Black Mountain Trail

This is a nice hiking trail that I didn’t know about until now. I went hiking on this trail on Black Friday instead of shopping. There’s online shopping available so there’s no need to go to the stores. We hiked early in the morning at 5:00am so it was very cold. Actually, it was freezing cold. Thank god, I came prepared. I had my hydration pack, 2 layers of jackets, thick leggings, and shoes with traction. If you plan to hike this trail, wear shoes with traction because slipping and falling will not be fun at all…
On the hike up, it was quite dark so I didn’t really get to enjoy the scenery but I did see stars and that was nice because I don’t get to see it as often as I want to. The hike was pretty steep. Mission Peak got nothing on this hike! I could feel my butt and hamstrings working. lol. It was a total of 10.6 miles… I was told it was just 10 round trip but it was almost 11 miles! It’s okay because I got a good workout out of it. Once, I got to the top, the view was beautiful. It kinda felt like I was in a movie and in a middle of a field with the sunlight shining on me. If it had flowers or daisies… I would have to run through it like in the movies. lol. The hike up was a little more challenging but the hike down wasn’t too bad. I definitely wanna come back to Black Mountain but with a buddy so I don’t get lost on my own.

LOVE THIS PLACE! It feels awesome to be on top of the mountains! :D

Had fun hiking here! Pretty strenous trial. Not very crowded at all and its right in the bay area, just a few miles out. Will definitely come back here again.

Minus one star because the view is boring, even when you get up to the rocks. Minus another star because it doesn’t loop around. Once you go up, you just go back down. It’s a good workout though. Not many people either. Small parking area. Free parking. If you like privacy come here but it seems dead. Probably won’t be coming back. Just a bucket list type of hike
Rancho San Antonio is probably still nicer but the PG&E Trail gets boring too… these places are only good if you want a close local nearby South Bay hike but are too lazy to drive out further. I went on a Fri around noon so it was pretty chill. Try it out if you just wanna make it up to the top, there are also other paths that branch out to PG&E, Hidden Villa, etc
Oh yeah the address to get here is:
Rhus Ridge Rd
Los Altos, CA 94 022
Just keep going and you’ll see a lil parking area on your right

Went over to Rancho San Antonio at 10:00am, the weather was already warm and the air was breezy, and we decided we were hiking to the Black Mountain Summit. The hike got a bit intense on the narrow part of the trail but getting to the very top was worth every step of the way up! The trail is covered with trees in some parts to give you some shade for quick stops and the summit has a beautiful view of the Bay Area! The sky was very clear so we got to see SF and Oakland from the top of Black Mountain. This trail is well worth it! We got back to parking lot at 1:45pm so it almost took us 4 hours in total round trip time. Bring water and a trail bar to refuel at the top and keep your energy going.

You can access this trail by hiking to it from the main parking lot, but WOW that would be a heck of a hike. Instead access this from the «back entrance» to this park on Rhus Ridge Rd. Once you follow this road (google map Rhus Ridge Rd — its a tiny road) you will end up in a small parking lot. The trail head is here. There are tons of maps here too to help guide you.
You will hike past the «care takers» house with his horses. Totally normal, just keep going.
Now for the hike here are my tips
1.) Rating of Very Strenuous is completely accurate. Its about 6 miles UP the mountain on trails and fire roads. You will be in a dead sweat, sucking air with exhausted legs. But DONT give up! The top is worth it. Once you get the end of the trail you will be at an antenna farm. Pass it with it on your right. Turn right on the road and then you will see a field with some weird rocks.
Check out all the rocks as one of the has a US geological marker in it! Its the absolute top of Black Mountain. Very cool and picture worthy. The views are good, but the best part is saying you made it.
2.) Bring good shoes or hiking boots. You WILL need them.
3.) Bring lots of water — I completely drained my 3L supply.
4.) Bring a small snack to enjoy at the top. You earned it.
5.) DONT GIVE UP. When you hit the fire road at the High voltage tower the trail mercilessly increases its slope. This will continue to the end. Its intense.
Other notables — I saw a guy running up and another running down the trail. It was pretty amazing to see someone run up this trail.
At dusk I got the observe a really cool black tarantula cross the trail. Super cool to watch this wildlife. Don’t touch them though! They are fragile.
Enjoy and conquer this beast.

