Guadalupe Oak Grove Park & Jeffrey Fontana Dog Park - San Jose, California

Entrance to Jeffrey Fontana Park AND Guadalupe Oak Grove Park.

They're right in the same area.

Alex rating: 5 Magic Bones
Dog-friendly: YES
Off-leash areas: YES, in Dog park 

Pet Bags Provided: No

Picnic Areas: YES
Crowd Meter: MEDIUM

Dog Friendly Dining: Yes, in Willow Glen (~20mins)
Travel time from San Francisco: 1.5 hours

Address:
Golden Oak Way & McAbee Rd
San Jose, CA 95120

Report time: late Afternoon

Summary:
OK, I love love love this place. I take Alex here whenever I want to go on a quick hike and give him some social time. The Jeffrey Fontana/Oak Grove parks are located right in a residential area with lots of street parking. The area is low traffic and quiet, so you needn't worry about not finding a parking spot.

The Jeffrey Fontana park is quite lovely and comes with the following amenities:
- playground for kids
- fitness sections (i.e. pull-up bars, push up, sit up benches, etc)
- clean dog park

Big green grass areas

Lovely pink trees

Statue of Jeffrey Fontana

Playgrounds

Jeffrey Fontana Dog Park, amenities:

- The dog park hours of operation is from 7am to 8:45pm, & during Winter, from 7am to 7pm

- Faucet water available to wash your dog

- Water cans and bins available for use

- Chairs are available to lounge around in

- Large and Small dogs play areas are separated

- Dog bags are usually supplied, but sometimes it runs out

 Water area

Play area

Guadalupe Oak Grove Park, amenities:

- Restrooms available

- Dog bags, none are supplied because the county ran out of budget :(

- Picnic areas available

- Dogs need to be on leash

- Tips: Make sure to LEAVE by sunset! I got locked in here with my boyfriend (NO JOKE). I had to call 911 and they had to break open the park's gate padlocks.

I highly recommend this area for a quick, relaxing hike. The trails are quite short (~2-3miles) and you can choose to go on elevated vs flat hikes. There are benches along the way if you need to relax and take a break.

The park has information on the different birds, small creatures, and trees which reside in the park. While walking on the trails, you'll likely hear woodpeckers, squirrels, and badgers scurrying about. 

  

 Guadalupe entrance

Information and area maps

Center Trail

Trail hill top

More hiking trails - I call this one Cardiac hill

I hope you enjoyed this post! And I hope that if you make a trip out here, you'll enjoy it as much as we do.

Till next time! :)

To you and your pet's health!

~DogChamp & Alex

Garland Ranch Regional Park, Carmel Valley - Dog Hiking Paradise

Alex rating: 5 Magic Bones
Dog-friendly: YES
Off-leash areas: YES 

Pet Bags Provided: YES

Picnic Areas: YES
Crowd Meter: MEDIUM (ran into 8 people during our afternoon hike)

Dog Friendly Dining: Yes, nearby (~20mins)
Travel time from San Francisco: 2.5 hours


Address:

700 W Carmel Valley Rd
Carmel Valley, CA 93924

(831) 659-4488

Garland Ranch Information:
Official Park Rules: http://www.mprpd.org/index.cfm/id/20/Garland-Ranch-Regional-Park-Park-Rules/ 
Map: http://www.mprpd.org/files/mprpd//Parks_Interim_Access_Maps/GRRP_2010.pdf


Quick Tips:
--> Bring water and snacks for you and your dog! The hiking trails weave in and out of each other, so you may take longer than expected if it's your first hike.
--> Bring towel to clean your dog. There was a pond along the trails, and your dog may want to jump in!
--> Some hikers have their dogs off-leash, so make sure your dog is comfortable with dogs running up to them.



Summary:
It was a scenic drive from San Jose to this dog paradise. When you're on Carmel Valley Road, make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the signs, since it can be a tricky turn and can easily be missed since the park entrance sign isn't large. 


When you turn in, you'll be able to grab a few dog bags before embarking on the trail. Right near the parking lot if a small creek/river area, which you can use when you want to clean off your dog later.


Upon entering the park, you'll be a few yards away from the Visitor Center, or you can choose to make your way to the trails. I suggest checking out the Visitor Center. There are some wild animals in this park (Mountain Lions) and some poisonous Oaks - so make sure you read all the safety instructions and warnings before going in.

Paved trail from Visitor Center. It's much brighter than this, but my camera is acting weird.

The Park was beautiful, well kept, and paved all the way to the forest trails. You can explore the areas around the visitor area if you'd like a quick walk. Some people had their dog off leash, but I'd suggest keeping your dog on the leash until you get into the forest trails -- your dog can easily bolt to the parking lot nearby.

Alex meeting a pooch friend while hiking :)

Once I got into the forest trails, I had Alex completely off-leash for the 3 hour hike we took him on. We went through the Sage and Mesa trails (please look at map), which were nice and shady. It was a moderate hike, with many parts of it going uphill to the summit. The uphill climb can be a killer, so make sure to bring some water!

Shady trails, with mossy lichen on trees.

Overall, the hike was beautiful, and I'm glad we explored this trail. My dog Alex had a lot of fun being off-leash and bounding around the pond near one of the trails. I forgot which trail led to this pond... but when I come back, I'm sure to update this posting.

Alex and I after the hike :)

Thanks for stopping by, and best of health to you & your dog!

Your Hiking Scout