Hidden Lake is a great serene park for having lunch, watching ducks, and a great place to exercise…read more Get your steps in at this park by walking around the lake or if you go up the steps there is a pathway that is nicely paved. Ride your bike around the lake or if you have a little one have them burn their energy riding a bike, scooter, or roller skate. Plenty of people are there especially in the morning so I have always felt safe. I have seen some people fish here at different times of the day. It has a small parking lot located in a safe neighborhood. There are no bathrooms at this park.

***the lake itself is part of a community called HIDDEN LAKE as well***…read more OVERALL: Meh. Wouldn't go out of my way to drive here to walk; therefore the 4 stars rating. Due to being part of a community, there are a ton of guest parking (especially near the gates to this park) BUT if you keep driving, the parking lot for this "park" is on the outside (you turn in with the sign "HIDDEN PARK LAKE" in green lettering/tanish brown background and there are a few spots for you to pick from). Two stairways up to other flat cement ground trails. Very quarry lake vibes but not much water. Lake itself is a smaller circular flat cement ground leveled trail. Regarding up the stairs: One way does end up at another park whereas the other way just ends up in another neighborhood/main road. Lack of shade. Lots of ducks. There's few places to sit. Few trash bins. No visible toilets.

Coming from Palo Alto, this is the last exit before driving onto the Dumbarton Bridge. There's…read moreparking on both sides of the bridge, connected by an underpass. You'll find a bit of seating here along with info boards about the historical baylands, salt pond restoration, and hetch hetchy aqueduct. There's access to a couple different trails, one running parallel to the traffic with the whooshing sounds of vehicles zooming toward the bridge. This pathway more ideal for biking. The other, which I enjoyed much more this past weekend, leads to the Ravenswood Open Space Preserve, with birds galore in and around the ponds and piers extending over the water creating engaging lookout points with info boards about the surrounding wildlife and seating available to relax and appreciate the serene atmosphere. A decent spot to go for a run on a Saturday afternoon with hardly any other visitors in sight.

The Dumbarton Bridge Vista Point and Trail is a fantastic spot located alongside the western shore…read moreof the Dumbarton Bridge. It is a great spot to view the bridge, bay and both the local preserves and entire Bay Area. This is a remote spot located next to the very busy Hwy 84; however, this spot has great parking and some nice trails. It's just down the road from the Meta (aka "Facebook") campus. It's also a great for anyone biking along the Bay Trail. Despite the noise, the views are fantastic! In addition, it's (apparently) a great spot for fishing. Each and every time we visit, we hear individuals boasting about their catches. If you're looking for a good view of the Bay Area or Dumbarton Bridge or just a nice spot next to the San Francisco Bay Trail, then this is a fantastic find that is ever so slightly off the beaten path!

I really enjoy this trail. It's an easy trail, dog friendly, and family friendly as well. Plenty of…read moreshade which is great for summer time.

Sabercat Creek Trail is tucked between stunning, large homes and pockets of quiet neighborhoods,…read morejust five minutes from 680. Fremont has so many beautiful hiking trails, so I was surprised to discover this one, I had no idea it was even there. We started at the Pine Street entrance, which sits along a busy street and between residential homes. We were careful not to block any driveways, especially after noticing several hand-painted "No Parking" signs. The trail is paved... until it isn't. We got a little turned around at one point and ended up near some barbed wire, so we turned back and retraced our steps. In total, we hiked for about an hour and fifteen minutes. The trail winds behind these magnificent homes and connects to several other trailheads along the way. It offers beautiful Bay Area views, and we heard so many birds throughout the hike. There was even an audio tour available via a QR code created by a local Boy Scout troop, such a cool touch! I'm really looking forward to returning and feel so grateful to have access to these wonderful, accessible trails.

I usually go for runs at Hidden Lake Park which is attached to the Berryessa Creek Trail, but I…read moredecided to change it up this past weekend. There's nothing really special about this trail, but it was in good enough condition this past Saturday, so no complaints about the cleanliness or terrain. The paved pathway stretches from North Hillview Drive at Milpitas Town Center, past Hidden Lake Park, to N. Abel Street... a little over a mile one way, with no noticeable inclines, so definitely easy for biking or taking a stroll. And I've never seen it get crowded here. One negative is that it is disconnected at N. Milpitas Blvd with no crosswalk for pedestrians, which can cause an inconvenience if you're not willing to jaywalk and make your way through the center divide. Otherwise, it's a simple trail surrounded by neighborhood homes and the creek, of course, as well as the aforementioned Hidden Lake Park providing lovely views from above. And parking is free and easy, either directly on N. Milpitas Blvd or in the small parking lot for Hidden Lake Park.

3.99 walk/run trail. I participated in a 5K/10K fun run that took use partly along the Berryessa…read moreCreek Trail. Obviously the trail runs along a former creek bed. It was nice to discover this part of the Bay Area for exercise.

Great place to watch sunset. Can get cold so bring a jacket or blanket. Parking is a bit hard but…read morethere is street parking as well.

A great place to go for a walk. There's free parking in a lot. The trail is wide, flat and…read moresurrounds a large salt pond. There's no shade so come prepared with a hat and sunscreen if you come on a hot day.

For the first time ever we biked the Baylands trail. It's so lovely. Our friend's husband knew…read moreexactly where to go, thank goodness. There are a lot of different ways to get around. I enjoyed the views of the water, the birds and how it wasn't too busy. We ended up biking to a golf course to have lunch. The park was busy when we got back from our ride. There are well kept bathrooms. People were looking for parking, so I'm going to say not enough spaces unless you go further. Overall, I look forward to going back.

