St. Joseph's Hill

This is a short and easy ride. The beginning of the hill is steep but after that its very pleasant. However because of the small amount of trails its not worth going just to ride St. Joseph's Hill, the only time I ride it is after the Los Gatos Creek Trail. If youre not tired after the creek trail, the top of St. Josephs Hill is a great place to have a rest. Helmets are required but rangers are rare. There are usually not many other people on the trail so opening it up on the great descents is not a problem. This place takes a while to dry so if it has rained in the past week you can expect a little mud.

One of the distinctive sceneic backdrops to the Town of Los Gatos is the 173-acre St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve, which provides a quick escape from the nearby urban areas of the southern peninsula. Its four miles of sometimes steep trails wind through grassland, chaparral, and oak woodland, affording an interesting variety of environments and oppurtunites for hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, and walking your dog. At the eastern edge of the preserve, the top of 1,250-foot St. Joseph's Hill features panoramic views of the Santa Clara Valley, Lexington Reservoir, and the impressive Sierra Azul mountain range. St. Jospeh's Hill is a small open space preserve, overlooking thousands of acres of wilderness in Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve and Lexington Reservoir County Park. The purchase of St. Joseph's Hill in 1982 was a joint project of the Open Space District and the Town of Los Gatos.

There are a number of regional trails that provide access to St. Joseph's Hill and other nearby open space areas. The Los Gatos Creek Trail provides a connection from the City of San Jose directly into Los Gatos. From there, the popular Jones Trail connects Noviate Park in Los Gatos to St. Joseph's Hill, then to Santa Clara County's Lexington Reservoir County Park. A portion of the Jones Trail follows the historic alignment of Jones Road, which was used in the last century by stage coaches and pack teams. This was an importnat route, bringing people, supplies, and equipment over the precipitous St. Joseph's Hill and then down into Los Gatos.

From the mid-1800s until 1925, this narrow and steep road was the main connection between Los Gatos and the small towns of Lexington and Alma. When Lexington Reservoir was built in 1952, the towns were abandoned and inundated by the water. Beyond the reservoir, though, the alignment remained and was re-opened as Jones Trail.

The historic use of the Jones Trail alignment goes back even further...much further! The first recorded travel through the area was in 1791 by the California mission founders. However, there is strong speculation that the native Ohlone people use the same route to cross into the valley, perhaps as much as thousands of years ago! The Jesuits first lived atop St. Joseph's Hill in 1888, finding an isolated and serene area where they could study, pray, harvest grapes, and make wine. In fact, observant visitors will note the remnants of abandoned vineyards on the upper slops of St. Joseph's Hill - a reminder of the Novitiate's wine-making history.

Today, St. Joseph's Hill is a popular destination, offering trails that will challenge hikers, bicyclists, and equestrians. Leashed dogs are permitted on all trails in the preserve.

Take the Alma Bridge exit from Highway 17 and proceed across the dam. Public parking is available at Lexington Reservoir County Park. The trail to St. Joseph's Hill starts opposite the boat launching area at the north end of the reservoir.

Helmets are required and there is a 15 mph speed limit.

http://www.openspace.org/preserves/st_josephs_hill/st_josephs_hill.html