Stevens Creek Trail

Serene and quiet, go and walk or job and breath calmness! But just don’t got when they are working (construction ongoing near the NASA research center) because it kills the purpose of relaxation. I just like to observe and meditate and since it is pretty flat you can go miles and miles without noticing time flies. Apt for everybody and I like that there are so many entrance points, this way you can never get bored.

Pros:
–A lovely way to traverse Mountain View via bike or foot (it’s about 5 miles long in Mountain View).
–Not usually crowded; a great way to escape car traffic.
–Lovely trees and creeks along with several pedestrian bridges; you can even go off the trail to learn about native plant species (this is by the newer mountain view portion of Dale/​Heatherstone road).
–Near one of my fav Starbucks; I like to study there then pop out on this trail for a walk.
Cons:
–It runs parallel to freeways and Central Expressway which leads to breathing in car exhaust.
–Poorly lit at night; ladies beware. Use lights and reflective clothing.
–There are some shady characters near the 101 and 85 area and when you cross the bridge by the power station.

I live very close by to the trail, so at least once a week, I’d run a 5K or go on a bike ride using the trail to get to Shoreline Park, Shoreline Amphitheater and the Duck Pond. In the Summer time, there are a lot of gnats flying in the sun. Sometimes near the gough when the Steven Creek trail meets the Bay trail, the water there sinks like the steward system. When the sun is about to set, sometimes all these wild birds come out like falcons and owls, I even once saw a raccoon as I was walking home from Beyond Wonderland and there are a cute duck family, but be careful, even though they’re cute, they’ll chase after you if you get too close to them. I’d recommend this trail to friends and family, the sight of when you’re doing activities such as jogging and running is worth the experience.
Oh yeah, please don’t go jogging or walking on the trail by yourself along at night because I’ve done it and I can say it’s scary, when I hear something fiddling near a bush or when I come across a bush, I’m afraid someone may jump out!

This is my favorite trail to run on. I live fairly close by so I generally run to the trail through downtown Mountain View and enter it around Calderon and some other street — I can’t remember. There’s a bridge that I cross and if I go left, towards Moffett (I think that’s the direction I’m thinking of lol possibly), basically towards NASA, you can run for quite a while. I think I got to about 6 miles out that way before turning around and looping back. I presume that the trail goes on for quite a while, which is great. It’s also very flat which is fantastic (because who likes hills, I mean really). There’s generally a ton of bikers and other joggers going around so be careful to not get hit by a bike if you’re zig zagging or something! lol
Running in the opposite direction (towards Sunnyvale? Lol not sure on the street names because I don’t generally pay attention to where I’m going when I run), it’s about 4 miles from Villa/​Castro to Sunnyvale/​residential area. So I definitely prefer running towards NASA for those longer runs. There are also a few bridges that you’ll cross if you go either way. There’s a few that overlook the freeway and train tracks, which is cool. Unless you’re afraid of heights. Whoops.
Overall, such a nice trail to run on. Not too much of a hike because it’s generally flat except for bridges in some areas. But it’s also great for evening strolls!

My street credz: I run Stevens Creek once or twice per week. I cannot evaluate as a cyclist.
My official input:
Strengths:
— Mileage: it’s a long trail, so you aren’t forced to do an out-​and-​back, as long as you have transportation at your intended finish.
— Shade: much of SCT is covered by trees, making for a cooler run if the sun’s out
— Surface: it’s paved and smooth.
— Location: there are so many points of entry to the trail, including Google’s campus.
Weaknesses:
— Light: at night, it’s essentially pitch-​black. Bring a headlamp!
— Bridges: they are flexible for all them durn California earthquakes. If you run with others, you can really feel the bridges move, and it can almost feel like it’s jamming your joints.
— Vermin: I did see a rat once. So, there’s that.
Conclusion: ultimately, SCT does its job. It keeps you safe, shaded and trained. Take advantage of it.
And finally, one note to the cyclist that snorted, «Uh, it’s proooobably not a good idea to take up the whole path!» to my friends, I haven’t forgotten you, and I would like to inform you that we were obviously running 2×2, which is totally acceptable. #BeNice

We recently moved to Mountain View and I am so excited that we found this trail! It is hard finding a running route where you are not stopped by traffic light after traffic light — it gets a little annoying having to run in place awkwardly as you wait for a light. What is so great about this place is that you can run and run until your hearts content! This path stretches from El Camino/​Highway 85 into the Shoreline Park where you can end at a beautiful lake.
There are a lot of entrances to this trail (Evelyn Ave, Moffett, and Middlefield to name a few). Although this place can get packed with people strolling, biking, or jogging, it never seems to be crowded since it is easy to separate yourself from the pack on such a lengthy trail. I would highly recommend this trail to anyone looking for a place to run outdoors.

During the weekends there are quite a few families on the pathway, which makes it a great path for family bike rides and walks. It is a relatively secluded pathway that follows Stevens Creek out to the Bay and connects to trails leading to Sunnyvale and Shoreline.
The most recent addition of the pathway is the area directly South of El Camino and parallel to Hwy 85. It took about a year for them to finish that stretch and the bridge connecting it to Heatherstone Way.

