Guadalupe Oak Grove Park - San Jose (CA)

5 /5 FireStartR ForU: Looking for a great place to take the road less traveled? Try this park, it is fantastic. Plenty of sandy trails to take a casual walk or jog and no bicycles are allowed. Look at the map photo for the relative size and circular walking paths. The reason is that there are several medium-sized mounds with either stairs or a sand-covered trail. Please note that climbing the wooden stairs in the photo is safer than descending. Dogs are welcome; restrooms and picnic tables are near the entrance gate, and there is limited parking at no charge. If crowded, you can find nearby parking on the neighboring streets.

5 /5 Sam: Really nice 63-acre park with fantastic hiking trails for a neighborhood park. Can climb 250 ft. to fairly unobstructed views of the valley and foothills, or stay on flatter trails. Most hiking routes are about 1-mi, but these can be easily extended to view the full park. Ignore the hours on Google maps: according to the park’s website, its hours are 8 am to sunset. Dogs are allowed on-leash. Many warning signs indicate that alcohol is prohibited. As the name suggests, the park is situated in an Blue Oak and Coastal Live Oak grove (according to the Audubon society, this is one of the last remaining large oat tracts on the Santa Clara valley floor). There are also rock outcroppings and you can view an abandoned sandstone quarry. Birdwatchers may be able to spot woodpeckers and scrub-jays, among many other types of birds. There are public restrooms but no BBQ pits or sports fields. However, the Oak Grove park borders the Martin-Fontana parks to the south, which do include open grass, a playground, and an off-leash dog park.

5 /5 Denis Akhiyarov: Lots of hills for exercising and amazing views on the local neighborhoods, Quicksilver Park, and Mount Umunhum

5 /5 Son Dang: This is great place to hike, jog, or walk. At ground level, the sceneries are so beautiful, reminded me of the countryside. Enough trees to go around, but not too much to block out the sunlight. Its a well kept park. The surrounding neighborhoods are very clean, too. Highly recommended to visit this park. Parking is limited, and there is one way in and out. You may also park on the street as well.

5 /5 Ian: Great park for a 30 minute stroll. Lots of history packed into a relatively small preserve. Word of advise, plan to leave the park by sunset as the coyotes become active in the evening. No issues as of yet for my dog and I outside of some very inquisitive stares from the young coyotes.