St Joseph’s Hill Open Space Preserve

One of favorite local hills to run or hike. Been going for several years but finally posting a review. Nice view at top.

First time to St. Joseph’s Hill OSP in Los Gatos. From my house in Fmt it took about 1hr to get there. From 880 South/​17 South I took Bear Creek Rd, got of the fwy, then had to cross over the Hwy and go 0.4mi North on Hwy 17 to Alma Bridge Rd. There is a parking lot at Lexington Reservoir Co Park that charges $ 6, some side of the road parking might be ok to park there, not sure. 3 pit toilets available with a place to wash your hands.
We started across the street on the trail that goes up which is Jones Trail. Then we went on Manzanita Trail to St. Joseph’s Hill the high point of 1253′. There is one bench there. We continued on the Lower Brothers Bypass to Novitiate Trail.
We went down Jones Trail to Flume Trail, had lunch on a bench, then we went into Downtown Los Gatos, used public bathrooms in the Terra Patio store, went to Manresa Bread, and back on the Los Gatos Creek Trail back to car.
Think we did about 9miles. There were lots of hikers, runners, and bikers on the trails!
There were some ticks on Novitiate Trail — the one that was going to deadend at SJ02. Just so you know there are ticks in the park.

Im so glad I found this place during my last visit to Los Gatos. What a nice way to get in good workout run. I ran a total of 4 times during my last visit. Im glad the first one was in the afternoon, with plenty of light, so I can find my way through the trails. Second run was also in afternoon early evening, and I didn’t get lost, and the 3^rd and 4^th time, we started in darkness, and that was quite the adventure.
There was a lot of people on the trails, during all my visits, which is great because I honestly didn’t know how populated it would be during my visits.
I will definitely go back when I am in the area again.

Holy Smokes! This place is awesome to get your mountain bike going! Incline is more than enough and decline was the best to handle the curves on the trail. I’ve been here numerous times both weekends and weekdays, traffic isn’t as bad as the main Los Gatos trail so that’s a plus. For those crazy mountain bikers, Priest rock, Limeklin, and Kennedy is your best loop — very technical and very scary lol. The smoothest route I’ve taken so far is the Jones Trail to the Lexington Lake, it does the job of both technical and… parts where you can just goof around haha.
It’s 360 Degrees of beautiful views of the mountains and hills, you definitely can’t argue with that!

Pretty. Good combo of incline/​decline. Lot of people but not too crowded. Only draw back is you can hear the freeway but other than that it’s a great trail and a good 4+ miles.

St. Joseph’s Hill (SJH) is a wonderful 270-​acre plot of land that sits sandwiched between the southerly half of Los Gatos and Lexington Reservoir (LR). The original purchase of the former Jesuit sanctuary and pistol firing range was a joint effort between the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and the Town of Los Gatos. This is a true gem of a park in an area that already has a multitude of great places to hike, and has quickly climbed into my top 5 South Bay Hikes. Here’s a guide to help you get the most out of your visit to SJH:
Access– The two primary ways to access SJH is either through Novitiate Park (NP), or LR. You can also get in from the Los Gatos Creek Trail which links to NP. See my review of NP for more details:
Parking– Free parking on Jones Road at NP, but get there early because it fills up fast. There is a parking lot at LR that you can use, but there is a $ 6 fee to park there.
Trails:
Jones Trail– The Jones Trail is the main way to get up to SJH, whether you’re accessing it from NP or LR. Once you get about ½ way in, you’ll have several options to get to the peak; no matter which way you go, all roads lead to the Manzanita Trail which gets you to the zenith. Make sure you print a copy of the map, or download a PDF of it on your smartphone to explore your options. Here’s the link since I’m such a swell guy:
Usage– Hiking, Mountain Biking, Horseback Riding and Dogs (on a leash) are all allowed at SJH.
Restrooms– If you start at Novitiate Park there are no restrooms in the immediate area, so you’ll have to make sure you’re empty before you come – or just do what you gotta do, son! There is a restroom in the LR parking lot, so make sure to take advantage before you begin your hike.
Trail Conditions– This is where I deduct 1-​star from SJH, because some of the trail conditions were a little rough, and required some traversing around to make sure I didn’t sprain my ankles. I would say 70% are in OK condition; 20% are fair; and the remaining 10% are abysmal.
Difficulty– Depending on where you start you can have anywhere from an almost ±600′ ascent (LR starting El ±680′) or a ±775′ ascent (NP starting El ±475′) to get to the pinnacle of SJH (El 1,251′). My 4-​year-​old did the NP hike, so while the trails can be steep in some areas, it’s not that bad – so quit yer whining, grandma!
Scenery– This is what SJH is all about! Beautiful views of the hills and forests, the trails are surrounded by wild flowers, and lots of birds, insects, and other critters to enjoy. You get great views of LR, Los Gatos and the entire South Bay once you get to the top of SJH. The bench at the top is a really nice touch, too. It’s the perfect place to sit, relax and enjoy a snack before heading back.
SJH is a really awesome place to come visit. Hopefully my guide helps you plan out your visit, and you’ll agree with me that this is one of the more underrated spots in the Bay Area. Until next time – Happy Hikes!

