April/May 2016 49 Joseph D. Grant County Park SAN JOSE KNOWN AS “GRANT RANCH” TO the locals, this 10,000-acre park is only a half-hour drive from downtown San Jose. But those 30 minutes are memorable—your car will twist and turn up a narrow, winding road, ascending from the valley to the Diablo Range. Plan your visit for April or early May, before the heat bakes these foothills and puts a damper on the wildflower show. Once you arrive, grab a map at park headquarters. Grant Ranch has a whopping 52 miles of trails to explore. During wildflower season, narrow down your options by heading for the best flower trail, which begins 3.5 miles past the campground entrance at the Twin Gates Trailhead (park in the small parking lot on your left). Walk out and back on Cañada de Pala Trail for a short or long hike. The first two miles are the showiest, featuring a colorful tapestry of blue-eyed grass, lupine, brodiaea, shooting stars and goldfields. Bright orange California poppies light up the prairielike grasslands. If you time your visit carefully and pack along a picnic dinner, you can see the flowers in the late afternoon and then stay after dark for one of Grant Ranch’s star parties. The Halls Valley Astronomical Group provides free telescope viewing and astronomy talks at Halley Hill Observatory and Telescope Row near the park campground. Visit hallsvalley.org for a calendar of events. INFO: $6 parking fee; sccgov.org GETTING THERE: Take Hwy. 101 or I-680 to Alum Rock Avenue eastbound in San Jose. Turn right on Mt. Hamilton Road and drive 8 miles to the park entrance. The Twin Gates trailhead is 3.5 miles farther. RUSSIAN RIDGE OPEN SPACE PRESERVE COME OUTSIDE AND WITNESS THE SPLENDORS OF THIS CHANGING SEASON FOR YOURSELF. ANN MARIE BROWN
South Bay Accent - Apr/May 2016
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