to get dark and we ran out of time, but this park has plenty to offer that we have yet to check out, so we'll be back. read more

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This was my first time trying this place out. I arrived at 6:30am January. It's not too hard of a hike. You don't really feel it until coming down. There are few trail pathways to hike, but I kept left the whole time. It can get confusing if you haven't been there before. Highly recommend. read more

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First time hiking here with my friend who normally hikes here herself. It was very beautiful and I find beginner friendly. We entered from the senador mine trail entrance and parked at the resident houses. There are lots of street parking near that trail. We came on a monday around 2pm and it was nice and sunny and not too many people that were hiking. The hike was about 4 miles which took about 2 hours to finish the trail and it wasn't too hard There were some steep parts but all very doable. There were good amounts of shady parts throughout the hike which was nice. Theres also a pretty lake deep inside the hike which felt very rewarding once we reached it. There are also lots of benches throughout the trail if you get tired. I would definitely come back here again !! read more

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Newts big and small when wet. Check the creek. There are also mosquito fish near in the water tank next to the parking lot. Fun place to walk and talk but not shop. DO NOT touch the newts if you have cuts on your skin. They have poison equivalent to pufferfish. Otherwise friendly and cute. read more

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Really great when I went here long while back. Cool to see some piece of history. Some of the building are long gone from the town. The only downside was many of the smaller paths have over grown plants blocking the way and a lot of water damage. When I went I didn't see any rangers this time around. I would also recommend good hiking shoes as the paths are gravel. read more

A beautiful spot for a morning hike! As an outdoor lover, I really enjoyed being surrounded by nature with friends and family. It was my first visit, and although some trails were quite hilly, I managed to finish the hike comfortably, even in running shoes, which I thought would be fine. I'll definitely be back with proper trail shoes next time! read more

Almaden Quicksilver County Park - Parks Near Me - San Jose, California

Finally came and checked out this park for a quick hike. This park has several paths to choose from and lots of nice scenery. enjoyed my hike! read more

This park is great for trail running. This was the Hacienda, Randol, and Buena Vista trail loop. Be prepared for inclines! It takes about 2 hours to complete and is 3.6 miles long. Great to run after light rain because the sky look great. Parking was free and available. read more

Almaden Quicksilver County Park - Fungi - Parks Near Me - San Jose, California

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In A Nutshell: -Almaden Quicksilver County Park is a nice gem, deep in the foothills of Silicon Valley. -This is Pat Tillman country too. -If you want a wide variety of paths to choose from, this place will fulfill your needs. -Not only do you get options, but you also get a varied scenery of rolling hills & foliage. -There are couple trees here where miners were hung. Overall, be wary of mountain lions as they do roam around since it's their home, not ours. read more

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Pet friendly, lovely views. Try to arrive early the parking lot can get full fast late morning or afternoon.

My go-to local hiking trail! My friend and I meet here regularly to complete the 5-mile loop starting at McAbee Road. There is no parking lot at this entrance, so you will need to park in the residential area. Spots fill up quickly, so I try to arrive before 8:30 am. I also get here early to avoid the heat since parts of the hike aren't shaded. This particular trail has several hills that will give you a good workout. It typically takes under an hour and a half to complete, but if you're looking for a more strenuous hike, there are definitely longer trails at this park you can choose from. The views of the green hills and reservoir are beautiful. There's also a good chance you'll get to see some wildlife- especially deer! A big bonus is that QuickSilver is dog friendly. My pug is able to complete most of it, but she tends to quit near the end and I have to carry her back haha. Will definitely keep coming back! read more

I really love hiking this trail. It's very beautiful and serene. The view throughout the entire hike is gorgeous especially at all the vista points. It's a hidden gem for locals here. The only downside I would say is that it's not very shady here so spring & summer hikes are brutal if it's a hot, sunny day. Fall is the best season to hike here because it's cool and cloudy. I also like how lush and green it gets during early spring. Lovely lovely lovely! read more

