Name: Penitencia Creek Trail
Rating: 3.0

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Family Friendly Lots of opportunities for restrooms, water, and exploration. There are a couple of playgrounds mid-ride, which could be shortened to be the final destination instead.

[UPDATE June 2023: Heavy rains closed the main road into the park and parking lot described below.

Suggest parking in either in the small western parking lot or on one of the city streets just before the entrance road. If using the latter, be extra cautious cycling on the narrow 2 lane road. Once at the roundabout, head up the trail next to the bathroom, and follow the singletrack creek trail to the Eagle Rock/Rustic Lands lot. This is the "Another option..." mentioned in the Description.]

Description

This is a nice out-and-back beginners trail that initially follows the old streetcar route into the former resort area of Alum Rock Park , California's oldest Municipal park. There used to be a Natorium/Pool Area and many mineral baths along the creek, but unfortunately the years have taken their toll. Just a few ruins remain if you know where to look.

From the eastern end of the Eagle Rock Parking Lot (near the restrooms), cross the road and make the brief climb up Penitencia Creek Trail. Continue east on the trail and cross the Historic Alum Rock Railway Bridge, the only remaining railway bridge. The trail becomes shady and follows the creek up to the former resort area in the middle of the park. There are some very nice picnic areas, a couple of playgrounds, the Visitor's Center, a Youth Science Center, restrooms and water fountains.

Continuing up Penitencia Creek, the trail continues past the Mineral Bath ruins and uphill to NoHorse Bridge, where you can dip your toes in the water on warm days. Unfortunately, this also marks the end of the road for bicycles.

Riders looking for more of a challenge on the return should consider the North Rim Trail and going up to Eagle Rock. The turnoff for this trail is the Alum Rock bridge just past the bath ruins at the east end of the Mineral Springs parking lot. Follow Alum Rock Ave to where it switchbacks to the east, then continue straight ahead on the North Rim Trail. Eventually, the Eagle Rock Trail takes off to the right and up the hill to Eagle Rock, which has nice views of the Silicon Valley. On descending, continue west on the North Rim Trail back to the parking lot. Note that the final descent is pretty rapid, a concern for beginning riders.

Another option, which has a section of wide singletrack, is to head west along the Penitencia Creek Trail. From the starting parking lot, the trail cross the creek and continues along the banks to the west park entrance with another small parking lot. Parking availability can be challenging here, which is why I suggest the larger lots at Eagle Rock/Rustic Lands.