Marsh View Trail at the Environmental Education Center

The Don Edwards Environmental Education Center in Alviso, CA (a suburb of San Jose) is a beautiful, weird park. I love it there, and I always see tons and tons of birds when I go; however, there is something about that park that seems harsh. I have bad luck when I go there.

The park closed early when I went on Friday, at 10:00 am. Luckily, there is a secondary parking lot outside of the gate, so I parked there and took the Marsh View Trail to connect to the New Chicago Marsh Trail boardwalk, which made a 1.1-mile lollipop. I had wanted to take the longer 3.3-mile loop along the levee of Mallard Slough, but my daughter was not up for it. I met a friend, and we had a lovely picnic under a shady pavilion at the closed Environmental Education center, and then did the boardwalk loop before turning back and finding that my car battery had died! I am grateful that there was good cell phone reception. One of my other trips to this marsh (at Alviso Marina County Park), I lost my cell phone. I don't know what it is about a marsh hike that makes me so forgetful.

I enjoyed this hike nonetheless, but I do think that it's best to go on a day when it's not going to be too hot. It was in the high 70s on Friday, but it's such an exposed hike that it feels hotter than that, even with the nice breezes blowing off the water. I want to make a point to come back here next spring, to see if the marshes bloom with spring flowers.

August 2019

August 2018