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.

Gorgeous! My friends and I went during some lights rain and didn't regret it at all…read more It was still super gorgeous. I guess it was considered a moderately difficult hike but for me it seemed fine because it was pretty short. 10/10

Another one of my favorite spots to go a nice walk! It is hard to distinguish where the St Joseph's…read moreOpen Preserve ends and this starts. It does not matter really. Just go and enjoy!

Beautiful! Saw some deer, chipmunks, birds and butterflies. There were also quite a bit of yellow…read moreflowers. I need to go again!

Whew! If you want a leg burning challenge, check out the hiking trails that end in Heintz Open…read moreSpace Preserve. I like to start at Belgatos park, take the Santa Rosa Trail (.4 miles) to Valley View Trail (1 mile) to Vista Trail (.3 miles). It's rolling hills going up and a great work out. If you do them all as an out and back, it's a fantastic 3.4 mile hike. Vista Trail has the best view but generally the entire hike will show you stunning views of Los Gatos and San Jose. Dogs are welcome on leashes and you're sure to encounter a few furry friends.

Trail was well maintained and covered with lots of leaves which provided cushiony landing. However…read moresign was unclear and it was easy to get lost if you weren't paying attention. There were mild ascents here and there, overall it was an easy hike. Beware of the rattlesnake sign posted at the farther entry, we stopped proceeding because of it. It was a nice hike. We enjoyed what the nature offers.

Hidden gem of a trail! Easy to get to, ample & free parking, mostly shaded, very lush with a cute…read morepond and eventually leading to Stevens Creek. It's out & back and most of the out is downhill, so coming back uphill is a bit challenging but definitely doable (probably moderate level difficulty). There is some poison oak but it wasn't overgrown. Unpaved trail but well maintained. There's some picnic tables and a restroom at the end of the trail (if you walk 2 more minutes on creek trail at the end of zinfandel). The part I look forward to trying the most next time is the winery right next to the trail (Pichetti Winery).

Visited Skyline on a Saturday in July at 9am! Decided to do the Horseshoe lake, Alpine pond, and…read moreBorel Hill trail counterclockwise and the parking lot was right by the trailhead. Trail was well-maintained and there were markers throughout. Didn't encounter too many other people. Nice views of the Bay Area - the park is high up so it was cool being above the clouds! Took me about 2 hours and 30 min to finish and I would say the hike was easy-moderate! The roads leading up to the park are a bit windy so just be mindful of that. Would recommend to those looking for beginner friendly hikes!

This is a great space for stargazing and panaromic views of the bay area. I wish the drive to get…read morethere wasn't as hard as it is.

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

A decent trail that goes along Lawrence Expressway that is not very crowded. Has some nice shade in…read morethe evening.

The Saratoga Creek Trail (SCT) is a svelt ±1.25 mile path that runs in between Lawrence Expwy and…read more(duh) Saratoga Creek. Not a whole lot going on here, so I'll be brief: Access- The SCT "begins" across from Mitty High School, and continues south until it ends at the east end of English Dr, which is about 1/3 of a mile north of Prospect High School. Here's a (hopefully) thorough list of access points: 1) Mitty High School 2) Barrington Bridge Ln 3) Bollinger Rd 4) Murdock Park/Murdock Elementary 5) English Dr Trails- The 1st ±1/2-mile is paved AC, and the remainder is decomposed granite. The trails are in adequate shape, and fairly flat the whole length. Scenery- The entire east side of the trail is mostly sound wall to shield you from all the sounds of Lawrence Expwy, and wherever there isn't sound wall you only see traffic. The west side is full of trees and what -due to the drought- is presumably a creek. The 1st section that runs between Mitty and Bollinger Rd is actually quite nice, with some gorgeous Manzanitas and Valley Oaks; the rest of the way is much less interesting and full of humdrum Live Oaks. The SCT is really more of a gussied-up sidewalk than a Creek Trail, and doesn't hold a candle to my #1 & #2 South Bay Trails: Los Alamitos and Los Gatos, respectively. You do see the occasional jogger and biker, but it's hard to get a rhythm going either when you have to stop to cross the street all the time. I'm sure it serves a purpose for the locals, but for the rest of us it's a skip.

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.