Touring *

From Interstate 680 in San Jose, take the Berryessa Road exit, heading east. After four stoplights, pull into the parking lot at the Berryessa Community Center/Penitencia Creek Park on the right.

Skate east San Jose's Penitencia Creek Trail in the springtime to see the sycamores, oaks, and cottonwoods at their finest. During the summer, this in-line tour is best taken while the sun is low on either horizon. From the parking lot at Penitencia Creek County Park, cross or circle around the big lawn on one of the paths to reach the far southwest corner of the park. Across Penitencia Creek Road, you'll see the wide asphalt trail with its yellow dividing line emerging at Viceroy Way. Cross the street and skate through the grasses heading west toward the freeway. At busy Capitol Avenue, a crosswalk and stoplights enable you to cross safely. Turn left at what seems like a dead end to cross the bridge over the creek. At the far side of the bridge, you'll find the trail again, almost hidden on the right. Eucalyptus trees line Penitencia Creek as you continue south, following it under the multiple lanes of Interstate 680. A few blocks further on, the trail enters a residential area and terminates on Mossdale Way, just across Jackson Avenue from Penitencia Creek County Park. One block south of here, a crosswalk gives you access to the park's wide concrete paths, worth exploring before you head back. On your return to Penitencia Creek Park, end your skate with a loop around its wide-open spaces.