Almaden Lake Park — Attraction in San Jose

Fantastic big park in San Jose. What we like the most is it being within the city. It is very famous for parties. The day we went there were like five parties, plus a big event with stage and about ten lunch carts lining up for it. The picinc / party area had a reservation notes on them. Parking is a inside the park, using the automated machines if booth is unattended it costs six dollars. Or you can just park o the streets outside for free. The park is divided I to two sections one of which is considered a wild life sanctuary, hense no dogs are allowed. It features a small 3 minutes loop also. However there are two trails in the park on is about 4 miles connecting it to another park. And a one mile loop as well. Lots of activities are offered in this park. Boating is one, pedal boating. I would call to check on these since we are I drought time. However, man people were fishing. There are big grassy areas. In the sanctuary area there is a play ground for kids to enjoy. Restrooms are OK. Benshs are available surrounding the lake. To enjoy the nice view. Lots of picture opportunities, there is a metal bridge on top of a creek that allows for nice pictures, at the end of the paved road, great for biking by the way, nice views also of the main lake, or where it kinda narrows down and winds away. Atop the very short loop you can get nice views or just sit on the bench there and enjoy it. Just walking around the lake you can catch very picturistic views of the lake with a nice island in the middle and different kinds of birds. We were very lucky to get some pictures of a big fish swinging almost on the surface of the water. Overall, great park, lots of activities to enjoy. Without...

There is a lot that is really great and could even better with tiny fixes, and there are some problems. Great Lake, views, walking paths, picnic areas, connecting trails, rest rooms (old), play area is being updated & generally free parking with only pay at large events. Some problems: 1 is a lack of mulch around plants (helps plants, retains ground water, reduces runoff/acts a an urban water sponge, provides nutrients to soil, helps reduce poop from 🪿 and 🐕 and other great benefits so very weird they don’t actively mulch all areas that can have it - to be fair they have done more of this recently. 2 lack of enforcement on illegal dumping & littering: technically single use plastic or paper balloons, confetti, glitter, piñata candy, and other whatnot the park staff really can’t deal with, and even volunteers who do official cleanup, have trouble picking up the stuff which means it’s going into the waterways and polluting everybody along with the wildlife eating it. I’ve seen large official events, corporate events, and of course individual parties and everybody’s dumping illegally. There really needs to be a requirement on the reservation process that restricts this kind of pollution because it ruins it for everybody, the wildlife, and our waters. 3 Need to post about littering & dumping along with fines. 4 Lack of recycling ♻️ cans. 5 Need to fix boat dock and bring back paddle boats. 6 Have geese reduction as many lawns and only beach are completely saturated in geese poop as it also covers all areas of park which reduces the parks usability significantly when the level of feces is...

What a gem for the community. Almaden Lake Park is a little oasis in this increasingly digital (all?) world we’re living in. My mom lives within two miles of this park, so I’ve taken her here for nice walks and picnics.

I’ve been here over the years for the fishing - when catching fish is not really the goal. It’s very nice to take a bit of fresh air around beautiful scenery, ducks and geese, kids playing on the several playgrounds, people exercising, couples spending time together, families enjoying the MANY picnic areas (there’s more than you could imagine), people trail “hiking,” people playing bocci ball on the bocci ball courts(!), and more.

There’s so much going on at any time, yet it is somehow tranquil. You can have the experience you need with every visit - at the same place.

The nicest thing is that you feel miles away from the throngs of white Teslas that start lining up and clogging the roads for rush hour around 3pm, yet you are mere minutes away from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.

We can all use a break - from work, clients, WiFi, city sounds, traffic, etc. - and this place has the amenities and scenery to give you that chance to unwind…without driving for hours to get there if you live or visit the South...