Guadalupe Oak Grove Park - San Jose, CA
Posted by: 
DougK
N 37° 14.160 W 121° 52.665
10S E 599545 N 4121643
A beautiful 63 acre park dominated by an old oak forest, located in the Almaden Valley area of San Jose, CA.
Waymark Code: WM6259
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 03/20/2009
Views: 8
Guadalupe Oak Grove Park protects one of the city's last remaining groves of heritage oak forests. Some of the oak trees are over 300 years old, dating back to the pilgrims. The park is home to three of California's fifteen types of oaks, Blue Oak, Valley Oak and Coast Live Oak. The lands of Guadalupe Oak Grove Park were once home to the Ohlone, the California indian tribe of Santa Clara Valley. It is a quiet park, consisting of two types of terrain. There is a flat area with trails through the shady oak forest and some more open hills with spectacular 360 degree views. It is home to Blacktail Deer, Red-tail Hawks, Great Horned Owls, Red-crested Woodpeckers, squirrels, jackrabbits, skunks and other wildlife. Bobcats and Mountain Lions have been spotted here.
The only car entrance is on Thorntree Drive (at the posted coordinates), where there are about a dozen parking spaces. There is a restroom and kiosk near the parking. There are pedestrian entrances to the park, off Golden Oak Way (N 37 13.978, W 121 52.746) and Vargus Drive (N 37 14.299, W 121 52.827). There are no playgrounds in this park. Hiking/walking/running on any of the trails is the primary activity. Biking is allowed only on the flatland trails. Bird and wildlife watching is very popular. Woodpeckers can be heard in the park.