Mine Hill Trail, Quicksilver Park - San Jose, CA
Posted by: 
DougK
N 37° 10.432 W 121° 49.526
10S E 604271 N 4114806
The Mine Hill Trail is one of two trails where bicycles can enter Almaden Quicksilver Park in San Jose, CA.
Waymark Code: WM69WC
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/29/2009
Views: 5
At the Hacienda entrance to Almaden Quicksilver Park is where the Mine Hill Trail begins. It is a shared use trail with pedestrians and equestrians. The beginning elevation at the parking lot is around 468 feet and the trail climbs to about 960 feet. Along the way you will pass entrances to the English Camp Trail and the Hacienda Trail, which are both closed to bicycles.
At the high point (N 37º 10.983' , W 121º 49.959' , ele: 995) there is a picnic table rest stop and junctions with two new trails.
• The Mine Hill Trail on the immediate left continues along a ridge line trail for about 3 miles, until it connects to the Randol Trail.
• The Randol Trail also starts at this high point and follows a different, mostly ridge-line trail for about 3-4 miles, until it connects to the Mine Hill trail, just mentioned. Following either of these trails makes a nice long loop through Quicksilver Park.
• The trail going to the right from the high junction is the Capehorn Pass Trail. This trail goes for about 0.3 miles to the Hacienda Trail (N 37º 11.164' , W 121º 49.927'). Here, bicycles must go right, as the trail to the left is for hikers and equestrians only. In another 0.3 mile on the Hacienda Trail, one comes to the Virl Norton Trail (N 37º 11.070' , W 121º 49.620'), where bicycles must turn left and leave the Hacienda Trail.
The initial section of the Virl Norton Trail going in this direction, is a half mile long drop of about 450 feet, before leveling off for the final 0.7 miles to the parking lot at the Mockingbird Hill entrance.