One of my favorite hikes of all time. Seriously, one of the best. Beautiful, safe, short but still get a great workout, and perfect 360 degree views of the Los Gatos area/​mountains/​hills.
There are two different trails you can take if you start from the middle of downtown Los Gatos. Trail on the right leads you toward the dam, mostly flat and graveled road, then passes over the dam to a small parking lot and another back entrance to the trail. Trail on the right weaves in and out of the trees, passing a stream, and up into the hills. You come out to a large clearing where you can loop back through a residential area OR keep going up to the top of St. Joseph’s Hill.
Any side you pick, trail you take, leads you up to the top, where you’ll have that full view of the area. You can see the lake below, the town in the distance, even San Francisco on a clear day, and wineries surrounding the mountain. It’s gorgeous.
Great trail for trail running or mountain biking! The whole thing I believe is only 6 or 7 miles, depending on the route you take and can easily be done in an hour– again depending on your speed.
One (other) great thing about this hike is that it’s located right in the downtown of Los Gatos, super easy to access and connects to the Los Gatos Creek Trail that pulls you all the way into Campbell. :)
Hooray for the South Bay!

This is near the end of the Los Gatos creek trail, in downtown Los Gatos.
This trail offers some nice scenery and is connected to other trails, however, it doesn’t offer the same shade and views of the water that the Los Gatos creek trail does. This trail is best if you want to bring your kids and dogs to run, as it’s more quiet and has less people running on it.

Amazing trail! It can be busy at times but also makes this a little bit of a safer trail for women since chances are you will somehow have company eventually.
Great views, ample space to walk, and can be a challenging trail of you decide to run it.

Great trails and park. popular among locals. Great for outdoor activities such as hiking biking trail. running and walking. The trails are good for both recreational and training. Watch out for bikers for they tend to speed up down hill.

Note — I am not a regular hiker and although I am in good shape my body tends to have a hard time with a good hike:-)
It takes about 2 hours or more for me to hike from the trail head off main street (Flume Trial) to the top of St Joseph’s Hill and back down. I can get this down to 1.5 hours if I start up at Jones Rd on Jone’s Trail! It is about 1.5 hours if start off main street (Flume Trail) continue on the Los Gatos Creek Trail to the reservior and connect to Jones trail but not head go all the way to the top.
The Creek Trail is very wide, Flume trial is somewhat narrow in spots and Jones trail to Novitiate Trail to the top are medium width.
This trail is very popular during the day with hikers, joggers and mountain bike riders. Watch out for the mountain bike riders coming down the hill as some can get going at pretty high speeds. If you are walking a dog keep them close!
I beleive Flume trail is designated for no bikes. If you just hike Flume up to Jones and back down you can probably do that in 45 minutes. There is a river you can access from Flume trail and it is great if you have a doggie that loves the water!
Depending on which way you hike up you can have good bits of shade to about half way up. If you go along the creek trail there is no real shade unless you pull off to the side to find yourself some.
I really like this area for hiking!

