Alum Rock Park
2024 Update:
A reader wrote in and let me know that for Alum Rock Park, the park has opened up Penitencia Creek Road with 400+ parking spaces. Instead of parking where I parked, please enter at 15350 Penitencia Creek Road and find one of the hundreds available parking spaces.
Hike Review
We parked on Alum Rock Avenue and attempted to hike to the visitor center.
Parking was difficult to find, as there is only street parking available on this side of the park. At the gate, the sign recommended that people park at the Penitencia Creek Road entrance as there is an official parking lot there.
The hike was nicely shaded for the most part. There was a section of the trail that was closed, which made everyone walk on the paved road, but there was very little vehicular traffic, so it felt safe.
The dirt was not super fine, so it wasn’t too dusty at all. There were lots of dried, spiky vegetation, however, of which a few got on my socks and shoes.
There were a few people out on the trail and I was surprised there weren’t more on such a nice day.
What Happened?
2.3 miles, 1 hrs 3 mins, 299 ft of ascent
On a day where one of my kids wasn’t feeling the best, she still didn’t want to be stuck at home all day, so we decided on a short and easy hike. She likes forests, so I chose an easy loop at Alum Rock Park.
We hiked at a leisurely pace, but even with that, after a mile into the hike, she wasn’t feeling very well, so we turned around and hiked back to the car without having reached the visitor center. We did finish a bag of the North Sea Fish Snacks which was a delicious (and frankly yummier) alternative to beef jerky.
