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Santa Clara County Parks & Recreation Overview



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Headquartered in the East Bay, Outdoor Afro celebrates the outdoors and inspires African Americans to connect with nature. Volunteers work to develops leadership and outdoor recreation networks around the state and the country.

California Local Pin Marker Local Parks & Recreation Digest

Hundreds of California Prison Firefighters Join Battle Against Los Angeles Wildfires

01/09/2025

State prisoners have long been a part of California’s firefighting force. Hundreds of them now are deployed in Los Angeles County.

South Bay’s Mount Umunhum Offers Great Regional Views, Interesting Cold War History

12/27/2024

A bit of Bay Area Cold War history and great Bay Area views await visitors to Mount Umunhum in the Santa Cruz Mountains above San Jose. At 3,486 feet, Mount Umunhum is among the highest peaks in the Bay Area.

California Local Pin Marker Recent Articles

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Palo Alto Treads Lightly on Artificial Turf as Health Concerns Surface

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 …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Fight Over San Jose Vietnamese Museum Puts Future in Limbo

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 …

Hilltromper Silicon Valley logo LOCAL NEWS
Six Hikes for History Buffs!

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 …

Hilltromper Silicon Valley logo LOCAL NEWS
Fitzgerald Marine Reserve

Bluffs, beach, and amazing tidepools.

Metro Silicon Valley logo LOCAL NEWS
Baldly Stated, San Jose’s Arena Green Is in a Shambles

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.

Hilltromper Silicon Valley logo LOCAL NEWS
Flood Park: Building Anew on a Cherished History

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.

Hilltromper Silicon Valley logo LOCAL NEWS
Pescadero State Beach

A wild beach and a wilder wetlands

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Crowdsourcing Plans for Resilience

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

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Campbell Spends Remaining COVID Dollars on Community Projects

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 …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Farm Park Advocates Accuse City of Retaliation

Supporters of an East San Jose farm say they've been trying for years to get the city to invest more in the beloved community park. Instead, city parks officials responded by cutting off the relationship with the group.
The 40-year-old …

Featured

There are more than 300 community service districts in California.
Community Services Districts, Explained
Areas that the county overlooks can form their own local governments.
The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land
Starting in 1976, the legislature began creating agencies to buy up open land, and keep it open.
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