Neighborhood Parks in San Jose, California

San Jose, California has scores of neighborhood parks. Some offer more than others. Here are the profiles of two parks that I am familiar with.

Cahalan Park

Cahalan Park is one of the larger city parks in South San Jose. It sits on 9.5 acres and has adequate parking. The only lot you will find is a single-row section on Pearlwood Way. If that is full, you can try to park on Cahalan or Homewood Place.

There are no fees to get into the park. Simply park your car and walk into it. The hours of operation are from 7:00am to 9:00pm.

The park gets a lot of traffic on the weekends and during baseball season. Many times, I will drive past the area and see the blowup jumpers for a kid's birthday party. My family and I have participated in many birthday parties at Cahalan Park, when we lived in the neighborhood. We held our annual Cub Scout summer gathering there one year, playing games and eating barbecue.

If you arrive early enough, you will be able to set up your picnic at one of the tables in the shaded area. The only time that matters is during the height of summer. Otherwise, sitting at the picnic benches or on the broad expanse of the lawn is pleasant.

Kids can run around or play football on the grass. Adults can either sit there and watch them or play tennis in one of the two courts. Cahalan Park has a basketball court, two playgrounds, eight barbecue pits, eight picnic tables, and restrooms.

La Colina Park

When my family and I moved to San Jose in 1976, La Colina Park contained a dirt path and large hill that my brothers loved to climb. They called it Honda Hill. As we grew up, they graduated from walking up that hill to riding their bikes on it. At the time, La Colina Park wasn't much of a park.

The City decided to spruce up the area in 1984. The dirt path that stretched from Los Pinos Way to Blossom Valley Elementary School was replaced by a curvy sidewalk. They put in concrete benches at strategic places so that people can sit down and rest.

Since I moved out of the area in 1986, they added two playgrounds, nine picnic tables, five barbecues, and restrooms. There is a huge grass field that has two curved backdrops. As big as that park is (25.5 acres), I'm surprised the city didn't add a parking lot.