PARK TOURS
Explore Santa Clara County's open spaces and enjoy lakes, mineral springs, migrating birds, wildflowers and more while learning about Silicon Valley's rich culture, history and wildlife.
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**REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED** and space is limited, so please sign up as soon as possible using the registration button below. Detailed information, such as directions, will be sent one week and one day before the event date.
Waitlist only: Hike 6 Threatened Species of Coyote Ridge
Wednesday April 16, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM
Today, we are fortunate to have an expert-led tour of Coyote Ridge Preserve’s Habitat Protection Area that features serpentine grasslands vital for the growth of rare plants and other wildlife. Along our walk, we will look for and learn about the threatened Bay checkerspot butterfly, the Metcalf Canyon jewelflower, California red-legged frogs, tiger salamanders, tule elk, Western burrowing owls and more. This special walk is made possible by Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. Learn more about them by visiting www.openspaceauthority.org Bay checkerspot and wildflower images by Cait Hutnik and Tule Elk image by David Mauk.
Level of Difficulty: : Moderate
Number of Miles: : 3.0
Location: Meeting location is Saratoga CA 95070
Additional Benefits: Transportation and picnic lunch are included
CLOSED: Hike 7 Exclusive Private Preserve Wildflower Extravaganza
Wednesday April 23, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM
Join us for an exclusive tour of a private preserve that is home to protected and endangered wildlife. On our journey, we pass through serpentine grassland dancing with wildflower colors and the threatened dudleya. We explore three spring-fed ponds that provide water for wildlife such as birds, damselflies, dragonflies and the threatened western pond turtle. Our expert guide will teach us about the variety of wildflowers, birds, the threatened species and more! This special walk is made possible by Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. Learn more about them by visiting www.openspaceauthority.org Dudleya image by Cait Hutnik and damselfly image by Gregor Ritter from Pixabay.
Level of Difficulty: : Easy-to-moderate
Number of Miles: : 2.0
Location: Meeting location is Saratoga CA 95070
Additional Benefits: Transportation and picnic lunch are included
CLOSED Hike 8 Urban Agriculture
Thursday May 1, 2025 from 09:20 AM to 01:30 PM
We start the day with a visit to the Martial Cottle visitor center, then take a leisurely, flat walk around this agriculture park and learn about its place in history. Next, we visit Our City Forest to learn about their latest urban forestry projects. We end the afternoon with a social picnic lunch. This special program is hosted in partnership with Valley Water. Image by Anne Ferguson.
Level of Difficulty: : Easy
Number of Miles: : 1.5
Location: Meeting location is Saratoga CA 95070 or San Jose CA 95136
Additional Benefits: Transportation and picnic lunch are included
Hike 9 Smell the Roses
Saturday May 10, 2025 from 09:45 AM to 01:30 PM
This year is the Heritage Rose Garden’s 30-year anniversary. The garden is the largest public collection of roses in the Western hemisphere with over 3,000 varieties. Today, we have a special tour by a rose garden expert. We take a leisurely walk to the rose garden and learn about the history of the garden, and learn about the diversity of roses while admiring and smelling the roses at their peak bloom. After our visit to the garden, we enjoy a social picnic lunch.This special program is hosted in partnership with Valley Water. Images by Anne Ferguson.
Level of Difficulty: : Easy
Number of Miles: : 1.5
Location: Meeting location is Cupertino CA 95014
Additional Benefits: Transportation and picnic lunch are included
Hike 10 San Jose's Vistas
Wednesday May 14, 2025 from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM
Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve is 1600 acres of grassland, oak woodlands and oak savannas. The area protects watersheds by absorbing water so it can flow into Penitencia Creek that is in the valley. We are visiting at a time when there will be wildflowers, expansive views of the valley and Santa Cruz Mountain range. Our expert guide will teach us about the diverse landscape and protected wildlife species that make this preserve their home. This is a 3.5-mile, one-way, 1700-foot down-hill walk (9% grade) from the highest point of the preserve down to Alum Rock Park where we will have our picnic lunch. This special walk is made possible by Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. Learn more about them by visiting www.openspaceauthority.org Photos by Anne Ferguson.
