Virl Norton Trail, Quicksilver Park - San Jose, CA
Posted by: 
DougK
N 37° 11.620 W 121° 50.162
10S E 603303 N 4116991
The Virl Norton Trail is one of the few trails in Quicksilver Park that allows bicycles.
Waymark Code: WM677G
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/16/2009
Views: 7
This trail is named after
Virl Norton.
The coordinates posted are for the trailhead at the Mockingbird Hill entrance to
Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Bicycles may enter the Virl Norton Trail from here.
See a track and elevation plot of my ride on the trail at Trail Guru
(be sure to click Replay Track!). The trail is 1.25 miles long, and about 0.7 miles out, the trail climbs uphill, gaining 440 feet, until it connects to the Hacienda Trail (N 37º 11.070' , W 121º 49.620'). At the Hacienda trail, bikes must turn right onto the Hacienda Trail.
The Hacienda Trail goes for 0.3 miles with some mild elevation gains until it connects to the Capehorn Pass Trail (N 37º 11.164' , W 121º 49.927'). At this point bikes must turn left onto the Capehorn Pass Trail, leaving the Hacienda Trail.
The Capehorn Pass Trail continues for 0.3 miles, with a small down, then up section, until it reaches a four-way trail intersection with a picnic table (N 37º 10.983' , W 121º 49.959' , ele: 995).
The main trail here is the Mine Hill Trail, going in two directions.
• Going to the left on the Mine Hill Trail is all downhill to the parking lot and Hacienda entrance to Quicksilver Park on Almaden Road in New Almaden.
• Going to the right, one can take the Randol Trail for a couple of miles, riding pretty much along the ridge of the mountains.
• Taking the middle trail at the four-way intersection is the ridge trail section of the Mine Hill Trail. It also goes for a couple of miles until it connects to the previously mentioned Randol Trail, allowing a loop back to this point.