A great spot where locals hang out by the water, fish, bike & hike the trails…read more You can get up in the mountains or walk as far as you want to from the trailheads.

I have come here countless times over the years. It's one of my favorite spots. It's peaceful, not…read moreoverly crowded, and has a really calming, almost zen feel to it. The views of the water and surrounding hills make it a great place to reset for a bit. Perfect for a quiet walk, light hike, or just getting away from the noise for a while.

Incredible hike! However go early because parking is sort of difficult to find later in the day…read more The best time I find to go is early morning since it's cooler and the parking will be easier to find. Around 7-9 am. Super clear trails, beautiful plants and livestock that occasionally walk by. Fantastic hike and I will continue referring majority of my friends here!

Quite relaxing hike! I went with a couple friends for sunrise and there were great views !read more

Underbear Newish…read more±1,400-acre Open Space Preserve that's located only three-mikes south of Los Gatos, and is one of the few places in the area left to see Old-growth Redwoods. The Good: *Free! *One of the newer OSPs, as it officially opened in ±2019 *Fairly large paved parking lot that holds ±30 vehicles, including three ADA parking spots. There's a separate parking lot at the stables, but you need a permit. *Over ten miles of hiking trails *ADA Compliant trail around the pond in the parking lot. *Horses OK (check trail signage) *Picnic tables in the parking lot *As mentioned above, one of the few places in the South Bay that you can view old-growth Redwoods that doesn't require you to drive down to Felton (Henry Cowell) or Big Basin. *If you're looking for a challenge, the Upper Peter Siemens Trail-Madrone Knoll Trail has an elevation gain of ±1,500' over ±3.5 miles The Meh: *No dogs/pets The Ugly: *Restrooms in the parking lot, but I believe they were vault toilets--don't look down! 0_o Conclusion: Great place to get your hike on if you're in the South Bay and don't feel like a terribly long drive.

The 6.2-mile 1000 feet of elevation is now my new favorite local trail, especially having recently…read morewatched Hamnet, the scenery felt strangely cinematic, as if certain moments--especially the cave entrance--had been lifted directly from the film. In Hamnet, the cave stands as a symbol of that mysterious realm of death, the void from which we come and to which we ultimately return. Yet on this beautiful sunny afternoon, as life breathes through every tree, every leaf, and every small flower, and as I feel the gentle care and encouragement of those beside me, I realized, not in a limbo zone way, that the world, exactly as it is, is beautiful enough. Heaven must be even better. https://youtube.com/shorts/xiQGHA3WKrY?si=womdxeGsiEBLsH0W

Fremont Older Preserve is right in the neighborhood and has trails of various lengths, perfect for…read morea short walk or lengthier, leisurely hike. How did I not know about this spot growing up! This natural sanctuary from everyday life is nestled right into Cupertino. No narrow, winding, hilly driving necessary. No need to go too far to get a scenic hike and a view. Just drive a bit into a neighborhood and park by the street near the trailhead. This place is beautifully grassy and lush, with areas that feel surprisingly removed from Silicon Valley life despite being so close by. I'm conflicted about sharing this somewhat hidden gem, but it's such a nice place to be. Looking forward to visiting a few times as the weather gets warmer :)

Loved the trail, but FYI there are a ton of ticks. We're lucky our dog is on Simparica Trio, but we…read morestill found one biting and stuck on her belly. Make sure to check your pups carefully after!

A lovely and peaceful county park in the foothills of Saratoga. Getting here is a pretty easy shot…read moreup highway 9 before it gets too windy, though there are still many curves. Since it's a County Park, there is a $6 entry fee, though you can also park outside of the park and still enjoy the trials. The outside parking is quite far from the actual entrance, so I wouldn't park there if you're trying to enjoy the picnic or main grounds. There are a couple of easier short trails, and then some longer steep trails, but not a ton in between. Parts of the park are ADA accessible, including the deck in the circle of trees. There are a good number of picnic tables and picnic areas, with many of the picnic tables having charcoal grills at them. I was here on a warm winter day and some were in use, but most were open. One of the parking lots was closed when we were there, but there was still plenty of parking since it was winter.

Pine in the Ass…read more +3,400-acre park located in the Santa Cruz Mountains that's just a short--but windy--drive from Downtown Saratoga along scenic Hwy 9. The Good: * It seems like they've upgraded their parking situation quite a bit, as they have several large lots. * Restrooms in aforementioned parking lots * RV camping year-round (check website) * Hike-in Campsites (check website) * Open picnic tables and reservable areas * Leashed dogs okay on certain trails (check signage) * Equestrian trails okay (check map) * Biking (check maps) * Good place to see salamanders thanks to the lake * 22 miles of trails The Meh: * $6 entrance fee * We did a nearly five-mile loop (look up San Andrea & Madrone Loop on AllTrails), and I just found the trails to be pretty mundane and not nearly as exciting as other parks we've visited recently. The Ugly: * Why do they have to have the parking machine at the entrance of the park? This just causes traffic to back up unnecessarily as everyone has to stop, get out, pay, get back in their car, and then drive off. Seems like a silly place to put them, but what do I know? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Conclusion: Not a bad park overall (probably 3.5*) but just didn't have that "can't wait to come back" feeling that I usually get after a nice hike.