Run, walk/​hike or even mtnbike this trail daily. Different degrees of difficulty depending on which route or how far you want to go. Best early morning. I have been running this trail since 85.
You have a few options where to start. Usually I start on Main Street entrance or behind OldTown. But if you want additional miles, start at Vasona Reservoir. I have seen rattle snakes tarantulas bobcats bunnies lizards and deer. Madrone trees are gorgeous especially on the flume trail.
As a teenager kids use to walk on the old flume. Legend says it broke and a teen fell to death. Eventually the town took down the remaining flume to avoid another accident.
As you look down on Lexington Reservoir know that two towns are buried under water for this dam, Alma and Lexington.
Another story was a LG HS teen killed another on the walking trail to the left from Main Street.
Top of StJoseph is gorgeous. I enjoy watching the seasons. Dogs love this trail. Be aware there is a leash law and you must pick up and pack out your dog excrement. After all, it’s the law and the water goes for our drinking water. Pack out everything you brought in including you dogs excrement. I hope you love this trail as much as I do.

The hiking and the views are pretty much amazing! We went at 9:30am last Sunday, Dec 2, 2013. We hiked for 5 miles. Might come back again

This is a nice hike. Lots of trees and shade and a decent view. You can’t see anything too well, howeverl. The «peak» is ok.

An open space preserve with religious beginnings! The first recorded travel through this area was in 1791 by California mission founders. The Jesuits first lived atop St. Joseph’s Hill in 1888 where they, like people today, enjoyed the serenity and beauty of the area. If you look closely, you’ll even find remnants of the vineyards they had set up here!
GETTING THERE:
— — — — — — — — — –
St. Joseph’s is right off Highway 17. If you’re coming from the south, take the Alma Bridge Rd exit. Coming from the north, you actually have to get off at Bear Creek Rd, turn around, get on Highway 17 going north, and take the Alma Bridge Rd exit. A little confusing. You’ll figure it out.
PARKING:
— — — — — — — — — –
The main entrance to the preserve is along Alma Bridge Rd, and there’s a parking lot facing the Lexington Reservoir to the south. You can park here for $ 6 if you want to support the County of Santa Clara, or you can park on the shoulder of the road for free. Alternatively, there’s a large dirt area that you pass on your way in where you can also park for free.
TRAILS AND VIEWS:
— — — — — — — — — –
The main entrance to the preserve is off Alma Bridge Rd. A light-​moderate incline immediately welcomes you as you head up the Jones Trail (
), and you’ll find the trailhead a quarter mile in. The Jones Trail runs north for 1.5 miles, where it then connects with Jones Road (the people who have houses there are so fortunate!). At the north end you’ll find Novitiate Park (
), a nice cleared area with grass and benches.
Midway along the Jones Trail, you can head east along the Novitiate Trail, which will connect you with other trails along a 1.5 mile loop. If you take the Manzanita Trail on the south side of the loop, you’ll get a nice view of the Lexington Reservoir to the south. If only those big power lines weren’t spoiling the view, grrr.
And speaking of manzanitas, keep an eye out for the many manzanita trees scattered throughout the preserve. You’ll recognize them by their red bark and their evergreen leaves.
At the end of the loop is the top of the hill (
), a flat area with a bench and a view of Silicon Valley to the north (
), and mountains to the south. Unfortunately, the reservoir cannot be seen from here.
OVERALL:
— — — — — — — — — –
St. Joseph’s is an enjoyable and mildly strenuous hike. The views are pretty, but the occasional power lines and chain link fences, and the faint roar of traffic from Highway 17 can spoil an otherwise serene setting. Apparently this place is pretty popular, as we ran into people along the trail every couple minutes. There are no restrooms or drinking fountains in this preserve, so plan accordingly.

