My family and I came here to hike on the first Saturday of the year around 11AM. It rained the day…read morebefore and it wasn't as wet/mushy as we were expecting it to be. My sister is an avid hiker and led the way via her AllTrails app. This is a solid hike in the Almaden Valley with just the right amount of incline and hills. My Apple Watch logged 4.71 miles and 785ft of elevation gain. We took our time with this hike and it only took us 1 hour 45 minutes to complete the hike. A great way to kick start the first weekend of 2025. We followed suit of other hikers and parked in the residential area at the start of the trailhead. Be courteous to the residents and don't block their driveway.

We had a wonderful hike here. The trail offers you different options as you go up and we got to…read moreexplore a little bit. We were here early and it was very peaceful to be on the trail and have these wonderful views and not run into anyone. The entrance that I took was through a residential neighborhood and parking was a little challenging. I suppose there are entry ways to the trail with parking.

Visiting my cousin's family in San Jose. Decided to come here as a first timer to refresh and…read morerecharge after my grandma's passing. Clear and fresh air, beautiful view, nice built trails. Got my steps in for the day. Really delightful.

This clean and accessible trail, located between and parallel to Alamitos Creek and Camden Avenue,…read morewas great for running this past Friday, a level paved pathway surrounded by scenery and nature (plenty of trees and black squirrels), a peaceful atmosphere with a few benches along the way, that's pretty much all I need. The parking lot at Pfeiffer Park was convenient.

Came here for a hike on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend! Arrived at the Bald Mountain parking…read morelot around 8:30am and there were lots of spots still available. I went on the Mount Umunhum out and back trail. Still pretty green with some wildflowers! There were a decent amount of hikers, and lots of bicyclists. Seems like a very popular spot for mountain bikers! Had to watch out for cyclists most of the hike. Along the trail, there were some informational posts about the mountain's history and at the summit, there was a neat informational site, Native American pow wow example, and good balcony for pictures. Learned that Umunhum has that name because the Natives thought it sounded like a hummingbird! Partially shaded but I still recommend going in the morning. There were lots of switchbacks so the hike felt long - took me around 3 hours and 15 minutes including breaks to complete. When I came back around 11:45am, the parking lot was full and some people were parked on the side of the road. Overall, I would classify the Mount Umunhum trail as moderately difficult. Because of the switchbacks, the incline is very gradual but the hike feels longer. Good views and trails were well-maintained with markers. The constant cyclists slightly detracted from the hiking experience, but I would still recommend!

Did the Mt Umunhum trail. Mostly shaded. Free parking. Great views. Some historical stuff (WW2…read moreradar builing and Native American religious site) at the top which is a nice reward making it to the top. Can drive all the way to the top if mobility is an issue.

Santa Rosa Open Space is a great place for short hikes. I found the best way to access the Open…read moreSpace is to park at Bel Gatos Park, in Los Gatos. It's a wonderful starting point because it has a dedicated parking area and allows you to get to Santa Rosa's Ridge Trail. It is a .6 mile out and back with a thigh burning hill in the beginning. The other great out and back trail you can do is the Santa Rosa Trail. It's .7 miles one way so it can make a pretty nice 1.4 mile hike as an out and back. Santa Rosa boarders Heintz Open Space so if you want a really great long hike, try connecting Santa Rosa Trail to Valley View to Vista Trail. It's a lot of rolling hill that will burn your quads for a 3.4 mile out and back hike. On the upside, when you walk back to the car, it's all down hill. You will occasionally see pups are on the trail and that is permitted as long as they are on leashes. So far, I have only met the nicest dogs on the trails.

Gorgeous dog friendly hiking trails with restrooms, playground and benches. Fun goats at the…read morebeginning of the trail we're a nice surprise!

This is one of our group's favorite "out and back" mtb spots. Acquinas is challenging, especially…read moreduring the summer. The trail has some pretty rocky and loose spots so it's always fun! When here, we mostly encounter fellow riders and an occasional hiker or two.

El Sereno OSP may be one of the least popular and best-hidden open spaces in the South Bay. I…read morecertainly didn't know about it until a few years ago, and then it took me that long to visit. It's hard to get to - The only parking is far off the beaten path, at the top of the narrow and twisty Montevina Rd. There's room for 5-7 cars...depending on how badly others park. I arrived on a chilly sunday morning in winter and was the first one there. (When i returned to parking later there was only one other car). It's a small preserve, with zero amenities. It contains seven miles of trails, and I was able to explore the majority of those through a series of there-and-back legs, for a total of about 10 miles. (Sadly no loops are possible). On the plus side, visitors have great views and plenty of solitude, apart from the occasional passing mountain biker. All trails are well-maintained fire roads, so there is plenty of room. To me, El Sereno felt a little more like a private park than a public open space, since many of those I encountered - 99% bikers - seemed to be from Los Gatos neighborhoods below (where there is zero street parking). Must be nice. Unless the open space folks make public access easier, I don't see that changing much. Hiking Spot Checklist: -- Parking: Very small pulloff at the top of Montevina Rd. -- Bathrooms: None -- Potable water provided: No -- Maps provided: Not on my visit -- Highlights: Wide trails through mostly open chaparral; nice views

Visited on Sunday around noon when the temperature was in the 80s. The parking lot is fairly small,…read morebut there is a restroom available. At the beginning of the trail, we had to choose between the north and south routes. We decided to head south after seeing more trees and shaded paths. The trail is easy and more than half of the route is shaded, which was nice, but the section along Highway 101 was quite noisy and took away from the peacefulness of the walk. We walked about 1.8 miles to Silicon Valley Blvd and then turned around and returned the same way. With the hot weather, the trail wasn't as enjoyable as I hoped. I may come back another time to try the north trail and see if I like that route better.

