Map of bike paths / walking paths in the San Jose area
Recreational trails for walking, running and cycling around San Jose, California
San Jose, California
Click on the key symbol in the main map to zoom into specific trails.
BIKE PATHS / WALKING PATHS
Bay Trail
Calabazas Creek Trail
Coyote Creek Trail - North Section
Coyote Creek Trail - South Section
Guadalupe River Trail
Guadalupe River Trail East
Hetch Hetchy Trail
John W. Christian Greenbelt
Los Alamitos Creek Trail
Los Gatos Creek Trail
Penitencia Creek Trail
Silver Creek Valley Road Multi-Use Path
Stevens Creek Trail
St Tomas Aquino Creek Trail
RELATED LINKS
San Jose is located at the south end of San Francisco Bay in Central California. The city is located 50 miles south of San Francisco and 30 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The community is known for its high tech industry and is often called the "Capital of Silicon Valley". It is located in a beautiful part of California with the waterfront to the north and rolling grassy hills in all directions. The area offers many outdoor recreation opportunities. Other communities in the area include: Milpitas, Santa Clara, Los Gatos, Campbell, Sunnyvale, Cupertino and Mountain View.
San Jose has numerous recreational trails for commuting about town and for taking in some exercise on the weekends. There are several very lengthy trail systems that follow the many creeks leading to San Francisco Bay, such as Coyote Creek Trail, Guadalupe River Trail, Los Gatos Creek Trail and Stevens Creek Trail. You can also walk or ride along the paved and unpaved trails around the sloughs of the South Bay area on the Bay Trail or head off into the countryside south of town on the Los Alamitos Creek Trail or the Coyote Creek Trail.
Coyote Creek Trail
Coyote Creek flows north from the hills south of San Jose, through the San Jose area to the terminus in South San Francisco Bay. There are two main and separate trail systems along Coyote Creek in the San Jose area. The north section is a 5.5-mile long paved path that is located in northeast San Jose along the border with Milpitas. The south portion of Coyote Creek Trail is located in the southeast part of San Jose and extends to the south almost as far as Anderson Lake. There are also a couple other short stretches of trail along Coyote Creek that are separate from the main trail.
Read more about Coyote Creek Trail - North Section
Read more about Coyote Creek Trail - South Section
Guadalupe River Trail
The Guadalupe River Trail is a 10-mile long paved and unpaved trail system that is located in the north central portion of San Jose. It follows the greenbelt that extends from the south end of San Francisco Bay to a point just south of the interchange of Interstate 280 and the Guadalupe Freeway (State Route 87). There are few street crossings on the trail, but there are access paths to get to local streets. The Guadalupe River Trail goes right by the Mineta San Jose International Airport. This trail is frequently used by cycling commuters as it has few major street crossings, crosses a large part of the city.
There is another 3.5-mile paved stretch of the Guadalupe River Trail in South San Jose. This portion starts just north of the West Valley Freeway, Route 85, then heads south going by Almaden Lake Park. At Almaden Lake Park you can choose to go south on Los Alamitos Creek Trail going south or stay on Guadalupe River Trail heading southwest. The south end of the Guadalupe River Trail is at Singletree Way, near Beacon School and Camden Avenue.
Read more about the Guadalupe River Trail
Los Gatos Creek Trail
The Los Gatos Creek Trail is a 10-mile long paved path located in southwest portion of the San Jose Metropolitan area. It passes through the communities of San Jose, Campbell and Los Gatos. The path follows the route of Los Gatos Creek from Meridian Avenue, half a mile south of Interstate 280, then southwest past the neighborhoods of the City of Campbell, Los Gatos Creek County Park, Vascona Lake, and then up into the hills following Route 17 to Lexington Reservoir.
Read more about Los Gatos Creek Trail
Los Alamitos Creek Trail & Calero Creek Trail
Los Alamitos Creek Trail is located in South San Jose and is connected to the trails that wrap around Almaden Lake. a portion of the Guadalupe River Trail is also connected to the trails at Almaden Lake on the north. Calero Creek Trail is connected to the Los Alamitos Creek Trail at the south end. Los Alamitos Creek Trail is a pleasant place to get outside for some exercise. It travels away from traffic along the greenbelt of Alamitos Creek past residential neighborhoods and several parks and schools.
Read more about Los Alamitos Creek Trail & Calero Creek Trail
Bay Trail
The Bay Trail, also know as the San Francisco Bay Trail, is a conglomeration of local paved and unpaved recreational trails the are located throughout the San Francisco Bay area. The idea is to eventually create a continuous path around San Francisco Bay. Several trail segments located along the bay in North San Jose metro area belong to the "Bay Trail" system.
Penitencia Creek Trail
The Penitencia Creek Trail is a 3-mile long paved trail located in the northwest section of San Jose in the Berryessa neighborhood. The east end starts at N. King Road, 1/4 mile north of Mabury Road. The trail goes to the east through Penitencia Creek County Park and past Commodore Park. Traveling father east, the trail goes under Interstate 680, then wraps around Penitencia Light Rail Station on N. Capitol Avenue. Just to the east of N. Capitol Avenue, it passes East Side Union High School. The trail goes through Penitencia Creek Park and passes by Summerdale Elementary School and Peidmont Middle School. The trail crosses Piedmont Road at street level at the intersection with Penitencia Creek Road.
After passing several percolation ponds, Penitencia Creek Trail stops at Noble Avenue.
St Tomas Aquino Creek Trail
The St. Tomas Aquino Creek Trail is a 4.7-mile long paved path located in north-central San Jose. It starts at the bike trail along Southbay Freeway and travels south to the intersection of El Camino Real and the St. Tomas Expressway. On its route, St Tomas Aquino Creek Trail passes under the Southbay Freeway, Tasman Drive, Mission College Boulevard, Highway 101, Scott Boulevard and Walsh Avenue, with access trails for many of these roadways.
Stevens Creek Trail
Stevens Creek Trail is a 5-mile long paved path located in the Mountain View area of San Jose, in the northwest side of the city. The trail travels in a north-south direction through the heart of the city. It is used by those that commute by bike and is a way to get to the attractions along the bayfront.
The north end of the trail is near the Stevens Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area on the bay. The trail then heads straight south along the channelized river. The trail goes under Highway 101 and then follows alongside Route 85, the West Valley Freeway, and at one point crosses under it to follow along the west side of the freeway. There is a bridge for the Stevens Creek Trail to cross the Central Expressway. At the intersection of the Southbay Freeway and the West Valley Freeway, Route 85, the trail has a couple of switchbacks to get to the bridge that crosses the Southbay Freeway.
Stevens Creek Trail crosses under El Camino Real, but there are access trails to the roadway. About 0.7 miles south of El Camino Real, the trail crosses over Route 85, and ends at Heatherstone Way.
Resources
Following are links to official off-site resources to find out more details about the recreational trails in the San Jose area of California.
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