Enjoy a guided tour of the new Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve trails with award-winning TV journalist Doug McConnell, Andrea Mackenzie, and Janet McBride here. Breathtaking views include lush canyons and a birds-eye view of downtown San Jose.
LISTEN to what other newsmakers and the media are saying about the Sierra Vista Trail Opening:KQED Radio -- 88.5 FM QUEST Northern California
KLLC Radio -- 97.3 FM Radio Alice with Liz St. John
Nestled in the Eastern foothills of Santa Clara County and perched atop Alum Rock Park is The Open Space Authority's Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve. Open Space Authority is proud to add about six miles of new trail in Sierra Vista, with grand views and cool canyons, as an integral part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail connecting to our already popular Boccardo Trail. Sierra Vista offers a back country experience within minutes for Silicon Valley's two million residents. The State Coastal Conservancy along with the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council have generously partnered with the Open Space Authority to fund this fresh expanse of trail.
This beautiful and scenic Preserve is comprised of 1,676 acres of majestic oak woodlands, rolling grasslands and chaparral communities. The Preserve provides vital watershed protection for Penitencia Creek and is home to a number of protected wildlife species such as the red-legged frog, tiger salamander, golden eagle, mountain lion, bobcat, and grey fox. Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve and the 3-mile Boccardo Trail is frequented by over 13,000 trail users annually. The new trail system and the Boccardo section total about 10 miles of crucial connection in the Bay Area Ridge Trail, a 550-mile regional multi-use trail system planned along the ridge lines that encircle the San Francisco Bay. On a clear day views from the new trails include Penitencia and Arroyo Aguague canyons and Downtown San Jose, to the southern portion of the San Francisco Bay from Mountain View to South San Jose.
Currently access to Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve is via Alum Rock City Park, and some sections of the new Sierra Vista trails are dual-use only (hikers and bicyclists). Future plans for Sierra Vista include multi-use access (equestrians, hikers, and bicyclists) as well as a staging area along Sierra Road.
Check current trail conditions — including closures for extreme weather — at www.openspaceauthority.org, or by calling the Open Space Authority at (408) 224-7476.
