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Joseph D. Grant Park
26 reviews
3.88 of 5
Hundreds of miles of well-maintained hardpack cross-country race track, 15 foot wide main trail. Awesome trail, that is not too technical, but is very aerobically challenging. There are some killer downhills that propel you to speeds upwards to 60 mph.
Summary: Well this being the early spring I figured that a nice ride was in order for a Sunday. Knowing that Grant is relativley unpopulated I decided to make a venture out and see what it was like.
The Goods:
A wide variety of trails to take.. the fireroads are very wide and with the exception of the stuff near the top.. pretty smooth. The stuff at the top was rutted fairly deep, probably due to the recent snow melting off of it. I was out there for 3 hours and saw a total of 8 people.. which was nice. The climbs aren't super steep, but they can be rather long, so shift wisely. Nothing too techy except for the occasional fallen tree laying across the path (nope, not jumpable, at least for me).
The Bads:
COWS!!! COWS!! O M G COWS!!. There was a ton of them (literally and figuratively) on the Hotel Trail. Thick enough at one point that I decided to turn around and try a different route. They wont bother you but they can be a rather large obstruction. There is also very very limited shade, like the others before me have said.. Take some sunscreen if you aren't up there early in the morning. There is also a $5 fee to park in the lot, but that isn't a big deal, you can just park on the street. There is also several gates.. maybe they're open in the summer, but today they were all closed, so I had to get off my bike, open and close them.
Overall this is a fun place to ride, and you have the freedom to go wide open if you so choose.. there is even a section on the Hotel Trail where you blaze across a little creek. that was kind of cool. I'll be up there more this summer, but I'm taking some kind of pocket air horn to clear the damn cows off the trail next time.
Recommended Route: This is what I did..
Hotel Trail --> Eagle Lake (blocked by cows) --> Back down to Canada De Pala --> Up to Bonhoff --> Over to Foothill --> Back to Hotel and back home.
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Summary: Grant park is cool. The uphill is....well, very, very tiring for a beginner like me. I was able to get up there without stopping but I was going 2mph :). I started mtn. biking a month ago for my exercise. And fell in love with it. Now, it is my new hobby. I go to alum rock park pretty much every weekend and I took the day off today and read this review about this track and I said I guess it's time for me to try a more aggresive track. For beginners, here's what you need to bring. A map, a buddy, 1 20oz of water is good enough for 2 hours of biking, wear a helmet, and a thick sweater. It's hella cold up there today. We saw 3 wild boar, wood peckers, deers, weird looking goose that almost look like a turkey but I doubt it is. The downhill is insane because you can really go fast to you have to watch your speed especially when you hit those branches on the ground the bike tends to slip on the other direction. Go in the morning just incase you get lost you'll have time to get back in track. Don't bring a cell phone that's just extra weight. They dont have service up there. After today I'm probably not gonna come back there until my friends are ready. I might see Henry Coe this weekend. Enjoy!
Other recommended trails in the same area: Alum Rock Park
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Summary: There are miles and miles of trails here. I like this park because it is so isolated. Very few people come here. On weekends, I might only see 0-3 others on the trail during a 3 hour ride.
The trails here are not technical, mainly fire roads. However, there are some aerobically challenging climbs, and fast downhills. Wild pigs, deer, foxes are often seen during my ride.
Recommended Route: This is my favorite route, ~15.8 miles around 2-2.5 hours. Good workout, and fun downhills. The climbs may be tough for beginners, but everything on this route is climbable in granny.
Start from the main parking lot.
Start on the Hotel Trail=>Lower Hotel past Circle Corral (Very easy, warmup). Continue on the Hotel Trail until you hit a 4 way intersection. Climb the Canada de Pala trail (east, towards Twin Gates, good aerobic workout). Cross the road at Twin Gates.
Continue on Canada de Pala (past Yerba Buena, Los Huecos, Halls Valley trail) until you come to a intersection. You can go clockwise or counter clockwise, (I prefer counter, taking Pala Seca trail). Climb up to Antler point (single track) for a nice view. Circle back the way you came, past Halls Valley trail, and go down Los Huecos Trail (fast and steep downhill). Head south towards the parking lot. Cross the road, and ride up the road south a tiny bit to get back onto the Hotel trail, and return to your car.
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Review Date June 16, 2003
Overall Rating 3 of 5
Ridden Trail: Ridden Once
Reviewed by: J-Dogg
, from Sunnyvale
Summary: I prefer the North End of the park where the above route took place, since there are less trail users there. Further, what this park lacks in biker friendly grades and singletrack, it makes up for with scenery and solitude. Go early during the warmer weather and pack your 100 oz-plus bladder. I saw dozens of wild pigs when I hiked here a few years ago, but sadly I saw none on this ride. While the climbs here are pretty tough, they're definitely manageable to the intermediate rider who chose not to wake n' bake. They'd be even more so if the steepest sections weren't deeply eroded and covered with loose material. The highlights of the above ride are: the meadow along Canada de Pala just prior to the Line Shack, the view of the South Bay from Antler Point, the view of Mt. Hamilton along Pala Seca, and my wife's sick wipe on Los Huecos. (This trail is pretty trashed. Perhaps Yerba Buena is a viable alternative and does not suck. Anyone?)
Recommended Route: Halls Valley-Canada de Pala-Line Shack-Antler Point-Pala Seca-Canada De Pala-Los Huecos (~11 miles from trailhead)
Other recommended trails in the same area: Henry Coe, Santa Theresa, Almaden Quicksilver
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Review Date June 2, 2003
Overall Rating 4 of 5
Ridden Trail: Ridden Once
Reviewed by: kwtzl
, from san jose
Summary: insanely beautiful day, few people, temp was not overpowering, and the ascent was heart-exploding for a casual (1x per week) biker. great views and serious aerobic training. downhills on the west side of the valley were fun without being heart-stopping, and coming back through the lower hotel and corral was a great warm-down. was with another middle-aged hacker, and we survived. great ride for just about any level above the "so, what do these shifters do?" beginner. bring water!! almost no one around, a few horses and walkers the day we were there. trails (actually roads) are wide, well-maintained and firm, i.e., not slippery broken rock that's hard to climb on. the difficulty comes from the pitch and length.
Recommended Route: up the dairy trail to the vista point, back down ridge trail and through the valley back to main parking (our route on memorial day 03)
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3.88 of 5
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