The downtown San Jose park stretches 2.6 miles along the banks of the Guadalupe River, from Highway 280 to Highway 880. The park and gardens boast immaculate landscaped greenery, family-friendly areas and winding paths for hiking, biking, walking and running that will serve the community in the years ahead, including residents of Los Gatos and Saratoga.

"Once you're introduced to it, the park and gardens will draw you back, especially for families," Los Gatos resident Susan Fitts says.

The $340 million project is unique in its combination of flood protection, recreational open space, and preservation of an environment that's home to steelhead trout, chinook salmon, birds and other wildlife.

One sunny afternoon, San Jose mother Nikki Moore watches her son and his friends romp around the park. She brings 8-year-old Elyjah Wirth and his friends Joey O'Conner and Michael Thomlinson to the Arena Green Playgrounds at least once a month.

The Arena Green is located between Santa Clara and Julian streets, and is directly across Autumn Street from the San Jose Arena.

"They love to come here," Moore says. "They call it 'spider web park' because of the climbing structures. It's a good place to just let them run around. We come here whenever we get all three of the boys together."

Kathleen Muller is the 10-year executive director of the park and gardens. Her task has been coming up with ways to let the community know there's more than just one great place within the park for Elyjah, Joey and Michael to play. The recreational areas hold a myriad of delights.

A children's carousel in the Arena Green features 33 painted, fiberglass animals. The hummingbird, coyote, salmon and eagle represent indigenous species, and two sharks symbolize the San Jose Sharks ice hockey team.

Saratoga resident Mary Ellen Fox enjoys walking the park's trails with Fitts. Fox is the co-chairwoman of the grand opening celebration and is a six-year member of the board of directors for Friends of Guadalupe River Park and Gardens. The organization provides community leadership for the development and active use of the park through education, advocacy and stewardship.

Fitts is also a member of the board of directors. The former spokeswoman for Santa Clara County and the Santa Clara Valley Water District was also the district chief of staff for former Congressman Norm Mineta.

"The park and gardens will be pristine for the opening," Fox says. "The landscaping is just beautiful. They've done a magnificent job."

Fox loves walking the park's trails and encountering "little mini parks, surprises, historical monuments and sister city monuments" within one larger park.

"A lot of people in Saratoga may not realize what a wonderful project this is," Fox says. "I would love to see people go down and talk a walk there."

For Fox, the project has created the perfect relaxing park setting in busy, downtown San Jose.

"It's a reflection of nature, history and conservation in the midst of a cityscape," she says. "I think people in cities are beginning to realize that they need nature around them. They need the calming influence. We're just lucky to have this right here."

The project's completion wouldn't be possible without Muller's commitment and organization.

"Kathy is the most dedicated person. You could not have asked a better person to take on this project," Fox says.

"She's the glue that has held us all together," Fitts adds.

Discovery Meadow near the Children's Discovery Museum features the largest Monopoly game board in the world. The 930-square-foot game is an interactive element of the park, where groups can rent large tokens and play a game of Monopoly in the outdoor public setting.

"It's really exciting to see it get to this point," Muller says. "This has been such a long-term project that's gone on for decades. It's taken so many people coming together from all different organizations."

Guadalupe Gardens include an additional 120 acres of city-owned property to the south of Norman V. Mineta San Jose International Airport. The gardens are being developed as a center for horticultural and environmental education. Ultimately, the gardens will serve as a gateway entrance to downtown.

The gardens include a renowned heritage rose garden with more than 4,000 varieties; a courtyard garden and the Taylor Street rock garden, which uses recycled water; a garden center; and a historic orchard planted with varieties of fruit trees that previously grew abundantly in this valley. The valley was once famous for being "The Valley of Heart's Delight."

Bearing fruit

Planted in 1994, the 3.3-acre historic orchard is just north of Taylor Street and adjacent to the river park trails. The orchard contains more than 250 fruit trees, including cherries, peaches, pears, apricots, prunes and apples. Dedicated volunteers maintain the orchard.

In addition, the park is home to tennis courts, public art, a history plaza and visitor and education center. There are also educational programs available within the park for both children and adults.

"There's lots of places to sit quietly and enjoy the outdoors," Muller says.

The park was created in conjunction with an innovative flood protection project constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that uses underground tunnels to carry floodwaters away from homes and downtown businesses.

"There's a bypass system of tunnels under the park that carries the excess floodwaters through," Muller says.

Community leaders worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Santa Clara Valley Water District for more than 20 years to design a project that combines flood control work with environmental protection. The city of San Jose/Redevelopment Agency and county of Santa Clara partnered with the Santa Clara Valley Water District on the project to "make it more than just a concrete channel," Muller says.

The design was intended to create a "ribbon of blue and ribbon of green" open space in the heart of downtown San Jose, Muller says.

The park and gardens are historical, since the city of San Jose--el pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe--was founded along the river in 1777 by the Spanish, according to a brochure from Guadalupe River Park and Gardens. Successive waves of people including Native Americans, Spanish and Mexican settlers, Chinese and Italian immigrants have lived along its banks. As the city developed, the river was remembered only when it flooded.

"A lot of people are surprised when they learn there's a river in San Jose," Muller says.

The river has periodically overflowed over the years, Muller says, most recently in 1995 when downtown streets were flooded with 15 feet of water. But today, the flood-protection project protects downtown San Jose from the potential damage that has a 1 percent chance of occurring in any given year. The project was completed in December 2004.

Looking ahead

In 2006, Muller says additional trails will be completed along the lower Guadalupe River from the park to Alviso. The park's future includes an upper Guadalupe River project that will continue the trails south to Almaden Valley, as well as connect Guadalupe Park's trails with the popular Los Gatos Creek Trail.

"The grand opening of the park is not the end," Fitts says. "It's just the beginning of the next chapter."

Los Gatos Creek merges with the Guadalupe River at Confluence Point near Santa Clara Street. Fitts, who has lived in Los Gatos since 1992, says this is her favorite part of the park. She says it's meaningful to her because while people decide to live in their respective neighborhoods, cities and towns, the park serves as a reminder that they are part of the greater valley.

"It's important to keep in mind that this is not San Jose's park. This is not San Jose's river," she says. "The waters of the Guadalupe flow from the hills of Los Gatos [in the Santa Cruz Mountains]. This is our river just as much as anyone else's river."

According to the park and gardens website, the Los Gatos Creek Trail will eventually connect to the Guadalupe River Park Trail at Arena Green, near the HP Pavilion. Muller says there's no projected date for this link to occur but progress is being made in extending the Los Gatos trail north from Meridian Avenue, where it now ends. The city of San Jose is currently seeking funds from many sources and trying to acquire property to complete the trail as soon as possible.

Muller envisions people using the trail rather than having to deal with parking in downtown San Jose for events such as the San Jose Grand Prix, San Jose Jazz Festival or Cinequest Film Festival. The park is also expected to offer wireless Internet access for out-of-town visitors and business people who want to sit in the park with their laptops.

"The park is not complete," Muller says. "There will always be things added--improvements and other projects. It's an urban park in the center of the city. It's a major milestone point we're celebrating."