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Almaden Quicksilver Loop

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate
 3.9 (64) RECOMMENDED ROUTE
  1. Areas
  2. CA
  3. …Bay Area
  4. …San Jose
  5. Almaden Quicksilver County Park
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“This loop makes for a good workout with great views. ”

Eric Hong
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Map Key

10.8

Miles

17.3

KM

0%

Singletrack

1,578' 481 m

High

496' 151 m

Low

1,417' 432 m

Up

1,416' 432 m

Down

5%

Avg Grade (3°)

18%

Max Grade (10°)

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Allowed

Family Friendly The wide fire road and pretty scenery of the park is family friendly. Be sure to pick the right route and distance to fit the age of the riders.

Randol Trail is often closed in wet winters. You can check the status of the trails by calling the Santa Clara County Hotline 1-408-355-2200 and then press 7 and then 5.

Overview

There is nothing technical about this loop except the three-mile climb from the parking area at Hacienda to Bull Run and a short but steep climb on Randol Trail. It is a good workout with some OK downhill on dirt park roads. Most of the route is scenic.

Need to Know

Be sure to bring enough water for the ride, especially during hot summer days. You need to bring at least 1.5 liters or even 2 liters of water in order to finish the ride without dehydration.

Description

This loop can be ridden in either direction but this is the preferred direction for most riders. It gets the big climb out of the way early and offers a scenic flow from the high point at Bull Run to the beginning of the Randol Trail near the reservoir.

Another possible alternative and slightly longer route is through the Castillero Trail south of the Mine Hill Rd. That's about one more mile through the loop. That will also lead you to the highest peak in the park on the Castillero Trail slightly south of the Bull Run. It is marked with a fire hose stand.

Often deer are near the trail and sometimes bobcats, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, and turkeys. Mountain lions won't bother people, and the rattlesnakes are mellow unless pissed off.

There are some interesting old mines on the April Trail which is a small loop off this route and at the Cristobol Mine adjacent to Mine Hill Trail.

The trails can be a bit crowded on beautiful spring weekends.

History & Background

This loop is through the historic New Almaden mines. This was California's first mine run by Europeans and the mercury smelted here was shipped around the world. It was also used in the California gold fields and after in gold mining in Alaska, Mexico, South America, and Indonesia.

Contacts

Local Club: Silicon Valley Mountain Bikers

Apr 19, 2021: Waterdog Needs Your Help!

Nov 12, 2020: Dirt Alpine Reconstruction

Aug 7, 2020: ACTION ALERT: 2 Minutes to help Mountain Biking in Our Area

Land Manager: Santa Clara County Parks

Shared By:

Eric Hong with improvements by Oded Zur and 1 other
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  3.9 from 64 votes

#1

in Almaden Quicksilver County Park

#247

Overall
  3.9 from 64 votes
5 Star
28%
4 Star
45%
3 Star
19%
2 Star
8%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Almaden Quicksilver Co…

#34

in California

#247

Overall
184 Views Last Month
23,138 Since Dec 8, 2015
Intermediate
3%
8%
76%
3%
10%
0%
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Photos

Bobcat on the Mine Hill Trail. with permission from Alexander Avtanski
Aug 19, 2016 near Cambria…, CA
At the Bull Run.
May 11, 2016 near Lexingt…, CA
Mine Hill Road descends to the Randal Rail going counter-clock-wise overlooking the Guadalupe Reservoir and Silicon Valley.
May 11, 2016 near Lexingt…, CA
Views from the Randol Trail.
Aug 19, 2016 near Seven T…, CA
Looking west at the Mine Hill Trail where it turns to Equestrian/Hike-only. with permission from Alexander Avtanski
Aug 19, 2016 near Cambria…, CA
Bench overlooking Guadalupe reservoir at the end of Mine Hill and Randol trails.
May 11, 2018 near Almaden…, CA

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Check-Ins

May 30, 2022
Eberhard Czirr
Nice Sonny Ride 15mi — 2h 00m
Apr 2, 2022
Lucus Liu
Jan 12, 2022
Christopher Dinh
Oct 16, 2021
Daniel3825
Sep 26, 2021
Robert Wyler
Great workout ride with some interesting history and views along the way. Not very technical but that's good sometimes. 11.1mi — 1h 33m
Aug 2, 2021
Mac & Steeze
Jul 28, 2021
Tim Sandstrom
Nice steady 1000ft climb then miles of down, then contouring, all on fire roads. Beautiful in the morning, above fog line with deer and bobcats. 11.2mi — 1h 30m
Jun 19, 2021
CL 4sales

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