Great place to go running or cycling. It is wild so be aware of your surroundings.
Lots of trees to shelter you from the sun.
I love to ride around the area.

One of the best trails in the South Bay that’s for sure. It packs a challenge for anyone looking to expand their horizons a bit and start venturing into the trails that are longer than 3 – 5 miles.
One way is about 5 miles, so in total about 10. It’s absolutely worth it. Challenge yourself to push beyond your limits. The views on this hike are absolutely spectacular and the top of Black Mountain is beautiful. Be sure to bring plenty of water and food as there’s none along the trail.
Parking is extremely limited, so be sure to get there as early as possible. It can get a bit chilly, but will warm up especially in the spring & summer months.
The trail is mostly exposed, so sun block people.

Pretty awesome trail, 10 miles total, epic views from the top.

Wow this trail was definitely a difficult one to hike due to altitude gained quickly in short time at beginning of hike. Other than that trail was lovely.

Activity Type: Hiking
Nearby City: Los Altos
Length: 10 total miles
Elevation Gain: 2,412 feet
Trail Type: Out-​and-​back
Skill Level: Moderately strenuous
Duration: 3 hours
Season: Best mid-​September through mid-​May
Trailhead Elevation: 400
Top elevation: 2,812
Having done the entire Rancho San Antonio and Black Mountain was a six hour ordeal. Total 17 miles plus or minus. One difference is we took the Quarry Trail on the way up and to me it’s the prettiest trail on the way to the top of Black Mountain from Rancho San Antonio. The trail is lined by gorgeous chaparral trees. Best view of 101. This is the most difficult undertaking among the three because of the length and of course the elevation gain. Very strenuous.
I went back two days after and this time started from Rhus Ridge Trail. It’s a total of 10 miles and a more direct approach and will skip the Quarry Trail. One note to remember this is mildly strenuous because it is shorter but you will gain 2,412 feet!
The third and easiest trail is from Montebello parking area from Page Mill Rd. You will start at 2200 feet with a total hike of 2.5 miles. You will only gain about 612 feet. Pretty easy!
Once you get to the top past the gate and after you reach the intersection make a right and then a left. You will find a rock outcropping and the USGS marker is there. That’s the top officially!
Golden grass hugs the land at the summit. It is amazing. The fog the day we went enveloped the land and kisses you gently as you climb continuously.
On the summit there are two broadcasting stations. One is a private radio station owned by Stanford University, and the other is owned by the Federal Aviation Administration.
There are several wineries along Montebello Road, including Ridge Vineyards, Fellom Ranch Vineyards and Picchetti Brothers Winery.
The trails on the first two trail heads are both uphill. After you pass the Quarry Trail intersection it gets even worst. It’s worth the pain you will feel after. After all it is local and I love how close it is to home!

A walk in the park… Compared to half dome :). But otherwise a very serious work out. One of my favorite Valley hikes because of its accessibility and manageable length — You don’t have to take an entire day out.
Overall this is a great balance of serious incline, shade, flat sections, and exceptional views

Myself and a group of friends have hiked this trail twice — one in the heat of summer and once in spring… we were unable to complete it during the summer!
This is a beautiful hike with the scenery and types of trail varying significantly as you progress. Don’t be fooled, the first uphill section of the hike is strenuous and was a shock to us all, with it leveling off slightly in the middle, with the punishing last mile everyone here is talking about. The view from the top is less impressive than the view on the way up; if you’re lucky you can see all across the south bay, it’s quite the view!
The cover varies significantly, some areas have significant cover from the sun while other parts are exposed trail, particularly during the last grueling portion of the hike. During the summer we had to turn it back, with a mile or two left and no water remaining we didn’t want to risk it.
Along the route we’ve bumped into deer, snakes, and rabbits. The people on the route are friendly and the path in most places allows easy passing.

