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Santa Clara County Parks
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About us

Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department has provided recreational opportunities, beautiful parks and precious natural resources for Santa Clara County residents for more than 65 years. The Santa Clara County Parks regional park system preserves natural resources and provides recreational opportunities to residents at 28 park locations encompassing more than 55,000 acres. The department operates a diverse park system offering a wide range of recreational opportunities including: five camping parks (one outfitted with yurts), ten reservoirs for recreational boating and fishing, 350 miles of hiking, horseback riding, and biking trails, a motorcycle park, hang gliding, historic and cultural sites, a boat launch to the San Francisco Bay, and many other amenities of broad appeal within a regional park system that contains some of Santa Clara County’s finest natural resources 

Our mission

The mission of Santa Clara County Parks is to provide, protect, and preserve regional parklands for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations.

Our vision

We create and manage a sustainable, vibrant system of regional parks and trails where exceptional visitor experiences enrich the human spirit and offer all people the opportunity to connect with the County’s protected natural, cultural, historic and scenic resources, consistent with responsible resource stewardship.​

The department’s vision is supported by the following elements that when taken as a whole, provide a panorama of what the future of the regional parks in Santa Clara County should be.

  • Interconnected and inclusive: The County’s regional park and trail network provides equitable access for people and critical linkages for wildlife.
  • Resource stewardship: County natural and historical resources are managed in balance with public access and recreation.
  • Operational excellence: County Parks serves as a model of excellence in customer service, resource protection and park management.
  • Enriched visitor experience: County Parks provides high quality visitor experiences.
  • Human health: Outdoor recreation in County parks enhances human health and wellbeing.​

Attachments and reports

Parks Department Organizational Chart
2016 and 2017 Parklands Report
2018 Strategic Plan Executive Summary

Park Charter Fund (Measure A)

In June 2016, Santa Clara County voters once again expressed their support for the Santa Clara County Parks regional park system by passing Measure A, the renewal of the Park Charter Fund. The measure is not a tax. Instead, it changes the percentage of the county budget that automatically gets allocated for the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department. Measure A also increased the transfer amount from $0.01425 to $0.015 per $100 assessed value of property, allocates at least 10% of the funds be set aside and used for acquisition and at least 10% used for park development with the remainder used for operations and maintenance of the County's Regional Park System.

Learn more about the Park Charter Fund and its history here.

Parks and Recreation Commission

The Parks and Recreation Commission was established March 14, 1955. The duties of the Commission are to promote, aid and encourage public recreation, including the development of recreation and park facilities and programs. The Commission shall act in an advisory capacity to the Board of Supervisors in the planning, maintenance, development and operation of all recreational areas and facilities owned, controlled or leased by the County. It shall study and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors on the acquisition and development of recreation areas and facilities such as playgrounds, parks, beaches, pools, campsites and other recreational facilities. The Commission is composed of seven members, appointed by the Board of Supervisors, with a term of four years.

Please email [email protected]​ for any questions related to the commission or for review by the commissioners.