Hetch Hetchy & Berryessa Creek Trails 2016-04-23

Hetch Hetchy trail in Milpitas runs between two neighborhood parks, Peter Gill park in the south (at Paseo Refugio & Beresford Park) and Sandalwood Park in the north (at Escuela Pkwy & Russell Ln). This is a blacktop, multi-use trail that runs through a nice green stretch all the way bordering a residential neighborhood. Plenty of parking is available near both ends, including street side parking. 

Parking near Sandalwood park, Apollo and I walked south. Hetch Hetchy trail crosses Jacklin Rd and Tramway Dr before it reaches Gill park. Along the way, the trail also crosses another small park, Oliver Jones Memorial park. Little more than a mile long, the trail is bordered by what looks like manicured grass lawns, a treat for the residents of this neighborhood. 

Peter Gill park is a nice residential park with tennis & basketball courts, a baseball field and the usual children's play area. Crossing Paseo Refugio, we continued our walk by Berryessa Creek trail that runs east-west along the creek. A blacktop trail runs on top of the levee that borders the creek. There is also a rough dirt trail that runs on either side of the creek, slightly below the levee level. 

If Hetch Hetchy trail had a manicured look, Berryessa Creek trail looked like in need of repairs, with several cracks in the pavement, weeds and wild grass not just by the trail but in it as well. This trail crosses N Milpitas Blvd and goes all the way until N Abel St. 

Before reaching Abel St, the trail goes by Hidden Lake Park, a beautiful artificial lake set against the backdrop of hills on the east. There is also a nice trail that goes around this lake, shy of a 1/2 mile loop. After a walk around the lake, we headed back the way we came.

The walk by Berryessa Creek trail eastward did not change the scenery much, heading north by Hetch Hetchy trail was much more enjoyable with an impressive view of the picturesque hills in the distance. 

Not necessarily a destination hike, our outing in this urban residential neighborhood was surprisingly nice and I am glad I decided to take advantage of the fact that I had to visit Milpitas High School near Sandalwood park. Overall, we did 4.4 miles in this out and back walk with a small loop around hidden lake.

More pictures from our walk.
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