ALUM ROCK NAMED ONE OF TOP PARKS

By Andrea Flores-Shelton

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
My husband and I took our son to Alum Rock Park early Wednesday morning and we saw a certificate had been given to the park by Sunset Magazine for being in the Top 10 Thanksgiving Hikes of 2006. Yesterday, at my parents’ house I picked up their Sunset and found that Alum Rock Park had been ranked #5. We are so blessed to have this place - #5 or not, in our backyard. It was a gorgeous morning and we had the place almost to ourselves.

Here is the write up:Fall days linger, especially golden, in the east-west-running canyon of Alum Rock Park. The east San Jose sanctuary offers both mellow strolls and muscle-taxing climbs through its 720 acres. Opt for the flat 2.5 mile Creek Trail, which follows Penitencia Creed, from the park’s entrance to the handsome stone bridges at Sycamore Groves’ mineral springs. Or for a more challenging 3-mile trek with vertigo-inducing views-and the chance to see deer, rabbits, and quail- Take South Rim Trail from Inspiration Point, where natural beauty and quire inspire genuine thanks-giving.

If you are curious, the Top 10 Thanksgiving Hikes are:
#10 -Salk Lake City – Bonneville Shoreline Trail
#9 – Denver, Deer Creek Canyon Park
#8 – Sante Fe, Borrego-Bear Wallow Loop
#7 – Scottsdale, AZ, Pinnacle Peak Park
#6 – Malibu, Point Mugu State Park
#5 – San Jose, Alum Rock Park
#4 – Orinda, CA, Briones Regional Park
#3 – Sacramento – C.M. Goethe Park
#2 – Portland, Wildwood Trail
#1 – Seattle, Seward Park

-- Andrea