Almaden Radar Site - A Very Special Place 

Took my granddaughter to site last Saturday - the site has been beautifully and respectfully restored - what view! What a history!

Thank you so much for sharing this video. My Father was stationed here as a medic from 75-78 (TSGT William E. Buck). This brought so many memories back. I can remember being in the playground the day Elvis died, and my Mother coming home crying... oh what a great place it was to be! Thank you again!!!

Wow, just stumbled upon this - what memories. I was stationed there in the 70's; worked in Computer Maintenance and used to run tests on the radars. Tons of stories come to mind.

Fantastic photos of Mt. Umunhum and the Air Force installation. Thank you for posting. Brings back lots of memories, but I can barely remember when the radar antenna was turning up top of the cube. Visited once or twice during open house. It's an amazing park now that everyone can enjoy. Amazing and unique views of the Santa Clara Valley, the bay AND Santa Cruz & Monterey.

Your video was beautifully & senstively done and it tore my heart out. Thank You! I was stationed on Almaden AFS for 5 years, 1974-79. Those remain some of the most precious memories of my life. Two of my sons were born while I lived atop Mt. Umunhum. Their mother passed away last month. I am returning to the mountain in October with my son for the 682nd Radar Squadron reunion, to revisit old memories, to share that part of our history with my son, and to commune with the ghosts of my past.

I was there as a teenager in the early 70's. It was my favorite base of all of the bases my dad was stationed. Not a week goes by that I don't think about Almaden Radar Site,

And to think, Many radar sites are closed today across the U.S. ,Canada and Alaska when the Cold War ended. I got a chance to go TDY a few times to Alaska in the early in the 1980's to install telephone cables in those radar sites. Great video.

Wow, fascinating indeed. I grew up in the Sj area in the 70's and always remember looking up at that tower. I didn't know that people lived/were stationed there either. Thanks for posting.

What a great video! Brings back memories as a child (6 years old) my dad was stationed at Almaden from early 1959 to late 1961 he was a Scope Dope. My brother was born in San Jose in late 1959. I remember the school bus rides to San Jose to go to school. What a great time in my life.Thank you, I enjoyed the trip back to innocence.

Awesome job. You even used some of my pictures from 1983. Brings back allot of memories... thanks! - Greg

I am loving the posts. bringing back lots of memories. My father was stationed there around 74. I remember the dinosaur playground and climbing down the big pipe to get to the snakepit, hanging out at the rec center. we used to ride our tonka trucks and bikes down the concrete drainage ditches. I remember playing baseball below the pool and left field was standing on a hill. great memories and great people.

Beautiful video! I would love to be able to cycle all the way up to the top one day.

My uncle was stationed Almaden AFS back in the 60's. My dad and I drove up there from so. calif. to visit him on several occasions. The boys in the radar room gave me the nickel tour. I spent a lot of time in the pool. I remember the road up there was a white knuckle ride. Enjoyed the video and thanx.

I was stationed there 75-76.

I was stationed there from 65-67. Great place to be stationed

Wow...I hiked up there 14 years ago and it was amazing...I recognize quite a few shots, great stuff, many thanks!

I have always been intrigued by the mountain as well. Even though I have never been up there, it (the cube) was always a landmark for me. Every time I saw it, I new I was close to home. I must have been too young to remember it with the dish on top of the cube. Maybe one day I'll get to go up there.

i go to leland and i look at that tower every single day, it is very important to me

Thank you so much I noticed comments from Gil Reyes and Ken Alton! My dad was stationed there in 1973-75 His name was Boyce D Brantley and my Mom was Georgia he was the First shirt.

It's amazing how many of these bases are up and down our coastlines. My father was stationed at one in Blaine WA, they all look so similar.

Great job! It brought back some memories... I used to play up there was I was a kid. We lived on Lillian way (in the valley) next-door to the commanding officer (Colonel Peters) and his family of three boys and two girls. Wed go up there every once in a while and run aroundArmy brats is an under-statement  Now that I do a lot of rode cycling I've always wondered why the park service doesn't open it up to hikers, Mtb riders, road cyclists, you know the people! Jim Gillis

We lived on Mt. Umunhum in 1962 and 1963, My Dad was in Air Traffic Control. I was 8 years old. But it remains some of my fondest memories of living in San Jose, maybe because it was the first place we lived in San Jose. I hope they save something of the old base, it was a first line of defense from the west.