Level of Difficulty: : Moderate-to-strenous
Number of Miles: : 3.5
Location: Meeting location is Cupertino CA 95014
Additional Benefits: Transportation and picnic lunch are included
Hike 11 Wings & Bling
Wednesday May 21, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Today we have multiple experts guide us on a leisurely walk to find and learn about Spring birds and flowers at Ulistac Nature Area. As we walk through the native plant habitats, we will see blue, red, purple, yellow and flowers such as blue-eyed grass, ceanothus, California fuchsia, California wild rose, island marrow, Catalina cherry, flannel bush and more! We will sample the different flower aromas as well. As we walk along the Guadalupe River that attracts a variety of migratory and native birds, we may see a green heron, warbling vireo, Swainson’s thrush, Great-tailed grackle, cliff swallow, yellow-breasted chat and ash-throated flycatchers with our borrowed or own binoculars. This special walk is made possible by Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. Learn more about them by visiting www.openspaceauthority.org Images by Basar CC BY 3.0 (green heron), Diego Delso CC BY-SA 3.0 (flannel bush) and Curtis Clark CC BY-SA 2.5 (island marrow).
Level of Difficulty: : Easy
Number of Miles: : 2.0
Location: Meeting location is Cupertino CA 95014
Additional Benefits: Transportation and lunch are provided. Binoculars can be borrowed.
Hike 12 Dragonfly & Damselfly Seasonal Walk
Wednesday June 11, 2025 from 08:30 AM to 01:00 PM
Did you know that in the summer and early fall dragonflies and damselflies migrate to warmer weather here in California? These small insects have an incredible ability to fly long distances. On this leisurely, flat walk we will learn about their flying ability, the differences between these two suborders of insects and other, and view some of the species that live here year-round. Afterwards, we enjoy a social picnic lunch. This special program is hosted in partnership with Valley Water. Image by Charles J. Sharp CC BY-SA 4.0.
Level of Difficulty: : Easy
Number of Miles: : 2.0
Location: Meeting location is Saratoga CA 95070 or Sunnyvale CA 94089
Additional Benefits: Transportation and picnic lunch are included
Hike 22 Exclusive Private Preserve History & Nature Hike
Friday June 20, 2025 from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM
The preserve we are visiting protects more than 3500 acres and it connects Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park to Henry Coe State Park. It is an important habitat for vulnerable native wildlife such as the California red-legged frogs and California tiger salamanders. On our expert-guided walk, we will pass ranch ruins including an historic stone house, barn and old farm equipment. Later on, we walk through woodlands, chaparral and grassy meadows with views of the valley and ponds that harbor butterflies and other insects, birds and amphibians. Along the way we learn about the preserve’s history and the wildlife we encounter. This special walk is made possible by Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. Learn more about them by visiting www.openspaceauthority.org Photos by John Clecker Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons and Greg Schechter from San Francisco USA CC BY 2.0
Level of Difficulty: : Moderate
Number of Miles: : 3.0
Location: San Jose CA 95120
Additional Benefits: Transportation and lunch are included
Hike 13 Thornwood Preserve Exploration
Wednesday June 25, 2025 from 08:30 AM to 02:00 PM
On this two-mile, shady one-way hike in Thornwood Preserve we will stop for a visit to Shilling Lake, and search for wildflowers and other plants. Along the way, we will learn about some of the unique characteristics of Coastal redwoods that enable them to survive in adverse environmental conditions. This hike is flat for the first mile and gradual 400 foot downhill for the second mile. After our walking tour, we will enjoy a social picnic lunch. This special program is hosted in partnership with Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Image by Anne Ferguson.
Level of Difficulty: : Moderate
Number of Miles: : 2.0
Location: Meeting location is Cupertino CA 95014
Additional Benefits: Transportation and picnic lunch are included
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