We went to Baylands Park Trail for a cross country race…read more Plenty parking available. Handicap parking is easily accessible. Lush green grass with beautiful trees, trails and benches. Be advised that a lot of the benches have spider webs and moss so be prepared to wear jeans that you can throw in the wash! Pro: Bathrooms! Not just port u potties. This park also has dirt trails for running XC that is flat with rolling hills. Overall, this is a beautiful venue for a cross country race!

The short trail in the park continues to surprise me! Every visit is so different. I decided to go…read moreon a weekday morning and experienced a very relaxing walk with good views. The hike is short. Enough for my mom who never hikes to enjoy it. Did not see any turkeys or egrets, but got to see deer and other birds.

This park offers amazing views of Sandy Wool Lake. The walking trail circles the lake, it is not…read morefully shaded. One side of the trail has plenty of trees, while the other side is more exposed to the sun. It wasn't overly crowded, even on a weekend. I suspect that's because parking costs $6 and there is no street parking available. Unlike many parks where you can park nearby and walk in for free. I visited on a summer day when temperatures were around 90°F. It was quite hot, with little to no breeze. We stayed until sunset, the lake reflected the evening colors, it's beautiful.

Paradise reclaimed. It's not perfect, but the city of San Jose has done a great job of helping…read morepeople find housing and cleaning detritus. I wrote through recently and was pleasantly surprised to see a couple other riders and even person jogging with no tents.

I frequently run the lower trail as it's closer to home, it's quiet and clean for the most part, I…read moreoften pass by adorable waterbirds along the pathway, and good for me it connects to Alviso Marina Park (over the train tracks and past South Bay Yacht Club). The full trail is at least 11 miles long, but I usually try not to go more than a few miles beyond Alviso and definitely try to avoid the downtown SJ area, a less desirable portion of the trail, littered with trash and graffiti, and I've crossed paths with foul-smelling homeless camps and questionable characters, it just doesn't feel very safe. But on my recent run through the Guadalupe River Park on a Saturday afternoon, it was emptier than usual, still a few shady looking individuls around, and beautiful murals tarnished by dirt, graffiti, and wear and tear, but the area as a whole was tolerable, for a daytime run at least. Lupe the Columbian Mammoth, a life size sculpture made up of bent steel pipes, is a cool statue to check out along the trail as well, near West Trimble Road, about 4 miles from Alviso.

Came on a Saturday in February around 10:45am and there was no parking fee that day. Most of the…read morelots were pretty full, but we were able to find parking in the overflow area. We did the Canyon View to Little Yosemite trail and I recommend downloading the map ahead of time as there was no service in the park. Trail was well maintained and the views of the green hills were very pretty! Came across some very friendly cows as well. Just be aware if you are going during the summer that there are no trees so limited shade. We did the trail clockwise, which starts off with a somewhat sharp incline and finishes with a gradual decline. I would recommend this direction so that you tackle the difficult portion first and then recover at the end with the descent. We also did part of the McCorkle trail, which was pretty tiring, so we decided to skip Little Yosemite using Cerro Este Road - appreciated how there are shortcuts available. Canyon View trail was not too busy, and we ran into more people (+ dogs/kids) on the Camp Ohlone Road heading toward Little Yosemite. Overall, it was a great, moderate hike and I would definitely come back to see Little Yosemite next time!

Amazing to find such a gem, a remote area just off 680. Nice variety of trails, mostly moderate…read morewith an easy path to Little Yosemite and more challenging hikes available. We did a 4 mile loop: McCorkle Trail from the South Parking Lot to Cerro Este to Camp Ohlone Road. First 2 miles Moderate but continuous uphill. Some shade from the mature oak trees sporadically throughout but largely exposed. A few view spots with benches.

Hmm, maybe I just missed the full beauty of the Coyote Creek Lagoon trail but on my recent walk…read morehere, I just wasn't as impressed. There are two locations to park for the Lagoon trail. The first is right in the middle of the business area and it's easy to miss so keep an eye out! We were driving in the business building lots for awhile and eventually gave up in trying to find the entrance to the trail lot. We ended up driving down to the South lot, closer to the industrial building/warehouse side. The trail does connect the two so we eventually saw the north lot. Both are smaller lots but we had no problem finding parking when we got there on an early Saturday morning. From the south to the north, it's not a very long trail, maybe 1-2 miles. The trail we walked on was also not a loop, but we may have just not gotten to explore the whole thing. It's very flat so super easy for folks who just prefer to walk and not hike. However, there's not much to look at. Sure, there's the lagoon and the birds/animals around it, but there aren't any exciting landmarks or hidden spots. There's also no trees for shade so if you're coming during sunny weather, be sure to pack a hat and some sunscreen.

When it rains as hard and long as it has been, I have limited options for taking my daily…read moreconstitutional when I'm out and about because like Adele, I'm always chasing pavements. Even if it leads nowhere. Like this trail. I walked only the northern half near McCarthy Ranch where a fence prevented me from walking underneath Hwy 237. Not a problem for me since it smelled of fecal matter. Northbound it is. I headed north alongside the mostly hidden Coyote Creek to Dixon Landing Road. There was a series of homeless encampments and even an open campfire. I kept walking. Sights along the way included landfill and the back of an Amazon distribution center. It was only five miles to go back and forth, but hey, I did get a lot of my steps in without getting mud on my shoes. No small feat between atmospheric rivers. Up for a hike? Here's a collection of trails I've walked and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2OrC8nU