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From the Sanborn Park Hostel website:
Originally named "Welch-Hurst" the log style house was built in 1908 as a summer home for the Honorable Judge James Welch and his family. The architecture of the building is unique for the time as only a handful of structures included the hexagonal room design seen in the dinning area. In 1955 Welch Hurst and surrounding lands were sold to Mr. Vernon Pick who previously made his fortune prospecting uranium in Utah. Interesting enough Mr. Pick used part of his fortune to carve a nuclear bomb shelter into one of the nearby hillsides, now closed to the public. The property was sold again in 1969 and during the next several years passed between several owners. The county finally bought the land in a measure to double the size of Sanborn-Skyline County Park. Costs associated with renovating the former Welch-Hurst summer house was estimated at half-a-million dollars, too much for county coffers, and the house was scheduled for demolition. As destruction seemed imminent, the volunteers of the Santa Clara
Valley hostelling club stepped forward in 1979 and set forth with a box of hand tools and $460 in the bank to finance their reconstruction project. Many were doubtful the project would last even several months...years later with countless hours of volunteer time and effort Sanborn Park Hostel can boast over 100,000 overnights representing 90 countries! Twenty-two percent of the overnights represent non US visitors. Sanborn Park Hostel is now listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Sanborn Park Hostel offers a warm setting to meet travelers. The surrounding redwood forest offers miles of hiking trails. The hostel encourages interpretive programing of the surrounding area and provides the resources for you to explore the museums and sites of Silicon Valley. Situated in what appears the middle of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the hostel is only 3.5 miles (5.6 km.) from Saratoga restaurants and grocery stores.
Nearby Sanborn County Park is alive with natural history and activities. Less than a mile from the hostel is the Sanborn Youth Science Institute which offers exhibits and displays of animals living in the park.
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