Santa Clara County Parks & Recreation Articles

The West Valley is known for its flagship festivals that bring multicultural food, live music and dancing to the streets. Those festivals come with a lofty price tag, and organizers are asking their cities for help keeping these beloved events …

San Jose’s most passionate parks advocates say city leaders need to create a new stream of funding to address the multimillion-dollar maintenance backlog and ongoing disparity in park quality for residents who live in areas like East San Jose.
On …

San Jose wants to transform a dilapidated park — home to one of the largest camps of unhoused residents in the city — into a family-friendly area for sports activities.
San Jose has spent the last few years planning to …

Santa Clara is scrapping plans to temporarily reopen its swim center this spring, and instead is pushing forward with a broader renovation.
The Santa Clara City Council has unanimously approved an additional $8.1 million to repair all three pools at …

The engulfing redwoods that surround Los Gatos are a bit of an enigma. You can’t help but wonder what lies beyond the greenery.

Over the century La Rinconada Country Club has been a part of the community, it’s continued to evolve. Now, club officials say it's time to bring it back to its original look while making improvements golfers can enjoy for years …

After decades filled with false starts and shattered expectations, Palo Alto’s elected leaders on Tuesday took their first step in what promises to be a long journey to repair, rebuild and enhance Cubberley Community Center.
By the standards of local …

Cupertino residents can now tour one of the city’s most historic nature preserves using augmented reality — a unique blend of a city known for its cutting-edge technology and agricultural roots.
Cupertino recently soft-launched an augmented reality app, Cupertino McClellan …

Santa Clara’s George F. Haines International Swim Center has been closed for more than a year, leaving the city’s aquatics community and legacy foundering.
The city closed the swim center in January 2024, citing structural safety issues after years of …

San Jose’s historic St. James Park is one step closer to joining a national nonprofit’s network of outdoor music venues fashioned from neglected public spaces.
The City Council unanimously authorized negotiations Tuesday for a three-party operating agreement for the future …

Santa Clara County is preparing to ban artificial turf on all county-owned property, citing health and environmental concerns.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors will vote on a policy limiting the use of artificial turf at its Tuesday meeting. …

Concerned about the health and environmental impacts of synthetic turf, Palo Alto has halted its plans to resurface the playing fields at El Camino Park as it weighs the costs and benefits of plastic and grass.
The turf-versus-grass debate came …

Charges of nepotism and suspicious bank withdrawals surround a fight for control of San Jose’s Viet Museum in History Park – a crown jewel for Little Saigon.
The 147-year-old farmhouse, which stores hundreds of precious artifacts, photographs and art of …

Where did Houdini challenge local policeman to keep him locked up? What almost became a 6-lane freeway? San Mateo County Parks are rich in history beyond the two historic sites, Sanchez Adobe and the Woodside Store. If you love nature …

Bluffs, beach, and amazing tidepools.

A thick layer of dust covers the Chinook salmon. Sheets of cobwebs stretch from the hummingbird to the horses and on to the shark. Ankle-high piles of leaves cover the ground. Even the camel is covered in dirt.

This historic property in Menlo Park, with its popular pump track, sports fields, heritage trees and demonstration garden, is on the brink of another transformative revitalization.

A wild beach and a wilder wetlands

Seacliff State Beach was obliterated by storms in 2023. California State Parks is mobilizing the public to reimagine its future.

For avid Campbell skateboarders, a long overdue facelift of the city skate park is happening earlier than planned, along with greater security at the community center, thanks to some leftover federal cash in city coffers.
The Campbell City Council unanimously …