Completed 11 miles today in about 3:20 with 3,500 ft elevation gain. Moderate/​strenuous trail worth the ass jiggle burn but the view at the summit was somewhat disappointing. Sadly, I was expecting more. Still a great local hike for a workout to burn some C’s.

Gorgeous trail with views from the very first two miles. It’ll kick your ass once you get to the top (think significant elevation gain) but you’ll feel like a champ doing it.
Did this before a very large holiday dinner. Thank you Black Mountain Trail for giving me justification for eating a large piece of pie!

Fairly long and tough hike up to a hill that overlooks much of the valley. The path takes you through a fairly scenic route in a forest interspersed with large likely multimillion dollar homes hidden amongst the trees way below you. Start early in the morning to avoid the sun because there is little shade for the second half of the hike. Take a bottle of water as you will definitely need it.
I did this hike in about 3 hours as a confidence builder for hiking Half Dome in Yosemite a month later, and it was very rewarding. Both the beginning and end of the trail are extremely steep and it is very easy to loose footing if it has recently rained.
Tip: Beware of horse poop all along the path. It is everywhere.

Since my friends and I planned to hike this trail, we had a mighty breakfast for hitting the outdoors. My friends have done this trail before, but I haven’t yet. First, there isn’t that much parking, so either you will have to park near some residence houses or on the side of the road-​even though it’s not recommended. Anyways, the hike was intense. The trail is mostly uphill, yeah, it plateaus for just a little bit, but the elevation gets higher and a lot more uphill walking, hiking, and running. The reason why I say running is because I know if I walked, I wouldn’t have made it uphill. Or even better, walk backwards, just don’t fall, trip, or bump into bushes and trees. Almost 10 miles back and forth! It did take us couple hours to go up and down… hmm. the sun did set, so we were walking in the dark without a flashlight. Coming down in the evening was beautiful though. You could see the city lights. I wouldn’t recommend it though. Either way, it was intense! I think I’m going to be sore tomorrow.

All you need to know:
Loved the hike, challenging (especially the last 1.2 miles!) but fulfilling.

When my friend told me that this hike was intense, he wasn’t lying. This trail kicked me in the butt and gave me a wake up call that I needed to refocus on my marathon training.
The first 4 miles was a gradual climb and then the last mile to the top was pretty steep. During the hike, I was sweating up a storm and removed my light dri-​fit long sleeved shirt and zipped off my pant legs to wear shorts. I was very happy that I decided to wear my REI convertible hiking pants. Heading back, I was in much better shape since it was downhill. The views were gorgeous and saw the entire peninsula and south bay even though it was a little hazy. Also lots of flowers were in bloom and butterflies were fluttering around. I was able to enjoy mother nature through my pain and suffering.
Bring lots of water, pack a lunch/​snacks, and wear sturdy hiking boots. I wore cross-​training light hiking shoes and my toes were killing me during the downhill. Also parking can be a hassle on the weekends because of the lack of parking spots.

Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve
Located past Foothill College the parking lot can accommodate only about 10 cars so parking is pretty tight. The parking is off of Rhus Ridge Road off of Moody.
I hiked on a Monday, so there was plenty of parking. At the caretaker’s residence, they had two horses. very sweet things. Next time, I’m gonna bring carrots to feed them as they greeted me at the end of the hike. another nice perk!
I love to hike and this was a great hike!!! It’s a total of about 9.5 miles round trip. The first mile was uphill so it does get your heart pumping and the last 1.5 REALLY gets your heart pumping as it’s pretty steep. But all worth it! The view was spectacular, so amazing that we live in the city but surrounded by such beauty. It’s still winter so everything is really green. There was mist all around us for awhile, but once we «summitted» it had cleared and showed us what the valley below was all about.
We saw rabbits and deers and tons of birds. The plants were still pretty lush. I know nothing about the vegetation except that it’s either green or brown and today, it was green :-)
The trail is pretty narrow and can be muddy at times, but alot of the sections were covered by the canopy of trees. Today, when we were at the top, it was quite cold and windy but I dressed accordingly so didn’t affect the hike.
I plan on going back soon, unfortunately not with my dog as they don’t allow them! :-(
You can check out some pics here.