Beyond

Spring in the Olson cherry orchard. Before it was Silicon Valley, it was the Valley of Heart’s Delight. Ten million fruit trees in 1910, most of them prunes. The Olson family and their orchards are a link to the family farms of the past century. The Olson’s were Swedish immigrants who settled in 1899 in Sunnyvale, before it was a …

This pair of sycamores (Plantanus Acerfola) were planted on either side of the entry to Lester E. Bocks’ farm and fruit orchard in 1927. The ornamental trees were purchased from a San Jose nursery, as nothing like them were available in Sunnyvale at the time. The original 50 acre tract from 1850 owned by C. O. Bocks was the largest …

This is a large Coast Live Oak. It started growing over 250 years ago: Before Silicon Valley, before the Valley of Hearts Delight. The first name of Sunnyvale, Encinal, was from the spanish word for the coast live oak. Quercus agrifolia, the coast live oak, is an evergreen oak. It grows west of the Sierra Nevada from Mendocino County, California, …

This is a large Coast Live Oak with two massive trunks. It started growing over 250 years ago: Before Silicon Valley, before the Valley of Hearts Delight. The first name of Sunnyvale, Encinal, was from the spanish word for the coast live oak. Quercus agrifolia, the coast live oak, is an evergreen oak. It grows west of the Sierra Nevada …

If you are looking for a peaceful and natural escape in the city, you might want to check out Guadalupe Oak Grove Park. This 62.7-acre park is located in the Almaden Valley area of San Jose, and it is one of the last remaining large tracts of deciduous oak savanna and oak woodland on the Santa Clara Valley floor. The …

Are you looking for a place to enjoy nature, history, and recreation in the San Jose area? If so, you might want to visit Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve, a 348-acre park that offers a variety of trails, views, and wildlife for visitors to enjoy. Trails The preserve has about 4 miles of trails, ranging from easy to moderate, that …

If you are looking for a place to enjoy nature, history, and recreation, look no further than Joseph D. Grant County Park. Located in the east foothills of the Santa Clara Valley, this park is the largest of Santa Clara County’s regional park and recreation areas, with 10,882 acres of open space and 51 miles of trails. Whether you are …

Mission Peak gets throngs of hikers but only a few trekkers take this route to the summit — an eight-mile out-and-back that stretches out the 2,000-foot ascent to the summit (the most-popular route ascends a similar height in a 5.2-mile out-and-back). It starts from the parking lot at Ohlone College along Mission Boulevard in Fremont, California. Just one trail — …

Duveneck Windmill Pasture OSP is oak meadowland at the top of a ridge, 1200 feet up Black Mountain, between Rancho San Antonio OSP and Hidden Villa. In 1867 G.W. Moody built a road from the Mountain View train station and a stagecoach stop and inn (the White House) for a stage running from San Jose to Pescadero. The White House was also known …