Living in Morgan Hill my whole life, Coyote Creek Trail has always been a staple. It's such a…read morepeaceful and quiet place to get some fresh air, go for a walk, or ride bikes. I love the open views, trees, and hills surrounding the trail. It's one of those simple places that's always nice to come back to when you just want to get outside and enjoy some peace and quiet.

This is a decent trail. This one hugs the road, so it does not feel like you are away, plus getting…read moreto it from the parking lot was like playing Crossy Road, except you are the bird avoiding getting hit by the cars speeding around the bend. Also, not a fan of miscreants doing donuts in the parking lot while we were there.

Know that deer in the headlights look, right before the deer gets impaled by an unsuspecting…read moremotorist? Don't be that deer. Look both ways before crossing the street. Why do I say that? Because of the parking situation at Saratoga Gap OSP. LOCATION: ---------------- The trailhead is located on the northeast corner at the intersection of Route 9 (Big Basin Way) and Route 35 (Skyline Blvd). There's parking for a few cars on the shoulder there, but the main parking lot is on the southeast corner. That lot holds about 25 cars, and the driveway is along Skyline Blvd. That means that people have to cross Route 9 to get from the parking lot to the trailhead. The crossing is unprotected and there's a semi-blind curve around the corner, so be cautious. Don't be that deer. The preserve itself is a good half hour from Silicon Valley. The last 7 miles along Route 9 are somewhat windy and are unlit at night. TRAIL: ---------------- Most of this 1,540-acre preserve is off limits, and in fact the only trail is the single-track Saratoga Gap Trail, which runs completely through a shaded forest. This trail seems to be more popular for mountain bikers than for hikers. For a biker, the medium-sized rocks, tree roots and uneven terrain can be pretty technical to navigate. There are more ups and downs on this trail than on the stock market! Annoyingly, this trail runs parallel and pretty close to Route 9, so the sound of passing cars can be heard. When you're enjoying the serenity of nature and suddenly you hear "vroooom", that can really kill the mood. The Saratoga Gap Trail runs 1.7 miles from the trailhead to a clearing along Charcoal Road (a dirt road not accessible to cars). By this point, you're in neighboring Upper Stevens Creek County Park. From there you can either head north till you eventually hit Monte Bello OSP (www.yelp.com/biz/monte-bello-open-space-preserve-palo-alto), or cross Highway 9 and head west into Long Ridge OSP (http://www.yelp.com/biz/long-ridge-open-space-preserve-cupertino). VERDICT: ---------------- There's not much to find at Saratoga Gap OSP. It's pretty much a place to park and a trail that will connect you to other preserves. The forest path is enjoyable, but it's annoying hearing vehicular traffic the entire way. The views aren't great, since you're covered by forest. You'll get better views once you make it over to Long Ridge OSP to the west.

I was here late in the afternoon and had a wonderful visit. Initially, I was incredulous that this…read moreis even called a park given that there's nothing here but once you make it to the top of the hill and get on the trail, it's beautiful. I did not see one other person on the visit and had a very serene run with great views of the Bay Area.

"After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb."--Nelson…read moreMandela Foothill Park (FP) is a rather unusual park located at the base of the Santa Teresa Foothills. It's essentially a trail (actually SCVWD access road) that follows the Coyote-Alamitos Canal (CAC)--which protects against hill runoff, and conveys water between Coyote Creek and Los Alamitos Creek. FP might be known more for what it doesn't have, than what it *does* have. What it does have are great views of Santa Teresa/Blossom Valley, and a fun adventure if you have young kids; if those two things intrigue you, then read on. The official beginning of the park begins at the south end of Cahalan Ave at Foothill Dr. There you'll have to hike up a decomposed granite trail for ±150' elevation gain on a series of switchbacks until you get to the top. Then you will be faced with a perilous decision: left or right? Left (Southeast): This is the less interesting direction; it just essentially follows the CAC as it parallels Colleen Dr until you reach the end of the line at Snell Ave. Right (Northwest): This the more compelling of the two options, as it provides an interesting shortcut to Almaden Lake Park. It starts out much the same way as the left side, following the CAC and paralleling Foothill Dr until you reach the official "end" of the trail about one mile in. However, if you're feeling adventurous, near the end is an unofficial, well-used dirt bike trail, that will take you up another small foothill (with even better views!) and towards Almaden Lake. I believe the master plan is to eventually have the trail officially take you there, but until funding is available it's nice to know it's still a viable option. Parking- Plenty of street parking is available on Cahalan Ave and Foothill Dr. Amenities- No restrooms, no playground, no nothing--this is a no frills park that's just dirt, trails, trees and rocks. Although, there was one lone picnic table and garbage can halfway up the hill, but that's about it. Ordinarily, I don't give parks with such few amenities anything above 2-stars, but there's something about FP that's alluring to me. It's peculiar, and peculiar is welcome in my book. Plus, it's a great place to take your kids hiking, and that's always a good thing. Now grab your hiking stick, some granola and come check it out!