Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department

Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department has provided recreational opportunities, beautiful parks and precious natural resources for Santa Clara County residents for more than 65 years. The Santa Clara County Parks regional park system preserves natural resources and provides recreational opportunities to residents at 28 park locations encompassing more than 55,000 acres. The department operates a diverse park system offering a wide range of recreational opportunities including: five camping parks (one outfitted with yurts), ten reservoirs for recreational boating and fishing, 350 miles of hiking, horseback riding, and biking trails, a motorcycle park, hang gliding, historic and cultural sites, a boat launch to the San Francisco Bay, and many other amenities of broad appeal within a regional park system that contains some of Santa Clara County’s finest natural resources

Our mission

The mission of Santa Clara County Parks is to provide, protect, and preserve regional parklands for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations.

Our vision

We create and manage a sustainable, vibrant system of regional parks and trails where exceptional visitor experiences enrich the human spirit and offer all people the opportunity to connect with the County’s protected natural, cultural, historic and scenic resources, consistent with responsible resource stewardship.​

The department’s vision is supported by the following elements that when taken as a whole, provide a panorama of what the future of the regional parks in Santa Clara County should be.

• Interconnected and inclusive: The County’s regional park and trail network provides equitable access for people and critical linkages for wildlife.
• Resource stewardship: County natural and historical resources are managed in balance with public access and recreation.
• Operational excellence: County Parks serves as a model of excellence in customer service, resource protection and park management.
• Enriched visitor experience: County Parks provides high quality visitor experiences.
• Human health: Outdoor recreation in County parks enhances human health and wellbeing.​