I was there from Feb 60 thru late 61. I probably knew your Uncle. I was in the Orderly Room as the unit draftsman, but later retrained into personnel. I would be happy to share stories I remember.

Nice video. I hope to someday be able to go to the top. Its a sight I have seen, only from far away. Wish I could touch the big box on top of the hill.

i was stationed at almaden afs 75 76. first perm station outa tech school. great location. loved the views. hate to see it in such a state of decay. should be a park.

my dad was station there twice antonio reyes wife janet kids gil n judy...sad the base is gone...hope we can get another reunion up there soon

my dad work radar n SP in the early 60's n his 2nd tour mid 70's great place to live...dad was antonio reyes

I believe we were there at the same time. My brother was Chris I am Kenny Alton. My parents, Carmen and LLoyde. I remember the bowling alley and the Fair?days with the hay rides. The big snowstorm where our bus got stuck on the way back...

Yes, they would have a Christmas Star lit up that time of year. I grew up in Almaden Valley.

i grew up off of hillsdale ave. in the 60s and 70s and could see this radar from my back yard . i would see the radar turning and would just wonder as a kid what was going on up their

used to do that as a kid dad was station there...still remember all the trails to n from the base along with all the bomb shelters we has kids used to play hiding on seek in da 70's

I agree! I would love to ride my dirtbike up on top of the hill. That would be a blast.

I grew up in S. San Jose and was the daughter of an Air Force major who, after WWII was an Air Traffic Controller and part of the Strategic Air Command. He retired by the time we moved to S. San Jose, but we always looked up to Mt. Umunhum from our front porch. If I'm not mistaken, didn't there used to be a big lighted star that was displayed on the cement cube at Christmas time?I never hear anyone mention it, but I could swear that they used to do that. Maybe it was just a childhood fantasy....

In comparison, my slideshow shows more of a darker side to the place, but I love this one as well.

Thanks for posting I grew up in Almaden that radar always spun you could hear it sometimes and the base was kind of a mystery You can’t go up there ........

cool my dad was station there twice great placy to live

nice job!

hi jack dont know if u remember me gil n judy reyes my dad antonio "tony" him in his martial arts classes n the bowling leagues...i hope u get this message in the best of health

wow. what a neat video. thanks for sharing. I grew up on the Southside but never knew what the cube was. And certainly never knew that people lived there. I hope that Mt. Umunhum doesn't become like the rest of the area: over-populated and over-developed!

The people who built that place must have thought they had something worth protecting, worth guarding, and worth fighting for.

Such sad music CHEER UP we won that Cold boring war. If it hadn't been for the cheap beer, cigarettes and great pot we probably would have all gone insane. Many did get early outs for depression. The rotating shift work was brutal for the operations and maintenance crews and if we hadn't been lucky enough to be quartered downtown off that dried up rattlesnake infested pile of rocks none of us lowly airmen would have survived. Good riddens and thank God for the G.I. Bill that got me a good education and a way of life as far from the alcoholic lifers in the military as possible. Don't get me wrong I'll slap the shit out of anybody that disrespects the military this kind of griping is EARNED by years of back breaking service to the country that I love.

There is a dirt / gravel road from Loma Prieta, but it is a five mile hike on foot.

really...i know one thing the best of the best was station up there n the keep n cali safe through the cold war

i thank my dad antonio reyes was stationed at everyone his main duty was radar but also doubled as n SP

this is a wonderful video of a place i knew as a child. does anyone recognize the sound track? if so, please leave me a message. many thanks. graz

Does anyone recognize the sound track? if so, please tell us! This video is one of the most moving videos I've ever watched on RU-vid.

what a sad song.

thats my dad :) Antonio mom janet me gil n my sister judy

hi. great video! what is the name of the song, where is it from? thanks.

Does anybody know what types of radar were used?

yea the good ol day or sliding down the hills with card board boxes...the yearly pig roast...dad was antonio reyes "tony" me gil sister judy