Coal Creek Open Space Preserve

Coal Creek is a small open space reserve, shaped like a fat, upside-​down Y. The shape has more to do with squeezing in and around private property than any kind of grand design. And this shape makes it hard to do any sort of good loop hike since two «legs» of the Y intersect at two different points on Skyline Drive. Thankfully, Russian Ridge OSP is on the other side of the road, so part of the loop can be made up via trail in that park (uhm…as long as you don’t mind jumping two fences and walking down a long private driveway to get back to Skyline. Go ahead, ask me how I know).
In short — Not a good option for a loop hike, but not bad for short stroll or for walking the dog (Dogs on leash are allowed). There is also no dedicated parking lot; nor any bathrooms.
The third leg of the Y is the lowest point of the park and intersects with the very top of Alpine Road, which once-​upon-​a-​time reached all the way to Skyline Dr. These days it ends at the park border. It’s not a bad spot to park your car on the side of the road and take your mountain bike up to the top, allowing access to the trails of both Russian Ridge and Monte Bello OSPs. The coolest part about this trail are some of the left-​behind clues of the former road, including mile markers and a few faded signs.
Coal Creek does offer a decent mix of both forested sections and open grassland views, but it’s one of my least favorite of the local parks. It’s also cut-​through with some erosion trails and a section of power lines. Of course, other Unilocalers have rated this «As good as it gets» (aka 5 stars), so hopefully my review will steer the overall rating towards less lofty ground.
Hiking Spot Checklist:
– Parking: Limited road-​side parking only
– Bathrooms: No
– Potable water: No
– Maps provided: No
– Highlights: Some nice views toward the bay

This hidden away space preserve has an awesome trail on it if you start from the bottom and then take the loop. In getting to this place, we first tried to go to Windy Hill and got lost and ended up at the base of the Alpine trail.
I highly recommend anyone to start out on Alpine and then take Meadow trail and then down on Clouds Rest back to Alpine for a loop. We found this meadow that just laid flat with a gorgeous view of San Jose. Check out the pictures!
Almost no one knows about this area so the hike is really nice and it does seem like a cyclist kind of path.

This preserve offers several great dog-​friendly hiking trails with views of the Bay and surrounding areas. There is no restroom, but one is available nearby at the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve, just a few minutes down the road on Skyline Boulevard. There’s also no water or garbage service, so bring water and a dish for your dog, and pack out any dog waste when you leave. I recommend parking at the Vista Point on Skyline Boulevard, just SE of the intersection with Clouds Rest Trail. Then, enter at Clouds Rest Trail. If you’re driving from 280, half the fun is the amazing drive on Page Mill Road, winding up into the mountains. The views are great, and you can imagine that you are one of the wealthy people who have the pleasure to live up there. Important: Download the map of the preserve from the website before you leave. You’ll be lost on the trails without it.