Alum Rock Park
| Alum Rock Park | |
|---|---|
View of northern Silicon Valley from South Rim Trail
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| Type | Urban park |
| Location | San Jose, California |
| Coordinates | 37°23′52″N 121°47′59″W / 37.3977168°N 121.7996751°W |
| Area | 2.9 km2 (1.1 sq mi) |
| Created | 1872 |
| Operated by | City of San Jose |
| Status | Open except non-holiday Mondays |
Alum Rock Park, founded in 1872, was the first municipal park in the U.S. state of California. Located in a valley in the Diablo Range foothills on the east side of San Jose, the 720 acre (2.9 km2) park offers 13 miles (21 km) of trails, varying from fairly level along Penitencia Creek to sharp switchbacks climbing to the ridges to the South Rim Trail and the North Rim Trail. 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.
The ridge trails offer views of Santa Clara Valley and of the valley in which the park is located. Some trails in the park are a part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail; the Todd Quick trail connects with the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority's 1,600-acre Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve.
Equestrians and mountain bikers have access to some of the park's trails, while others are reserved for hikers only. Cross-country teams from high schools around North San Jose, such as James Lick High School and Independence High, use the park for training and for meets.
Alum Rock Park was originally known simply as "the reservation"; it received its current name around the turn of the 20th century when thenardite-containing rocks near its entrance were mistaken for alum.
Penitencia Creek is properly called Upper Penitencia Creek because it no longer connects with Lower Penitencia Creek, which is in Milpitas. The creek also had a different name until the early 20th century; somehow it began to be called by the name of a different creek located to the north, which was so-named because monks (possibly from Mission San José) would meditate by its waters.
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