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A group of 7 hikers walk away from the camera on a dirt trail surrounded by a large flat field of golden grasses dotted with dark green oak trees, with rolling golden hills in the distance

Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve

Expanded Public Access

About the Project

Planning and Design Underway for Public Access Improvements

The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority is making accessibility improvements to the Heart’s Delight Trail and other facilities at Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve. This project will include providing accessible use areas, and connecting the parking lot, trailhead and interpretive seating and use areas via the Heart’s Delight Trail. This will include a new shaded central gathering area at the preserve entrance with accessible signage, including preserve information and interpretation, as well as seating.

Improvements to the existing ¼-mile (½-mile round trip) Heart’s Delight Trail will include standardizing the width and installing a stabilized surface. New accessible nodes along the Heart’s Delight Trail will interpret the history and future of Coyote Valley. An accessible picnic and gathering area will be designed to facilitate use for the general public and support environmental education programming for school and other community groups. This project will provide opportunities to expand programming and connect the community to nature through highlighting the views, wildlife and natural resources to be found and enjoyed at the preserve.  

Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve is envisioned as part of a regional north-south trail network with future connections to the Authority’s approximately 1,500-acre Coyote Valley Conservation Area, the adjacent 1,800-acre former Tilton Ranch and County parklands beyond.  This project is the first step in realizing a longer-term vision at this location for ecological restoration, enhanced wildlife habitat and nature-based recreation. 

Project Goals

  • Improve the Heart’s Delight Trail to expand accessibility.
  • Provide visitor trail amenities including overlooks and seating along the Heart’s Delight Trail.
  • Interpret and educate about the history and future of Coyote Valley. 
A small, empty parking lot surrounded by a low, split-rail fence next to a green field with a large oak tree and wooded hillsides in the background. The sky is blue and filled with small, fluffy white clouds.
This project includes improving the parking lot and adding a new shaded central gathering area at the preserve entrance with accessible signage.
A group of 6 hikers walks on a flat, straight dirt trail through a large field of short golden grass, with a hillside to the left and mountains on the horizon, under a bright blue sky
Accessibility improvements to the Heart’s Delight Trail will include standardizing the width and installing a stabilized surface.
A woman in a green shirt holds up and points at a large map of Coyote Valley, with other maps and planning documents on the table in front of her
The Open Space Authority is making accessibility improvements to the Heart’s Delight Trail and other facilities at Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve.
A family of four, two adults, a child, and a baby being carried by the mother, gather around a small trail kiosk with a large map and other informational signage.
The preserve’s existing kiosk will be updated and moved closer to the trailhead to improve wayfinding and access to preserve information.

Project Timeline

  • Summer/Fall 2020
    • Project Planning and Design
  • Winter 2020-2021
    • Use & Management Committee Meeting – February 25, 2021
  • Fall 2021
    • Project Design Alternatives
    • Citizens’ Advisory Committee Meeting – September 27, 2021  
  • Spring 2022
    • Preferred Alternative / Design Development
  • Winter 2022-2023
    • Preliminary Permit Applications and Environmental Review  
  • Summer/Fall 2023
    • Board Of Directors Meeting – October 12, 2023
  • Spring/Summer 2024
    • Design Development
  • Fall 2024/Winter 2025
    • Permitting
    • Construction Drawing Development
  • Spring/Summer 2026
    • Begin Construction 

Project Documents

Public Meetings

Three wooden picnic tables under a large oak tree in a field of golden-green grass, with rolling green hills and more oak trees in the distance.

Funding for this Project

This project was made possible with $800,000 in funding from the Federal Community Project Funding, $200,000 from Santa Clara Valley Water District’s Safe, Clean Water Project D3 Trails Grant Program and is an example of how the Open Space Authority is Investing in Nature.

Learn more on our Funding page.

Other Public Access Projects

Rolling golden hills covered in dark green trees and crisscrossed with trails, with blue mountains in the distance, under a bright blue sky

Rancho Cañada del Oro Regional Trail Planning

The Open Space Authority is looking at the feasibility of expanding multi-use access and regional trail connections to the southern portion of Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve, including an area formerly known as Blair Ranch. Learn more about this project.

A dirt trail with a seating area consisting of wooden tree logs and a rustic wooden bench, surrounded by a green meadow fringed with large leafy trees under a blue sky with white streaky clouds

Llagas Creek Day Use Area

In 2024, the Open Space Authority completed construction of the new Llagas Creek Bridge and Hidden Meadow Trail at Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve. Learn more about this completed project here.