Grant Ranch County Park
Grant Ranch Park is the largest county park in Santa Clara County, California.[1] Also known as Joseph D. Grant County Park,[2] this site is situated in the Diablo Range foothills of the eastern Santa Clara Valley. The park is one of 28 owned by Santa Clara County and managed by the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department.[3]
Joseph D. Grant, son of a wealthy San Francisco merchant, began buying what had been the Rancho Cañada de Pala Mexican land grant. Grant used the property for grazing cattle, recreating, and hunting game. Joseph D. Grant died in 1942. Santa Clara County purchased approximately 9,553 acres (38.7 km2) of the land in 1975, and created this public park.
Grant Ranch Park is situated in the Diablo Range, near Mount Hamilton. Elevations range from about 1,400 feet (427 m) in Halls Valley to peaks over 2,800 feet (853 m) on the Park's eastern edge.[4] This upward gradient leads to even higher peaks in the crest of the range and to Mount Hamilton itself at 4,209 feet (1,283 m). The western slopes of Mount Hamilton drop into Smith Creek which forms the eastern boundary of the Park.
The park is known for mountain biking,[5] birdwatching and hiking. Some of the special status biota within Grant Ranch Park are the Burrowing owl and the Western pond turtle. The Park also offers camp sites.
Contents
Gallery
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MG 1145.jpg
Joseph D Grant Ranch Park, Grant Lake, Midwinter
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Joseph D Grant Ranch Park, Corral Trail, Midsummer
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Tree in Tank.jpg
Rusted Water Tank hosts a tree
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Highway 130 - Mt Hamilton Road.JPG
Mount Hamilton Road
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Cañada de Pala Cabin.jpg
Historic cabin used for hunting and fishing
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See also
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References
- ↑ Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department Official Site: Joseph Grant Ranch County Park
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Biology Study for Joseph Grant County Park, Santa Clara County, California, Earth Metrics inc, prepared for the County of Santa Clara, Report #7978, October 4, 1989
- ↑ Mountain Biking in Grant Ranch Park
External links
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