A few weeks ago, I decided to go hiking and I stumbled upon this trail at Alum Rock Park that I wanted to share with you all. It’s a super easy hike with minimal uphill and lots of shade if you plan to go during the spring or summer when it’s warmer. Since it’s been raining a ton in California, a lot of the trails are green and the rivers/streams are flowing again which makes it perfect to go outdoors and start checking off my bucketlist of hiking trails to go on. I also recently bough a pair of Merrill hiking shoes and wanted to test them out for the first time!
There is no shortage of hiking trails in the Bay Area. I’m always finding a new trail to add to my bucketlist and it’s continuously growing. This trail I did was called Mineral Springs Trail at Alum Rock Park located in San Jose. This trail is perfect for beginners and was so peaceful with the stream flowing right beside you as you’re walking.
Trail Guide
Name: Mineral Springs Trail
Route: Penitencia Creek and Woodland Trail Loop
Level: Easy
Length: 1.5 miles
Estimated Time: ~45mins
My Thoughts on Mineral Springs Trail
The trail was located deeper into Alum Rock Park. I believe the map may lead you to the first trail in Alum Rock Park. There are signs at each trail that will tell you exactly which trail you’re at, so keep driving until you see the sign that says “Mineral Springs”. Each trail will also have their own parking lot and some require you to pay.
Some parts of this trail are blocked off due to the rain which I was a bit bummed about, but nonetheless, the trail was still very beautiful. There was a lot of shade which was nice and there are multiple bridges thorughout the hike (I made sure to take a photo at every one of them lol). During most of the hike, there wasn’t too much uphill and you’re walking by the stream. If you like the sound of steady running water, then you would love this hike!
Merrill Hiking Shoes Review
A quick review on the Merrell Moab 3 hiking shoes that I bought. While I was researching for a new pair of hiking shoes, I stumbled across multiple reviews saying how great the Merrill Moab 3’s were, so I decided to try them out. I loved that they had so many color options to choose from(I ended up going for the color Laurel). They offer a waterproof version as well, but I just got the regular one.
I must say that these were probably the best shoes I’ve worn. My foot is on the wider side and a lot of shoes tend to hurt and feel uncomfortable when walking for a long period of time. These Merrill shoes were comfortable throughout the entire time I was hiking for 45 mins anyway. I will have to do a longer hike and update you all. I love that it feels super lightweight and provides a nice cushion under my feet. It also leaves a lot of space for feet to breath. While I was shopping, the sales associate told me that it’s better to size up so that you can leave room for you feet to move around because assuming that you are going to be hiking in these shoes for long periods of time, it’ll your feet from feeling cramped.
