Healthy Trails: A Quick Hike in Almaden Quicksilver County Park
Almaden Quicksilver County Park is located in south San Jose, on the edge of Almaden Valley, one of the wealthier parts of the city. It has a rich history. One-hundred and fifty years ago, it was the site of a mercury mining operation. Evidence of its past (buildings and tunnels) remain.
On Sunday, the plan was to complete the 6.1-mile loop described in the Healthy Trails booklet, which was an obvious typo. Quickly summing the trail distances reveals the actual loop is only 3.5-miles long. Math aside, we were to follow the Deep Gulch, English Town, and Mine Hill Trails in a clockwise loop.
M and I arrived at the park's Hacienda Entrance just before eleven. After grabbing a map, I promptly led us up the wrong trail. Instead of starting on the Deep Gulch Trail at the west end of the parking lot, we started on the Mine Hill Trail, which begins right next to the kiosk.
Even though it was the wrong trail, it offered nice views of the surrounding hills.
Of course, I didn't realize we were off course until we reached the English Camp Trail (ECT) junction four-tenths of a mile later. To salvage some semblance of the original plan, we took the ECT (a hiker-only trail), which climbed roughly 500 feet over 0.9 miles, to the Deep Gulch junction.
From there, we continued up the ECT until we reached English Camp. Cornish miners established a settlement here in the 1860s. At its height, 1,000 people lived in the town, which included a mining office, store, schoolhouse, cabins, and a church. Mining in the area eventually declined and the town was abandoned. With the exception of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, the town has been unoccupied. Only a few buildings remain standing.
From English Camp, we ventured a short distance down April Trail before turning around. It was just past noon at this point and warming quickly. The trail offered little to no shade.
We took the Mine Hill Trail back to the trailhead. On the way down, we caught a glimpse of downtown San Jose through the haze.
The next time I visit, I hope to hike deeper into the park to check out some of the historic tunnels and catch a glimpse of the Guadalupe Reservoir.
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Hi: Great to see a hike report on "my park. :-) I hike at Almaden a lot and have probably been over just about every trail (and some non-trails) in that park during every season of the year.
Deep Gulch is a great way to ascend on warm days since - as you now know - it is in shade for most of its length. It is also the fastest way back down to the parking lot from the English Camp/Castillero area. Speaking of the latter, next time you get to English camp, take the Castillero Trail to the left and up to the ridge when the power lines cross to see the old reduction works facility - quite amazing to find something like that above the bedroom communities of Almaden Valley.
Dan
Thanks for the comment, Dan. I can see why you like to hike it. The park is rich in nature and history. There's still so much of it to explore, but I'll be sure to check out the Castillero Trail the next time I visit.