Almaden Quicksilver County Park — Attraction in Los Gatos

In 1970 I began visiting the mines all around what would later become Almaden Quicksilver County Park.Later in the early 1980s while a student in Park Management at West Valley College-I did a walking tour as guide around the Senator Mine and Herreshoff furnaces. Mining began in 1826 in New Almaden-long before the Sutter Hills gold strike in 1849. Cinnabar was extracted crushed and placed into smelters to cook off mercury in vapor form and fed into condensers shaped like tubes at many of the mercury production furnaces. For over a decade along with many friends we enter many of the mines including one on Hicks Road that resurfaces just below Guadalupe Dam as well as a tunnel that was in the Hicks road drainage that exited near Mine Hill. The area is undermined with dozens of mine shafts-tunnels etc -few had any timber bracing walls or ceilings and many had very dangerous sinkholes,cave ins, and frequently piles of dynamite left behind underground. We were by and large ignorant of the dangers of mercury,lead,arsenic,methane,etc frequently found in mines. I began to photograph the mines and buildings all around them as vandals began stealing artifacts and using 4x4 trucks to destroy landmarks. For 7 seasons I also worked as a Park Ranger Aide doing maintenance work and collecting fees at many parks.In 1996 I moved back to Washington State and currently live in Everett. This is my favorite park in San Jose and New Almaden-long before thousands of new homes would push away all the farms and close in on the beautiful orchards that once graced the Almaden Valley. Its my hope that I can shed a bit of light n...

What a nice place to go hiking and get a workout. My legs are going to be sore for sure. This county park has miles of trails that mostly go uphill, and have great views of the New Almaden valley or San Jose. Make sure you bring water (none on trail) and a snack because you could be here for hours depending on which trail you take. Trails are well marked and easy to navigate, but take a paper map. There are occasional benches to sit on and trails are partially shaded by trees, but wear sunscreen. Go in the morning when it is cooler. One of the interesting aspects of this park is it's history of mercury mining, which dates back to 1845. You will see old buildings, mining equipment, and closed off mines along the trails. The trails are dirt, so wear sturdy shoes. Today I saw four deer, birds, flowers, mountain scenery, old buildings and a rattle snake in the middle of the trail. Try and be careful with the hazardous animals and be aware there are ticks here and some of them are infected with serious bacteria such as Lyme disease (my dentist got Lyme disease at this park), so wear repellent and stay away from the tall grass or bushes. If you take precautions you will be safe. Cell phone service in unreliable or nonexistent unless you are on the side facing San Jose. 2 meter amateur radio repeater signal is strong here, and you can see the antennae on Mt. Loma. This is a great place to go hiking and get a workout,...

So much to see and explore. If you’ve only been here once, or even twice, you haven’t really been here! If it’s your first time at Quicksilver, May I suggest starting at the Hacienda parking lot and visit the outdoor museum and hike up the Deep gulch trail, joining the English Camp trail towards English camp and the rotary furnace for an intermediate steeper hike. You can also head up Mine Hill trail some more and see the San Cristobal tunnel, which is intact but currently closed off to the public. The April trail is nearby where you can find the Powder House, used to store dynamite. This trail also has an old wooden trestle and shaft ruins. That’s just the beginning of the historical stuff. Check out Casa Grande, the mining museum down Almaden rd afterward if time and stamina allows.

At the NW side of Almaden Quicksilver is the entrance at McAbee and Whispering Pines near Camden Ave. This hiking area also has some old ruins and is popular with people exercising and dog walking.

Anywhere in between is open for exploration and discovery! I never get tired of this park. I’ve been coming here for years and discover new...