Party planners may find themselves inundated with things to do: buying loads of groceries, marinating the chicken the night before, counting the number of hotdogs and buns, sorting out the proper utensils, making sure there is enough charcoal for the barbecue grill, providing condiments and planning out activities and entertainment for adults and children. On top of that, someone always has to stay behind to make sure that all the trash is picked up and the equipment stored in its proper place. With all the hassle involved, it may be more convenient to simply dine out.

Sophie and Alex Madden used to go through this stress every year planning for their children's birthday parties—at least they did until two years ago, when they found out about Saratoga Springs.

"I've never been to a park that offers nearly as much as this one," Sophie says. "It has a good variety of games and entertainment for both adults and children and a decent selection of food. It helps take a load off my shoulders."

The park has more than 20 people on staff, including chefs, activity crew members and camp counselors working to make visitors' stay as stress-free as possible. In addition to having access to all of the park's amenities—horseshoe pits, volleyball courts, a swimming pool, basketball courts, a video arcade and playgrounds—guests can also engage in a friendly boxing match in an inflatable boxing ring equipped with oversized gloves, send someone into a pool of water in the dunk tank, challenge a friend to a game of ping pong and score in a foosball competition for an additional fixed rate.

Photograph by George Sakkestad Day campers Ryan Allen and Wyatt Iwanaga wade across a creek in knee-high water.

Prior to learning about the park through a company picnic, Sophie Madden says, she and her husband always ended up cooking and planning at the last minute.

"We were a bit disorganized," admits Sophie. "Now all we have to do is show up and the rest is taken care of. It's like going to someone else's party."

The park, situated in the secluded hills along Big Basin Way, spans 140 acres but operates on 15 acres. It features seven picnic areas that can accommodate anywhere from 25 to 800 people and 51 camping sites.

The history of the park dates back to the mid-1800s, when it was originally called Campbell's Gap and was the site of Santa Clara County's first water-powered sawmill. It was frequently used as a picnic area for sawmill workers and was expanded to include a hunting lodge and a winery after French immigrants Joseph Rispaud and Maurice Garcin purchased 400 acres of the land in 1876. In the mid-1900s, part of the property was leased to a San Jose native, who changed the name of the park to Saratoga Springs and added recreational facilities, including the swimming pool and volleyball courts. Bill Giannini, current owner of the park and great grandson of Rispaud, took over the facility's operations in 1972 and introduced the concept of corporate picnics at the park.

Photograph by George Sakkestad Susie and Bob McConnell prepare a meal on the grill while vacationing in their RV.

It has also grown to be a popular site for school picnics, weddings and receptions, rehearsal dinners, anniversary celebrations, family and high school reunions as well as birthday parties.

"It's great to be able to take part in these types of affairs," Brad says. "The planning process and the behind-the-scenes work can be stressful, but seeing the end result of people having fun and laughing makes it worthwhile."

He adds that one of the advantages of his job is interacting with people.

"It's in my blood," he says.

Photograph by George Sakkestad Fishing expert Guy Serrano searches for a rare species of fish at Saratoga Springs. Serrano has been fishing at the park for the past 20 years and spends his time teaching fellow campers the art of fly-fishing.

The area is surrounded by lush green vegetation, tall trees and open dirt trails leading deeper into the park, and it has two creeks—Brooker and Saratoga creeks—running close to one another.

"This is one of the best parks around," Chandarraju says. "It has lots of shaded areas for those who like to stay cool and plenty of things visitors can do."

Another Hewlett Packard employee, Donna Hobbs, says she'd been to the park well over three dozen times while growing up in the city.

"I biked to the park frequently when I was a teenager," recalls Hobbs. "I used to love wading in the water. This park has been a significant piece of my life."

According to Brad, summer is the busiest time of the year for the employees.

"The park is pretty much packed on the weekends," Brad says. "On average, there are at least three different parties going on on Fridays, bringing up to 500 visitors, while on a busier day like Saturday we may get between 1,200 and 1,300 park users."

Photograph by George Sakkestad Staff member Joaquin Esteban flips hamburger patties for visitors at a corporate party at the park.

From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., the park is occupied by kids enrolled in the summer day camp program, which runs through Aug. 19. For a 10-week period, children ages 5 to 12 can participate in a number of activities such as swimming, hiking, games and arts and crafts. Activities reflect each week's theme. For example, in the week designated as Pirate's Week children made their own treasure chests and participated in a treasure hunt, and during Harry Potter week, day campers made their own versions of magical wands and wizard hats. As part of the program, the kids also get the opportunity to show off their acting talents in front of their parents on Thursday nights.

Six-year-old Katherine Dodgen says she enjoys coming to the day camp.

"My favorite part is swimming," she says. "But I also like playing games like Chubby Bunny and talking to the counselors."

Day campers may be at the park until the evening, but some serious campers like Brian Phillips, his wife, Marcy, and his son, Ryan, say they typically stay for at least a week in their secluded spot in the shade. With their tents set up along Saratoga Creek, the family spends their time hiking, reading, playing cards, skipping stones and lounging on beach chairs while enjoying the beautiful scenery of natural wildlands.

The tranquility of the environment and the sound of the water flowing over stones are what they say attracted them to the park in the first place. They've been camping at the park twice each year for the past five years.

"We try to stay here for as long as we can," says Marcy.

Some campers, like former Sunnyvale resident Guy Serrano, have made Saratoga Springs their home.

Serrano says he instantly fell in love with the park when he first visited as a child during his father's company picnics. He says he remembers wishing that he could live at the park.

That wish came true. Serrano has been living in his RV—equipped with a television, a DVD player and a computer—for the past 14 months. He spends a portion of his time in the creek, looking for a rare species of native mountain trout and educating fellow campers about the sport of fly-fishing.

"I love it out here," he says. "It's one of the most peaceful places I know. I wouldn't choose any another place to live."

For more information about the park or to enroll in the summer day camps, visit the park's website at http://www.saratoga-springs.com or call 408.867.3016.