The Ohlone traveled here via Los Alamitos Creek to gather cinnabar, which was traded throughout the state for use as a pigment. Native Californians would travel great distances to trade for it. Controlled by the Quiroste tribelet, the Almaden mine was the principal source of this mineral. To mine the cinnabar, a 100-foot-long tunnel was constructed underground, large enough for one man to comfortably work inside. Rounded streambed cobbles functioned as hammers, picks, and mauls. Skeletons and stone implements found near the working face of the tunnel indicate that there once was an untimely cave-in. Unlike specialized Pomo chert drill makers or Gabrieleqo soapstone pot designers, no specialized miners class developed among the Quiroste working here. Instead, the cinnabar mines were probably worked over a long period of time by many different people. Just as the Pomo salt wars resulted from the Potter Valley Pomo's failure to offer the Stonyford Pomo gifts before taking salt, battles occurred here when the Yokuts, attempted to gather cinnabar without first acknowledging the resident Quiroste. During historic times, Almaden developed into the richest quicksilver (mercury) mines in California, with shafts extending 2,300 feet below the ground. The mines closed in 1972 in response to the discovery of mercury's toxicity.

New Almaden Mine Round-trip Distance: 3.3 miles. Location: Cinnabar mine in Quiroste territory. Administration: Almaden Quicksilver Park, Santa Clara County Parks. Map: Almaden Quicksilver Park.

Trailhead
Exit Hwy 85 at Almaden Expwy. (G8) in San Jose. Follow Almaden Expwy. 4.2 miles southeast to Almaden Rd. Continue 2.9 miles on Almaden Rd. through the town of New Almaden to the Almaden Quicksilver County Park staging area on the right, next to the ranger station and the Almaden Museum.

On the Trail
The Mine Hill Trail traverses the hills, passing signs of both prehistoric and historic mining activity in the park. From the parking area, follow the Mine Hill Trail up-canyon along Los Alamitos Creek, paralleling the former Ohlone route. The trail begins to switchback as it climbs north among chaparral, intermittently broken by serpentine outcroppings. Cinnabar forms under unique conditions where serpentine rock is geothermally transformed. The trail ascends higher as it switchbacks to the top of Capehorn Pass. At 1,000 feet above sea level, the pass offers you a panoramic view of the San Francisco Bay and of the Ohlone ancestral homelands. Your view extends north from the cities of South Bay to the East Bay hills. Where the Mine Hill Trail ascends via a hard left from Capehorn Pass, take an easier left on the Randol Trail, which follows a middle trail fork northwest. Seasonal wildflowers may carpet the ridge top above you as the Randol Trail traverses several ravines to the picnic area at Day Tunnel. Now sealed, this was the original entrance to the mines. When you're through exploring the site and enjoying the view, retrace your steps to the parking area.