A micro cache in a city park. Bring a pen. Park hours are sunrise to an hour after sunset
Backesto Park opened in 1922 on land purchased with $30,000 donated by Anne Backesto in 1890 in honor of her late husband John Pierre Backesto; a nineteenth century physician. For many years, this area was just inside the northern limits of San José. Canneries, and fruit packing houses occupied the land a few blocks west of the park along the Southern Pacific railroad line, and 13th Street was the pre-freeway Route 17 into San José from Oakland.
Over 100 years later, San José is now spread over much of Santa Clara County. The canneries are long gone and replaced by new apartment blocks. The park is still a gathering spot for neighborhood events, birthday parties, and picnics in the Northside, Japantown, and Luna Park neighborhoods. There are facilities for tennis, softball, basketball, handball, soccer, and bocce. Things get busy here on weekends or during special events. Street parking is available, but follow the posted hours. VTA service to the neighborhood is via lines 61, 64, 66, and 500 which have stops a few blocks from the park itself. There's an e-bike rental stand at the northwest corner of the park (13th and Jackson streets). Oh, if you forgot your lunch, there are all sorts of eateries within a few blocks!
For some additional information and history, check out
http://www.northside-sj.org/html/neighborhood/parks/backesto.html
https://www.sanjoseca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/2094/2028
Note: Yes, this is almost the same spot as the last location of GCNAR8, which was archived in December 2018.