Guadalupe River Park and Gardens
Part 3 North: Guadalupe Gardens to I-880
This
page covers the north part of the trail from the Guadalupe Gardens to
I-880. The Guadalupe Gardens are on the west bank of the river between
Coleman Avenue and Taylor Street.
The Guadalupe Gardens are under the flight path to
Mineta San Jose International Airport. That's one of the reasons why
there's a garden here and not homes. Over 630 homes were removed from
this area starting in 1975 because of airport noise and safety
concerns. The gardens
currently include the Courtyard Garden, Heritage Rose Garden, Historic
Orchard, and Taylor Street Rock Garden.
The
gardens are a good place for
plane-watching. Here, near the northwest corner of the park, is a field
of poppies and a small hill.
View of the Courtyard Garden
View of the Courtyard Garden in the foreground and the Heritage Rose Garden in the background
Courtyard Garden path lined by roses and irises.
Courtyard Garden
Courtyard Garden
Sunflowers at the Heritage Rose Garden
Heritage Rose Garden
Heritage Rose Garden
Historic orchard
The
Visitor & Education Center, located at 438 Coleman Avenue, is the
headquarters of the Friends
of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens. Meetings and Educational programs are
held here.
Pune,
India sister city monument
This
is the Guadalupe Gardens Taylor Street Demonstration Rock Garden, which
runs along the sidewalk for two blocks alond West Taylor Street, next
to Columbus Park. The purpose of the garden is to demonstrate
low-maintenance and water-efficient landscaping, using drought-tolerant
plants.
North
of Coleman, the character of the riverbed changes dramatically compared
to the sections to the south. Instead of the concrete river channel and
flood control culvert, the river here widens out, with gently-sloping
banks. During low flows, the river is confined to a narrow channel,
surrounded by vegetation, and with small dams. The vegetation along the
banks provides shade for the fish in the river.
Park and lawn north of the Taylor Street Bridge
South side of the West Taylor Street Bridge
North side of the West Taylor Street Bridge
Natural vegetation along the river
Trees lining the river trail
West Hedding Street Bridge
Near the end of the trail is a memorial bench and the Hwy 880 bridge.
Under the I-880 Bridge. The official trail ends at the ramp, so far.
Looking across the Guadalupe River at the not-yet-open trail on the east bank.
The
dirt levee service road on
the west bank above the river, paralleling Airport Blvd. isn't an
official trail, but it can be taken for some distance, though it may be
affected by airport and trail construction. Eventually, the trail will
lead all the way to Hwy 101. To see the trail north of 101, see the Guadalupe River Trail: Hwy 101 to Alviso.
Created by Ronald Horii, 7/19/07