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Great place for a hike! There are a variety of distances and difficulties. If you are new to hiking, make sure to stay on path and keep and eye on the trail posts. There are a few different parking lots and you want to make sure you know the parking lot and the trail you need to stay on. Parking does get crowded, but people are constantly in and out, just be a little patient and you'll find a spot. Pro tip: I used the Alltrails app to help map out the trail I wanted to take and was able to stay in the path even though I missed a trail post and took a wrong turn. read more

Almaden Quicksilver County Park - Parks Near Me - San Jose, California

So this place is huge, and there are multiple parking lots. We had studied the map and picked out the trail we wanted to try before coming, but somehow we ended up at a different parking lot. We ended up at the Hacienda entrance, but we were aiming for the Mockingbird Hill entrance. Since we were already parked, we decided to be spontaneous and pick the nearest trail, in this case it's the Mine Hill trail. Uh, mistake. This trail is all uphill, little to no shade, and nothing cool to look at. It looked nothing like the beautiful photos posted all over Yelp. After 45 minutes of continuous uphill in the hot sun, we decided to turn around. The only plus is that the parking lot is huge and there was plenty of parking. If we ever come back again, I'll update this review. read more

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Four stars for parking alone there's a huge lot on the mockingbird side and restrooms right at the base. The park is massive lots of trails to pick from. We chose the new Almaden trail because it's a long beginner trail with shade but beware of snakes if you bring your dogs along we heard a lot of hissing noises and even saw a snake hiding. I read there are ticks so I was very vigilant when I brought my doggie. No trash cans on trails so if your dog poops please be mindful and pack it out so we keep our trails clean! read more

Sunday Funday! I was worried it might be too crowded when we decided to go hiking here this past Sunday morning (also a beautiful, sunny day), but it actually wasn't too bad! My husband and I decided the night before to tackle the trails from the McAbee Rd trailhead which is further north and and a little west of the Webb Canyon Trailhead. Parking there is in a residential area, so please be considerate of the neighborhood if starting at McAbee (i.e. keep noise down especially if you're hitting the trails really early in the morning, and don't park like a jerk or block people's driveways). Although there seemed to be a whole lotta cars already parked around the trailhead by 9am, there are certainly enough trails and space for everyone to enjoy themselves without feeling like everyone from the Bay Area decided to hike at the same time. We did a shorter loop this morning: Senador Mine Trail -- Guadalupe Trail -- Mine Hill Trail -- back to McAbee. This loop + the distance to our car (we parked a little further down the street) was just 2.75 miles. We'll definitely be back to tackle a longer hike or trail run soon! I for one would like to get to the Guadalupe Reservoir the next time! Be super careful to avoid going off the trails. We saw so much poison oak growing on either side of the trail (see photo)...I mean one false step off the dirt path could spell disaster! Also watch out for random piles of horse poop (another disaster if you're not watching where you're going). Other than those precautions, and maybe wearing some sunscreen, you're good to go! Get out there and explore some beautiful nature! read more

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This is likely to be on top of my list of hiking trails in the Bay Area. I would rate it as a moderate level hike. What I love about this trail... - the openness of the paths - the many bifurcation throughout that provide plenty of options - plenty of parking - clean and well maintained - picnic benches throughout - wide paths that allowed to maintain distance with others - very scenic - I like that it is a loop - historic We started at Hacienda trail, connected to Capehorn (love this one), to Mine hill, checked out the English camp and back on Hacienda. We hiked for a total of 7 miles. First 2.5-3 miles was uphill and relatively strenuous, then flat for a while and then mostly downhill. We thoroughly enjoyed it and will be coming back often. read more

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Such a gorgeous park with really well-kept trails. It's the perfect balance of sunny and shady, with several options depending on if you're okay with rockier terrain and narrower trails. Be wary that there are 2 entrances/trailheads. Highly recommend going on a hike now during wildflower season! Everything is green and blooming, it's dog-friendly, and lots of butterflies and cool birds too. read more

Almaden Quicksilver County Park - Well kept trail + dog friendly - Parks Near Me - San Jose, California