How can someone rate a gorgeous nature preserve without giving it 5 stars? I feel truly blessed that I am able to come to this beautiful space and enjoy it’s breathtaking views on a weekly basis. I guess there are complaints about parking from those who want to «pave paradise and put up a parking lot» but this is not a value I share, so I tend to overlook this complaint in a review. The only gripe I sympathize with is the restroom complaint. Since I take two little ones here, I understand that having no restrooms or businesses nearby with public restrooms can pose a huge problem. If you’d like to get some exercise and enjoy the wonder of our natural landscape, this is the trail system for you.

We just kinda stumbled across this place after taking a detour from the Los Gatos Creek Trail (which we entered from the overpass bridge) in order to have a bit more vigorous workout. My more athletic companion hopped, skipped, and ran through up and down the trail, while I took it a little more slowly.
Whereas the creek trail itself is pretty well covered, if you take the trail to the «hilltop vista» you will soon find yourself exposed to the sun. This means that if you’re there on a a hot day, you will get that extra burden of exercise, whereas otherwise it probably wouldn’t have winded me much.
One thing that was kinda annoying was that once we got to the hilltop vista, we started seeing signs that pointed towards further trails, without getting any indication of mileage; this was disappointing because all signs up until then had been very clearly marked with mileage and directional arrows. We had a bit of a time constraint, so we needed to know what we were committing to; therefore we had to turn back when my companion, at least, hadn’t really had enough exercise for her preferences.
Still, after giving up on El Sereno due to the lack of parking, and Big Basin due to the distance of the drive, it was very nice to have this option and we got a decent hike from it. Also, the view at the «vista» is pretty nice!

Love this place. I was introduced to St. Joe’s by a colleague who needed a bike buddy for after work ridin’. We would park in the little parking lot right off the Main St overpass and ride parallel to Hwy 17, up by Lexington, before the steep put in on the backside. Once you reach the top, it’s a nice easy coast downhill. That route will take you 2 ½ quick uphills and the rest way coasting down. Do it backwards and it’s more of a gradual endurance uphill with the end quick downhill spurts. It’s around 4 miles roundtrip. Biking will take you under an hour and hiking will take you about an hour and a half.
There are various routes you can take. Bring lots of water and be careful for walkers and riders alike as it can get very busy, especially on weekends. Cute to see people bringing their doggies of all sizes for hikes up the hill.
So worth it. The views are so pretty and it makes you feel like you’re far from all the hub bub of the Valley below.
Don’t forget your water, sunscreen, and bug spray!

This is a great hiking area if you’re short on time. The trailhead is in downtown Los Gatos, so it is easily accessible and quick to get to (from my place in San Jose). It’s a great place to meet a friend and go for a walk together. The trail is also dog-​friendly (yay!).
What don’t I like? Most of the trail parallels the HWY 17 freeway. You can hear the freeway noise for almost all of the hike.
Will I return? Definitely. With such a great location, I’ll definitely be back.

As someone else said this is a great «backyard» spot if you are local to Campbell, Saratoga or Los Gatos. It’s easy to park in town, go for a pleasant hike and get back. Just be careful of two hour parking limits in the area.
I’m not a serious hiker so, YMMV, but for me there are enough moderately steep hills that are a bit of an ass kicker and that makes it worthwhile, in spite of the ugly chain link fence that runs along parts of the trails.
Bring enough water (there are fountains at the entrance near the bridge) and possibly a little snack. If you hike all the way up to the top, you may want something while you enjoy the expansive view of the Southbay. It can take a good 1.5−2 hrs to go all the way up and back, depending.
If you go early or very late, you might also want to bring a light jacket as some parts are shaded. And do be sure to wear sunscreen. Much of the trails are fully exposed.
Busy during the weekends, the trails are full of polite and friendly folks so I always feel safe if I’m walking alone as well. Weekdays are quieter.
Be careful walking down the slightly steep fire road area though. it is covered with lots of loose dirt and rock. I slip every single time and I finally bit it the other day «slide into 3^rd» style… graceful, eh? Professional dancer, that’s me.