Introduction:
Update: My last visit was: Nov 2023
This is very large and popular park for hiking & running.
The large park trail system covering the mountain range, some trails are easy and paved some are climbing up to the surrounding mountains ranges.
Where? :
Rancho San Antonio Park is located in Los Altos Hills.
Due note:
The park is very crowded during weekends with major parking problems, come early in the morning to find parking spot or wait in line for parking spot.
Families with small kids like to walk along the main valley paved road and visit the Deer Hollow Animal Farm, this section of the park is the most crowded.
As you walk up the trails you may see less people but during sunny weekends it is a very busy
park.
Related blogs:- Fremont Older Preserve, Saratoga
- McClellan Ranch Preserve
- Stevens Creek paved Trail (Sunnyvale to Waterfront)
- Stevens Creek County Park & Lake
- Pearson-Arastradero Preserve
- Villa Montalvo
- Saratoga Quarry Park
- Bay Waterfront Trails
- Don Edwards and Alviso Marina County Park
- Vasona Lake County Park
- Los Gatos Creek County Park
- Fremont Older Preserve, Saratoga
- McClellan Ranch Preserve
- Stevens Creek paved Trail (Sunnyvale to Waterfront)
- Stevens Creek County Park & Lake
- Pearson-Arastradero Preserve
- Villa Montalvo
- Saratoga Quarry Park
- Bay Waterfront Trails
- Don Edwards and Alviso Marina County Park
- Vasona Lake County Park
- Los Gatos Creek County Park
The visit:
From the parking lots there are few trails that will lead you into the park main valley.
Here you can continue walking along the paved road without climbing. This read will lead you all the way to the nice Deer Hollow Animal Farm.
Deu note: Biking is allowed only on the main paved roads in the park.
There are many trails that fork out from the main valley and climb the ridges on both sides.
Recommended hiking/running Trails:
· Stephen E. Abbors Trail (PG&E
Trail) – Popular trail climbing sharply up the hills on the south side of the main park valley. At the end of this trail
it connects to Upper High Meadow Trail that will take you back down. As you climb up this steep trail, mid-way you can cut down into the vally using connecting trail.
· Upper High Meadow Trail – Loop
trail that is following the ridge line and create a loop trail going back in the directions of the parking lots on the north side of the creek. There are few connectors trails that can lead you to the creek and the main park road.
· Chamise Trail – This is a very long loop hike up the north ridge, it will connect you to Black Mountain trail on the far west side of the park. Black Mountain trail keeps climbing up the ridge line. After 3 mils on Black Mountain trail there is a left turn into Quarry Trail that will take you down back into the Rancho section trails. if you will keep climbing up on Black Mountain trail you will reach the Black mountain preserve and the viewing point.
Once you start to hike back down on Quarry Trail you will reach a trail junction: If you take the Stephen E.
Abbors Trail to the right you will go all the way down, if you turn left into
Upper High Meadow trail you will have option to go down in the creek or on the ridge’s
line.
My thoughts:
Although this is a large nature park with long hiking trails leading into the mountains I tend not to visit this park so often, it is just too crowded for me especially during weekends.
I prefer to visit the park during rainy days when it is less crowded or if mid-week day afternoon.
Park www:
PG&E
Trail Parking Area:
https://goo.gl/maps/sozQLhwgWoKrG5gi8
Park
map:
https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/map_RSA.pdf
Additional Pictures:
Pictures from my Jun. 10th 2021 visit
Pictures from my Jan. 9th 2022 visit
Pictures from my Nov. 2022 visit
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