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I heard about this trail from a neighbor and am glad we checked it out. I have not been to this part of San Jose recently and it is a beautiful drive to get here and it feels more like Marin than SJC with the ranches and horses. The trail is right by La Foret and has a decent size parking lot. It had a lot of space when we got there by 7.30 and full when we left around 10. The trail was relatively easy, at least the one we took. There are several trails that you can take and we have more exploring to do for subsequent visits. It worked out great today but don't see myself coming here in the summer, there was no shade at all. All in all, a wonderful morning. read more

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I usually enter from this enterance: 17571 McAbee Rd, San Jose, CA 95120 We do the ~5 mile hike loop. Great hike, it is gorgeous and a great workout. Pretty long takes about an hour to an hour and a half! read more

Almaden Quicksilver County Park - Parks Near Me - San Jose, California

This park is pretty big and it's very scenic. I went there a few hours before sunset and it was a cool and relaxing walk. Though if you want to do more walking I recommend getting there earlier in the day because the park does close shortly after sunset. read more

Almaden Quicksilver County Park - A parking lot area inside the park - Parks Near Me - San Jose, California

Looking for a good workout in the South Bay? Look no further! Almaden Quicksilver will definitely work you out with all the inclines and limited shade. If you can, go early in the morning or when it's cool. There are multiple trails to choose from here - remember to take a picture of the map! There is a trail that you can take that would lead you to the Guadalupe Reservoir. It is nice to see. My niece & I have done this multiple times, which includes the 5-mile trail one. I can't remember the trail name but we started off at McAbee. This is also dog-friendly and we did bring our dog once. If you do bring your dog, remember to bring enough water for you and your dog! Overall, I would go back here to check out other trails. This is also a good place to do some trail running too! Last tip, wear a hat and put on a lot of sunscreen since there isn't a lot of shade! read more

Almaden Quicksilver County Park - Practicing social distancing on the trail! - Parks Near Me - San Jose, California

It's an uphill trail, I recommend a lot of water and a hat . There are snakes on this trail so be aware of your surroundings. There's a lot of parking and my dog really enjoyed the walk. read more

Almaden Quicksilver County Park - Parks Near Me - San Jose, California

Almaden Quicksilver County Park is such an interesting place to visit. It's got a 135 years of mining history. It once served home to 1,800 miners and their families. Today it's a 4,163 acre park with 37 miles of hiking trails. For those of you who don't know what quicksilver is, it's another name for mercury. That is why they ask you not to eat the fish, if you catch any, in the Guadalupe and Almaden Reservoirs. This is very important because mercury poisoning can cause anxiety, mood changes, memory issues, tremors, muscle weakness, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms. Just a tip... throw the fish back! The park has 3 entrances: Mockingbird Hill entrance, The Wood Road trail and the Hacienda Entrance. The hiking trails are well packed, really beautiful and wide. The Mine Hill Tail is what I took and it's really really long and beautiful. I hiked about 8 miles and each new turn gave you something new to see. Whether it is large fields, views of San Jose, views of the mining area or just blue skies, the trail had a lot to offer. The weather is multifaceted. The higher you get the more you will feel the wind. The trail is on and off covered so bring something light but warm. I got pretty chilly. You can bring your dog if it is leashed. :) I saw lots of furry friends and they were all friendly. The park opens at 8 a.m. and closes at sunset all year-round. Check it out for a nice hiking experience. read more

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Nice open area park with lots of trees and hilltop views. 3.5 stars Highlights: - Lots of parking at Mockingbird entrance - Pretty scenery - Shade with trees - Expansive view of mountains and houses below - ~4 mile loop with Virl Norton up and Hacienda back - Mostly wide trails to social distance Lowlights: - Aggressive hills: pretty steep and we kept thinking we were at the top, but there was more uphill to go. Bit too much for me and the kids. I'd like to try other trails by other entrances that aren't so intense. read more

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This is a great dog-friendly hike! Our pup loved all the hills. It wasn't too busy on a Saturday morning since there are many trails to choose from. We took a loop that gave us nice views with lots of greenery! Took us about 2 hours to complete. There's a parking lot that was almost full, but we were lucky enough to snag a spot! There's also a bathroom at the lot. This is a hike I'd recommend to anyone in the area. read more

