Best Bird Watching Area San Jose Near Me

4worldlovers: Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and Black-crowned Night-Herons all call the Mountain View Google Campus home. Every year, they return in spring to raise their young in the noisy cacophony of the Shorebird Way colony (or rookery). Great Egrets usually arrive first, followed by the Snowy Egrets and Night-Herons. From March to August, you can watch the entire breeding cycle unfold before your eyes.

4worldlovers:
Welcome to Alviso Marina County Park, gateway to the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This 20.6 acre bayside park, located along Alviso slough and adjacent to the salt ponds and marshes of Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Though small in size, the Park offers a great deal of activities within its boundaries and on into the Wildlife Refuge. The pathways and boardwalks of the County Park and trails around the ponds in the adjacent Wildlife Refuge, and the regional trails which include the San Francisco Bay Trail and San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail, offer fantastic views of the mountains surrounding the bay, and of the wildlife that call these ponds home.​


Take Highway 237 (Alviso-Milpitas Road) west to North First Street exit. Turn right on North First Street (which becomes North Taylor); turn right on Gold Street, left on Elizabeth Street and right on Hope Street.

Take Highway 237 (Mt. View-Alviso Road) east to Great America Parkway exit. Turn left onto Great America Parkway, turn right on Gold Street connector, left on Gold Street, left on Elizabeth Street and right on Hope Street.

Join park staff on an interpretive boat ride through Alviso Slough to learn how the South San Francisco Bay’s shoreline has changed over time. Click HERE to register for a spot on the FREE Alviso Boat Tour! if you are an educator for grades 6+ and would like to bring your class out on the slough, please check out the EDUCATION PROGRAMS page HERE and scroll down to Exploring Our Changing Bay.

Hiking, biking and bird watching are favorite activities in both the park and the refuge, while picnicking and strolling along the manicured pathways can be enjoyed within the County Park. Dogs are allowed in the County Park's pathways and picnic areas, but are not allowed on the trails, levees and boardwalks. While bikes are allowed on all pathways and trails in the park, please walk your bikes on the boardwalks.

The boat launch ramp provides one of the few clear routes in the San Jose area through the salt marshes of Alviso slough out to the open waters of the San Francisco Bay. The boat launch ramp provides access for both motorized and non-motorized boats and includes concrete launch ramps and two floating docks. Alviso Marina County Park is a Designated Site in the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail Network. Please see the San Francisco Bay Trail or San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail websites for more information about these regional trails. Navigational charts can be obtained through NOAA or a local retailer (Ref. No. 18AHA18651). When using the waters of the bay, please respect the sensitive nature of this unique ecosystem.

For more information about the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, visit their website HERE. For inquiries about the Environmental Education Center, field trips, trails, and interpretive programs, call (408) 262-5513.

The park is open year-round from 8 a.m. to sunset. There are no fees collected at this time for vehicle entry or launching.

Santa Clara County's Alviso Marina is the primary access in Santa Clara County for vessel owners to launch into San Francisco Bay. Fishermen and hunters who want access to the launch ramp after hours will need to purchase an annual Gate Key.

To purchase a Gate Key, you must complete the Alviso Marina County Park Gate Key Form, (see below) read, sign and submit with current payment to the Santa Clara County Parks Administration Office, Attention: ALVISO, 298 Garden Hill Drive, Los Gatos, CA 95032. Annual fee is $75.00.

Mallard Slough Trail is closed due to construction as well as sections of Alviso Slough Trail at Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Alviso California. South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Project (Phase I) between the Alviso Slough/Guadalupe River and Coyote Creek is underway. For more information, see the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Project fact sheet.

In compliance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ('ADA'),the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its programs, services, or activities. The Department will make reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disability have an equal opportunity to enjoy our programs, services, facilities, and activities. If you need assistance with an ADA request, please contact our ADA Coordinator​.

4worldlovers: Nestled between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range at the southern edge of San Jose, lies the stunning Coyote Valley. As our top conservation priority, it encompasses a unique combination of nature’s benefits such as floodplains, local water supply, wildlife connectivity, agriculture, recreation, and more.

Coyote Valley offers a rare opportunity to connect over one million acres of core habitat in the surrounding mountains, creating a Landscape Linkage allowing species to disperse, migrate, and shift ranges in response to climate change. With California’s prolonged droughts and more frequent flooding and wildfires, protecting and restoring Coyote Valley's natural benefits is the smartest long-term investment we can make together for the health and sustainability of our region, especially in the face of a changing climate.

The Authority, through an innovative partnership with Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and the City of San Jose, has protected 1,000 acres of open space in North Coyote Valley, creating the North Coyote Valley Conservation Area. As identified in the Coyote Valley Landscape Linkage vision, protection of the North Coyote Valley is a key link in connecting wildlife habitats, providing opportunities to restore natural floodplains and improve water quality, and helping to build a climate resilient future for the residents of the 10th largest city in the nation.

Recognizing the importance of protecting nature for the benefits it provides our communities, this landmark transaction pulled together funding from the Authority’s Measure Q, San Jose’s Measure T, and POST, with support from multiple local and state agencies to take the first step towards a re-imagined and greener future for Coyote Valley and put an end to sprawl in the Santa Clara Valley.