St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve (Los Gatos)

OTE Ratings: O5/T3/E5
Distance: 3 - 6 miles
Time: 0.5 - 1 hour
USGS 7.5' topo: Los Gatos, CA

Description

This is a small preserve, very close to downtown Los Gatos. Almost all the trails here are fireroad-width. If you're short of time, and need a place to get some quick exercise before or after work, then this is a reasonable place to go. However, if you have more time, and desire some real singletrack, then you're better off skipping this place and going to someplace else like the Soquel Demonstration Forest instead.

Directions to the start

(Gate SJ03: N 37.20041°, W 121.98679°)
Take highway 17 to the Alma Bridge Road exit (heading East, towards Lexington Reservoir).

(Alternative - gate SJ01: N 37.21513°, W 121.98533°)
From Main Street in downtown Los Gatos, ride up College Avenue, to Jones Road. Jones Road dead-ends at the preserve gate (and continues as the "Jones Trail").

The ride

Ride along Jones Trail, and turn onto Novitiate Trail. At this point you have a choice of several trails - Novitiate, Manzanita, and the connecting trails inbetween - to take you up the hill.

For more information

The MROSD's official page for this area
Another page describing this area (including several photos)
John Blenio's map showing this, and neighboring, areas
The adjoining Lexington Reservoir County Park
More web pages describing this park: from "MTBR.com"; from "Bay Area Hiker"

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