Almaden Quicksilver County Park - Views - Parks Near Me - San Jose, California

Our go to hiking spot for the last 10 years. Have ventured all around but we typically like to start at the residential area rather than the New Almaden area and usually will do a 5 mile loop. Open enough for social distancing, but can get crowded on the weekends. Pup friendly though do watch out for the typical ticks and poison oak/ivy! read more

Almaden Quicksilver was on the superbloom hot spots in the South Bay. While I didn't see many varieties of wildflowers while I was there, it was still a beautiful park with gorgeous views. There are a few different trails that have decent shading and we didn't have an issue finding parking when we went on a weekend morning. Would recommend coming here for a hike! read more

Almaden Quicksilver County Park - Parks Near Me - San Jose, California

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Absolutely fantastic County Park. Hiking trails are beautiful. And there is more geology than you can possibly ask for. free parking in a large parking area and ultra clean public bathrooms. Interpretive signs everywhere. I hiked the deep gulch, castillero, mine Hill, prospect number 3, Randol Trail loop. Read this Bay nature article for your hike and you will love it even more. https://baynature.org/article/legacy-of-the-red-ore/ read more

Wow wow wee waaaa, Alamaden Quicksilver is the holy grail for San Jose hikes and mountain biking! There's so many trails, parking, animals, and several summits along the way. Bf and I came here for mountain biking and we were not disappointed! There were so many steeps, switchbacks, and views. Wish we could have seen all but honestly, we were just so tired haha. Finding parking is a breeze. We got to the park around 930, Saturday afternoon and there was just so much parking! Restrooms are nice, clean, and kept. The trail signage must have been replaced recently because they have reflectors! Definitely make a trip here if you haven't done so already! read more

I had heard of Almaden Quicksilver County Park, but last Sunday was my first time there. I can't believe I missed out on this gem for the 8 years I lived in San Jose! There are a few entrances I believe to get there. My friend typed in 21785 Almaden Road in her car GPS to get there while I typed in Almaden Quicksilver County Park in my phone GPS, which gave us two different directions to the "entrance". I was following her car while also having my GPS on, and my directions had me turn right long before her directions had her enter the parking lot. I don't know which "entrance" we entered, but my first glance of Almaden Quicksilver County Park was "Omg, this place is so cute"! Parking was plenty and with no trails in mind, we just walked through the gate and started on a steady incline up the mountain. The incline wasn't bad, but I found myself sweating and taking breaks in the shade while looking out into Silicon Valley. It felt peaceful. Lots of mountain bikers also in this area. The trail we took was pretty open meaning the sun will shine on you. Some parts had shade, but I recommend bringing a hat, plenty of sunscreen, and a water bottle come summer time. The walk down was of course, great! I think we hiked for an hour. I loved it! I can't wait to bring my siblings here. It was a great workout where I didn't feel like I was dying. Can't wait to come back sometime! read more

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Did a 5 mile loop here and it did not disappoint. It's in the hills overlooking the Almaden Valley in South San Jose, really near Campbell and Los Gatos. The area once homed mines where a rich supply of mercury/quicksilver were extracted from the earth. Quicksilver was a necessary component in the gold and silver processing that helped California grow into it's prominence. So there's some history tied these hills. The loop was a great workout, as there is about a 750+ feet of climb, but it isn't all at once, which I prefer. It'll climb sporadically, so it doesn't knock the wind out of you, but yet will give you a sweat. Pros: +50/50 sun to shade. +Small reservoir you'll run into. Adds a nice water glimpse. +Nice Views when you get to the higher elevations. +Easy to navigate. Trails are straight forward. Cons: -High traffic. I went on a Monday morning and it was busy. I don't even want to think what a weekend can bring. *shivers* -All parking is in the streets/neighborhoods. I feel bad for all residents in the area. But not that bad lol. -Not so much an issue for me, but could be for many. The people from the south bay are very loose in not wearing mask whilst out on the trails. Just an observation on my out, I'd say 75% of the people weren't wearing any type of covering. I don't like to wear a mask either whilst I'm working out, but I carry one, in case I hit a narrow trail, and you just can't get the proper distancing. When I hike in the east bay hills the mask percentage is significantly higher. Not a rant, just an observation. read more

