Touring * Beginner *

Heading south on U.S. 101 in south San Jose, take the West Valley Freeway exit (Highway 85) and proceed west. After six miles, you'll come to the Almaden Expressway, just before the Almaden Plaza Mall, visible across the intersection on your left. Exit south onto Almaden Expressway and drive 1.75 south to the Coleman Road stoplight. Almaden Lake Park can be seen diagonally across the intersection to your left. Just after the intersection, you can turn left into the parking lot. There is a $3 fee for parking between May and September, but free parking can be found in a gravel area on the left further down Almaden Expressway. According to the San Jose Regional Parks office, it can be pretty hard to find parking here during the finest weather days. If this is true in your case, continue south on Almaden Expressway to Camden Avenue and park near the Alamitos Creek Trail (see page 151). Map: A free map of Almaden Lake itself (but not the portion of the trail outside of the park) is available from San Jose Regional Parks at the address below.

The Almaden Lake Trail is a fantastic place to skate, and the best part of all is that it's still relatively unknown to people outside of San Jose (until this book gets into enough hands). The park was once a privately owned rock quarry, and the lake was progressively created by the excavation process. Transformed into a 65-acre park in 1982, Almaden Lake now offers swimming, fishing, and paddle boating, among other activities. Starting your skate from the south end of the Almaden Lake parking lot, you'll encounter the only hill on the trail. Beginners can simply walk down the short slope on the lawn, but it's a pretty safe spot to let 'em roll, with the grass bordering both sides. Just beyond the entrance to the park, you'll skate past the sandy swimmers' beach, watched over by lifeguards between Memorial Day and Labor Day. After the trail veers around toward the southern shoreline, you'll skate in a shady area that soon leads you to the bridge over Alamitos Creek. Cross the wooden bridge with care; it's built in a sloping arc and you'll need to stay in control to make the hard right turn on the other side. It's highly likely that you'll have a sudden meeting with other trail users approaching the intersection from the south. From here, you'll leave the lake and skate on perfect pavement that meanders through trees at the creek's edge. At some places, the neighborhood homes and streets are far enough from the trail to be forgotten, and this continues for two miles, with one more bridge to cross. A separate dirt path paralleling the pavement helps reduce traffic from mountain bikers and joggers. Your trail is 10 feet wide--so wide, in fact, that in most cases you won't feel the need to call out "On your left!" as you approach pedestrians or slower rollers from behind. But it's wise to call out anyway; when the trail is crowded, there's a higher likelihood that somebody might cross your path. At the time this book went to press, the pavement ended (although a gravel path continued) at Graystone Lane. For intermediate skaters ready for a longer trip, skate left on Graystone Lane, across the bridge and over the creek. Turn left on the other side of the creek to skate through a relatively new housing development at the base of the low foothills. Here you'll find two or three medium-grade slopes on fine pavement with little traffic. When you're done playing on these hills, you can get back on the trail right next to the residential street. You'll find it by watching for people passing by through the trees. Walk across the grass to join the trail.