On Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Santa Clara County Parks will dedicate the Cottle and Lester Historic Ranch and the finished Perimeter Trail at Martial Cottle Park on Snell Avenue. The County calls it the first time the historic ranch will be "open and accessible to the public." The event page is more specific. Visitors are invited to "explore the accessible pathways, view the exterior of the historic buildings, enjoy the activity stations, and learn about what life used to be like here."
The key word there is exterior. The ranch is opening in stages, and the first one puts you on the grounds and in front of the buildings. Getting inside comes later. The County says this directly: "Access will increase as later phases of the restoration project are completed." If you have walked past the ranch core for years and wondered what is behind the fence, this sets your expectations for November and explains what the coming years are meant to bring.
Twelve years from life estate to dedication
The ranch belonged to the Cottle and Lester family from 1856 until it was donated in 2003. Walter Cottle Lester, the last family member to live there, stayed on the property under a life estate until he died in 2014. That was when the County began planning to restore it and open it to the public.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1854 | Edward Cottle arrives in Santa Clara County by wagon |
| 1856 | Cottle buys part of Rancho Santa Teresa |
| 1910s | Japanese American tenant farmers begin growing crops on the ranch |
| 2003 | Walter Cottle Lester transfers the remaining 287 acres to State and County Parks |
| 2014 | Lester dies and restoration planning begins |
| May 2025 | Phase 1 construction scheduled to start |
| November 7, 2026 | Phase 1 and Perimeter Trail dedication |
The schedule moved. In December 2024, Plant Construction announced it had been awarded the Phase 1 work, with construction set to start in May 2025 and finish "in August." The County's own ranch page still says the site was expected to open "by guided tour only some time in summer 2026." November 7 is the date now on the calendar. The County has not explained the change, and it does not affect what you can do on the day.
What Phase 1 actually worked on
Phase 1 focused on stabilizing the buildings, not opening them for use. Plant Construction lists its scope as repairing and stabilizing the Cottle House, the Japanese House, the pumphouse, the water tower and the water tank. RRM was the architect and Architectural Resources Group was the historic consultant. The County's bid documents also listed site work around those buildings: a prefabricated outdoor learning classroom, circulation paths, fencing and gates, utilities, irrigation, lighting, planting and a bioretention basin.
According to the County, these are the buildings you will be looking at from the paths:
- The family home. The front section is a grand Italianate built in 1883. Behind it is the modest original section from about 1867.
- The stock barn. A large 19th-century barn built for draft horses and dairy cows.
- The carriage house and garages. The garages date to the early 20th century.
- The equipment shed. Built around 1944 for the family's gas-powered farm machinery and implements.
Taken together, the buildings span about a century of farming on one property. The County's history says the ranch moved from cattle and dairy to row crops, grain and hay, and later to beef cattle. Filipino farmworkers were employed there, and Japanese American tenant farmers worked the land starting in the 1910s. The Japanese House that Phase 1 stabilized connects directly to that part of the ranch's history.
Why later phases bring more
The current pace is shaped by the deed itself. When Walter Cottle Lester transferred the land, the deed called for a public park that informs and educates people about the agricultural heritage of the Santa Clara Valley. The 2011 joint State and County plan for the park gives the largest management zone to leased agriculture, alongside zones for recreation, habitat and cooperative use. That is why the park still looks like working farmland, and why turning 1860s farm buildings into public spaces has moved slowly.
An August 12, 2026 announcement from Rep. Jimmy Panetta gives the clearest picture of the full plan. He secured $250,000 in federal community project funding for Phase 1 of the park's 31-acre Historic Ranch Site Plan. The release says the funding helps repurpose historic ranch buildings and create "educational spaces, outdoor classrooms, community gathering areas, reservable picnic areas, accessible pathways, restrooms, and a large outdoor event space." The $250,000 is one contribution to the project. It is not the total cost.
Julie Andersen, the County Parks Deputy Director of Planning, Development, and Land Stewardship, described November in that release:
"The Santa Clara County Parks Department is looking forward to celebrating the completion of Phase I of the Cottle Lester Historic Ranch project and opening of the perimeter trail with the public in November."
The release lists what the full site plan is meant to deliver. The November event page lists what is ready now. The gap between those two lists is the work still ahead.
The trail half of the dedication
The Perimeter Trail is the other half of the November 7 event, and it adds to a trail system many park visitors already use. The County describes the park as having more than three miles of paved trails open to walkers, runners, cyclists and other non-motorized users, with equestrians and leashed dogs also allowed. The County's February 2025 bid results called the project the "Martial Cottle Park Perimeter Trail Extension," which means it extends trail that was already there. The County has not yet published the new segment's length or exact route. Expect those details to show up on the park map after the dedication.
Planning the day
The dedication includes Park Partner booths, tour and activity stations, and a scavenger hunt. Admission is free. The regular $6 daily vehicle entrance fee still applies, and hourly parking is available at the rate posted on the pay machine. The park is open from 8 a.m. to sunset all year. The Walter Cottle Lester Visitor Center's hours depend on volunteer availability, so the County recommends calling ahead. The park office number is (408) 535-4060.
The partners staffing those booths are the same groups that keep the park busy every week, and the October calendar is full of them:
- Wednesday, October 7. Santa Clara County Parks hosts Coffee with a Park Ranger from 9 a.m. to noon at the Starbucks at 7026 Santa Teresa Boulevard.
- Saturday, October 10. Two volunteer workdays at Martial Cottle: an Urban Forestry Education Center workday from 9 a.m. to noon and a hedgerow workday from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
- Saturday, October 17. The Park Partner Open House runs from 9 a.m. to noon, and visitors can stop by each partner organization's site.
Some of those partner spaces are open on a regular schedule. UC Master Gardeners run a four-acre demonstration and education parcel with native plants, vegetables and fruit trees, open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. Their Fall Garden Fair was held at the park on October 3. Our City Forest runs a two-acre arboretum and education center, with workshops on the third Saturday of each month and tours by reservation. Jacobs Farm Del Cabo, which farms part of the park, is listed as a park partner. Its fields and produce stand appear on the County's November 2024 guide map.
The County is also asking for volunteers for the dedication itself. Sign-up details are on the event page.
Kendra Gaeta and Lindsay Morris of KL Real Estate Team see the same thing in South Bay homes as in this ranch restoration: the history of an older property shapes what it can become. If you own an older home near Martial Cottle and want to know how its history and condition affect its value today, request a free home valuation and we'll take you through it.