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Someone else wrote a review that said BRING A MAP. Omg if this isn't the truth. I found a loop on AllTrails I wanted to try. It was the New Almaden-randol-santa Isabel-hacienda trail loop and would clock me in at 6.3 miles. I started on the new Almaden trail and long story short, I got lost. I was too far in to turn around and my searches online told me completing the new Almaden trail would be almost 15 miles. That was too many miles for a Thursday afternoon and my tired tired body. I hit a fork and decided to follow the signage to the parking lot. GUESS WHAT? THERE ARE MULTIPLE PARKING LOTS. I ended up about 2 miles away from my car. Fine, I would just take the streets to the lot I was parked in. I would be in the sun but I didn't want to turn around and hike a million more miles. I was 0.4 miles away from my car and my Apple Maps had routed me through a fenced off portion of private property. I was so close to my car... only separated by 2 fences!! I considered hopping the fence but It was private property. I was not going to walk another 2 miles around in a big horseshoe to get to my car...... so I called an Uber. Ok this was super dramatic but moral of the story is: know your trail before starting. Or just do an out and back which I should have done. Or pay $7 for someone to drive you back to your car. Easy parking, narrow trail, decent amount of bugs, easy to moderate inclines, rocky at some parts so be careful. 75% shaded. Not crowded on a thurs afternoon. read more

For years, people have been telling me that they hike at AQCP, so I don't know what took me so long to go. Now that the rain has come which improved the air quality significantly after Camp Fire, it's safe to go outside again. Because the rain was just tapering off today, it was an ideal time to hike in terms of low crowds and lack of hot sun due to cloud cover. Upon arrival around noon, the parking lot had plenty of space to park and even more when we left around 4pm. Moreover, there are clean bathrooms awaiting before and after the hike. In terms of hiking, I liked the layout of the trails because you can customize your hike to be short or long. Just be sure to take a photo of the trail map posted at the trailhead. Lucky for me, my hiking buddy chose different trails which totaled just under 9 miles....oh, my feet hurt. One of the trails lead to another park which had clean bathroom facilities (yeah) and a picnic table where I sat for a few minutes to eat my energy bar. Throughout my hike, the occasional picnic table could be found as well as some well-placed benches at scenic lookouts. Because this park is dog friendly, I saw many well behaved pooches who seemed to be thrilled to be there. Keep in mind, this is a multi use trail so there are cyclists and horses. read more

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This place is a gem, not far from San Jose and a perfect spot for some easy/medium difficulty hiking. There are SEVERAL trails, so it's a choose your own adventure type of place, which makes it extra fun. I got up to what I think was one of the highest points and it took around 45 minutes. If you have a slower pace it might take an hour+ and the descent is obviously faster. Two things that can really ruin a hiking experience for me are: no parking lot and no bathroom. But this place had both and even though it was a GORGEOUS day out, it wasn't too packed. BONUS: For the most part people were respectful with wearing masks I can't wait to be back! read more

Almaden Quicksilver County Park - Golden poppies - Parks Near Me - San Jose, California

4/11/2021 Sunday We parked at the mockingbird entrance ( this is not the entrance to see the mining museum, reminiscent of the mining days). It was 9:30 am but the parking lot was full , we waited for someone to leave. I suggest you arrive here early on the weekends. We did a 2-3 mile hike - new Almaden trail to buena vista trail. It was green and saw quite a few wildflowers, smooth vetch, blue eyed grass, lupine , monkey flowers, blue dicks , buttercups etc ... but didn't see any poppies. Very green all around , a little water in the creek. Pretty crowded on Sunday. Bathroom near the parking was clean. There's no waterfalls in this area of the park. If you wanna see waterfalls, Uvas canyon is a good one nearby from here. read more

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One of my favorite places. Great place for hiking and photography. I'd recommend to go when the Sun comes down, you can take beautiful photos. read more

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