The hike along the Peter's Creek Trail and along Ridge Rd was a fun one. The duration was…read moreapproximately 2 hours given I stopped for photos along the way, and it was around a 4 1/3 mile hike in total. The creek is dried up for the most part, but at the base there are pools of water this time of the year. As you get further along the trail, there are far fewer people as it branches into different trails earlier on. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for a moderately uphill/downhill hike.

Had a good experience hiking here!…read more Came on a Saturday around 9:45am to hike the Long Ridge loop. I was initially worried about the parking situation but thankfully it was not crowded at all! Easily found street parking by the Peters Creek trailhead. There happened to be an ultramarathon that day, so we ran into some runners and cyclists along the way, but for the most part we had the trail to ourselves. Not much of a view but the trails are well maintained. Mostly shaded and spotted some pretty wildflowers. We went clockwise which had a gradual incline and steep descent - I would recommend going the opposite direction to save your knees or go slow/bring hiking poles. Long Ridge Loop took us a little less than 2 hours to complete and I would say it is easy-moderate hike as my dad was able to do it comfortably. Definitely recommend downloading the AllTrails map prior as there are not many signs and we would probably would have gotten lost without it. Overall, I enjoyed Long Ridge and would recommend for beginners or anyone looking for an easy, quiet hike.

This checked all my boxes for a great hike: woodsy, water, scenic, peaceful, moderate, posted…read moresigns, and free parking was a bonus. We arrived around 10:15 am on a Thursday, and there were still a few parking spots in their smallish parking lot. I'm sure you'd have to come much earlier on the weekend. There's a map of the various trails. We decided to do a loop of: Fall Creek - S-cape - Ridge trail - back to parking lot. The Fall Creek section was very easy, and you're walking along the creek with a few small waterfalls to admire. A couple of times you cross over the creek, but there are planks to walk on. I couldn't stop taking pictures during this section. There's a bit of elevation when you get to the Ridge trail section, but nothing too bad. The only thing to be cautious of is the abundance of poison oak. There are some narrow paths where the poison oak was spilling over from both sides of the path. TIP: wear long pants. This is a hike that I'd come back to.

#641 #1/25 A very…read moreBeLated review of '23 summer hike... til next visit to a Lusher forest :) Started from Big Ben near Bonny Doon airport to Fall Creek and return. Climb Dry rebirth after the fire Me n this Forest Scenery is an old growth forest with little ground cover other than Redwood sorrels after the fire. Entirely canopied, easy and well kept but a steep trail. Heard owls at the top near Big Ben, a squirrel, few birds and some grasshoppers. Otherwise pretty quiet. Fall Creek had steady water flowing and a tiny waterfall at the time of my visit. Pups are NOT allowed here. Less visited old growth forest as the trail is continuous elevation down to Fall Creek and back up to Big Ben. A couple of crossing to HC Lime Kilns where the lime was used to rebuild SFO post 1906 earthquake and to Lost Empire. Signals were virtually nonexistent and the BBT is NOT marked! I took pictures of the Trail descriptions and maps prior to and that was helpful. Go with someone who is familiar with these trails or download descriptions and good trail mapS. Felton Empire Rd runs through it. There is NO parking lot or any signs to per se. Once you find the trail, you can park on the shoulder. Pro tip: It's MUCH easier to find and start from Bennet Creek to Fall Creek Trailhead as there is a parking lot off Felton Road. About 3 to 8.4 miles hike depending on the trails (partial loop) you choose with little to ~1500 ft elevation if you hike to Big Ben and entire loop (8.4 miles). Recommend water, protein bars and comfortable shoes.

One of our favorite reserve California sites! The final 20 miles drive there is a little…read moretreacherous but once you get there all is great. We had enough sun and sky for our solar and Starlink and site 21 was huge for our van camper. The pad was semi level so we only needed a few leveling blocks. There were many nice hiking trails and the bathrooms were clean. There were also dishwashing stations (but no hot water). It was a little strange to see all the teslas lol.

This is my favorite spot to go camping! It definitely gets harder to reserve here each year since…read moreevery available campsite gets booked so fast, but when we're lucky to secure a spot, I always have a great time. My friends and I reserved two campsites next to each other, site 46 and 48, and it was so fun. I love the shade and tranquility that the tall redwood trees provide and how scenic the trails are. Also really enjoyed walking through the Old Tree Trail and loved reading the informative placards along the way. Although I didn't attend them, there are always fun, all-ages-welcomed activities hosted by the park like a Twilight Stroll or Marshmallow Roasting which I appreciated. Definitely a very kid-friendly spot. Beware: super windy roads leading to the park, a lot of mosquitos at the height of summer (wear long sleeves!) and there is no reception which I think is a plus. Really forces you to fully unplug and take a break from screens. I usually bring my dog here since it's a dog-friendly campground though dogs are restricted from most hiking/walking trails here and didn't bring him this time; took advantage of this by finally hiking some of the trails I previously didn't get a chance to explore. Bathrooms are pretty clean and toilet paper is usually stocked. This time, the bathrooms by site 53 ran out of toilet paper around late Saturday night but was restocked the next morning. I also appreciated the camp hosts going to each campsite to check if we needed more wood, which costs $15/bundle. Overall, I'm giving 4/5 stars because site 48 was quite slopey so it definitely made sleeping at night an experience (gradually sliding down each hour). I've camped here about 5 times now at all different sites and a lot of them weren't very flat.