Commuting by Trail
Pedal your way to work
Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager spins his wheels at Guadalupe River Park.
Photograph by John Myers
Have you ever considered riding your bicycle to work? Every day, thousands of Californians experience the benefits of commuting by bicycle. They get regular exercise, save money on gas, and help reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. And they have fun going to work!
Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, has been commuting by bicycle for about five years. “I start and end almost every work day commuting by bike between my home in Los Gatos and my office near San Jose Airport,” Guardino says. “It is a great and healthy way to start and end each day—burning carbs rather than carbon, getting some exercise, and enjoying the beauty of the Los Gatos Creek Trail.”
Santa Clara County’s bike path, trail, and lane network extends over hundreds of miles, much of which travels through scenic parks. If you live or work in the Almaden area, you can enjoy the semi-rural setting of the Los Alamitos Calero Creek Trail. This paved trail starts at Santa Teresa County Park and runs through Almaden Lake Park, where it joins the Upper Guadalupe River Trail and ends near the Oakridge Light Rail Station. If you need to connect with public transportation to complete your route, VTA buses and light rail vehicles are equipped with bike racks, as is Caltrain.
The Coyote Creek Trail is a 15-mile, paved, mostly level trail that meanders along Coyote Creek from Hellyer County Park, near Yerba Buena Road, through south San Jose and the Coyote Valley, and ends near Anderson Lake County Park in Morgan Hill. Many parts of this scenic parkway are shaded and cyclists enjoy great views of the surrounding hills.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager, a longtime advocate for trail development, started bicycle commuting while on the San Jose City Council. “I participated in the annual Bike to Work Day and I was hooked,” Yeager says. “The experience taught me that I could make my commute part of my exercise routine and help me train for triathlons.”
Yeager enjoys his 20-minute ride along the Guadalupe River Trail, which takes him to his office and to meetings around San Jose. He says there is only one problem with bike commuting: “When I ride my bike to work, it is hard to resist the urge to pass by the office and keep going!”
With plenty of sunshine and an extensive bikeway network, cycling to work in Santa Clara County can be both fun and safe. For additional information or to plan your route to and from work, visit www.parkhere.org.