Hikers Will Fall In Love With New Bear Creek Trails

LOS GATOS, CA — Autumn provides an ideal time to fall in love with the beautiful, cultural landscape of the Santa Cruz corridor without summer's blistering heat and crowds —but with signs of the changing seasons that make the mountains a treat that goes far beyond Halloween.

The new Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve located about three miles south of Los Gatos off State Route 17 offers a sense of natural escape on a ridge over 1,432 acres. For thousands of years, the natural setting and human innovation tell a rich story of the ecological climate and economic land resources used by the Native Americans, loggers, wealthy estate owners and Jesuits as a religious institution.

Bear Creek Redwoods is rich in cultural history. Within the preserve, a visitor may find Ohlone mortar stones at the newly constructed entrance, stumps of ancient redwoods once harvested for the construction of nearby San Francisco and the remnants of the Alma College, the first Jesuit school of theology in the American West.

In 1999, the MidPeninsula Regional Open Space District helped protect Bear Creek Redwoods as it represented prime land for a golf course with luxury estate homes. When voters approved Measure AA—a $300 million bond with funds designated for public access improvements.

Six miles of trails ranging in difficulty and scenery opened for hikers and equestrians in the western portion of the preserve at the start of summer on June 8.

"Bear Creek Redwoods is one of our truly special places, and now the public can connect with nature in its cool redwood forests and discover its rich history," MidPen General Manager Ana Ruiz said.

The Alma Trail gives hikers a deep, wooded escape into a world way outside of the bustling Silicon Valley. Its trailhead is found directly across Bear Creek Road from the parking area. The trail climbs for a few hundred feet before contouring south toward Webb Creek. About a mile down this trail, you’ll come to a junction with the Redwood Springs Trail. From there, there's the ability to make a loop by turning right. Going left from this junction will bring hikers to the old-growth redwoods that represent the highlight of this new trail system.

Also near the entrance, a wheelchair-accessible trail around the pond is located near the parking area.

Midpen is restoring Bear Creek's streams and redwood forests that were once clear cut. In partnership with Valley Water, Midpen is also removing invasive plants like English ivy and French broom to allow wildflowers, rare salamanders and other native species to thrive.

A large bat colony was discovered roosting in the rundown abandoned buildings of Alma College that closed in 1969. To care for the mammals, MidPen workers are turning the old carport into a new bat cave. They're luring them with recordings of bat calls.

More information on the bats and other details may be found on the website.

See also

• MidPen Open Space District Seeks Public Input On Trail Access