This is one of the lesser known hiking/​biking spots in the South Bay. The Stevens Creek Trail stretches all the way from El Camino /​Highway 85 in Mountain View into the Shoreline Park.
5 miles of paved, flat road, next to Stevens creek. Eucalyptus and redwood trees. Amazingly fresh air. And, depending on the time of day, you’re guaranteed to get some «me» time.
My favorite part of the trail is when it reaches Shoreline Park. The little hill on the right, a golf course on the left, and the scent of gras and trees in the air. It is stunningly picturesque.

The Stevens Creek Trail is a 5 mile paved trail for walkers, runners, toddlers, and bicyclists, running from Heatherstone Way near the Mountain View-​Sunnyvale border, below El Camino Real to San Francisco Bay.
The trail starts at the corner of Dana and Heatherstone Way in a residential area of Mountain View east of Highway 85. The Heatherstone bridge, opened in June 2012, crosses Highway 85.
This concrete bridge has long on-​ramp approaches to the bridge. These ramps have hairpin corners requiring 180 degree turns. There are two lanes, one lane in each direction.
Bicyclists must turn 180 degrees in as few as 5 feet, to avoid traffic in the other lane. Cyclists in the inside lane have to come to a near stop to make the turn within the lane against oncoming bicyclists. We go from a near standstill up the next cross traverse ramp. No place to pick up speed before going up the bridge.
The paved trail continues on the west side of Highway 85, through grass land under transformer towers. It goes into a lighted tunnel under El Camino Real, with a skylight under the median area of the road. There are exit ramps to El Camino.
This is the first of several tunnels under roads, and all are very noisy from the vehicle traffic above, with sounds amplified off the concrete walls.
The paved trail resurfaces next to the backyard parking lot of the Hotel Zico next to the freeway, the eyesores of Mountain View!
The path goes through several narrow underpasses, at least one a blind curve– with a mirror– next to the sound wall of Highway 85. These pathways are only 6 feet wide, where people have to walk in a single column, when meeting opposing traffic. No lighting in these underpasses.
Next the paved trail goes over a 350 foot concrete bridge above the 4 lane freeway 237, with fenced in sides, with ramps with hairpin curves.
We bike the 1100 foot Central Expressway Bridge, over a light rail route, 2 lanes of Evelyn Ave, 2 railroad tracks, and 4 lanes of Central Expressway. Like the Heatherstone Bridge, this bridge has long approach ramps with hairpin curves. It is a wooden plank bridge arching at its peak.
Eucalyptus trees and redwood trees tower next to the path, emerging for another long narrow bridge, over Moffett Boulevard, before hitting a straightaway, going through an underpass under highway 101. The Moffett Blvd bridge, opened in 2009, has a very long ramp leading straight onto the bridge, with no hairpin curves.
The Stevens Creek emerges behind a dense foliage of shrubs and trees. The creek has ducks when the water is deeper in the winter. The trees disappear, and the shade recedes, as we are now in open grassland area, leaving the traffic noise of the highways behind us.
The path crosses a mobile home park, a tree nursery, and then NASA with the giant blimp hanger being dismantled in the background, and finally the back parking lots of Google.
There are side streets, and a resting area in this part of the trail, with bike racks and drinking fountains, but no rest rooms. The parks off the trails have rest rooms, and Shoreline Park at the end of the trail has rest rooms.
This part of the paved trail is on a raised levee, with steep inclines on each side. You do not want to have a tumble on your bike here! Purple flowers abound.
The area has no shade, but is not hot, as afternoon breezes blow from off of the nearby San Francisco Bay. Everything is slightly downhill, with the trail going straight to the Bay, with grasslands and then swampy areas on each side.
Once we reach the Bay the trail curves to the left to the north into Shoreline Park, and next to a golf course. Birds are overhead, and a white pelican standing on the mudflats. A nice place for a date with a fellow bicyclist, but smelly on the Bay itself, as it like a slough.
We reach Shoreline Park with the twin towers of the Shoreline Amphitheater, and then Shoreline Lake. The Bay trail starts and wraps around Shoreline Lake and through the former Mountain View dump, onto a dirt trail into the Palo Alto marshlands.
The Stevens Creek trail in Cupertino goes 1 mile of residential area near DeAnza Park near highway 85, and crosses over the ten lane hwy 280, and runs into Mary Ave and Homestead Rd in Sunnyvale. This will join the Mountain View trail in the distant future.
The Stevens Creek trail gets 3 stars, as it isn’t very scenic. 4 star bike/​pedestrian trails: the 10+ mile CA Orange County coastal trail, and the 6 mile Kauai East Coast Path. 5 star bike/​pedestrian trails: the 2 mile Wailea beach trail and the 13 mile Grand Canyon South Rim Trail.
Other South Bay bike trails: Vasona Park bike trail in Los Gatos, Coyote Point bike trail in San Mateo, the Foster City bike trail, Hellyer Park bike trail, Guadalupe River bike trail, and the Sunnyvale Bayland parks trail.

This is my favorite trail to go running on. It’s a multi-​use trail that has a lot of flexibility in terms of how far you want to run. I love that there are no cars so it provides a great alternative to getting around as well. It is connected to where I work, so it is such an easy option for me. It’s a very safe trail to run on as well.
Dogs are allowed on the trail too for certain parts of it. :)

My favorite trail for good conversations and singing lessons.
This 5-​mile path spanning roads and freeways is well-​paved and relatively flat, so it’s perfect for holding a conversation with someone whose company you enjoy, while also getting some calorie burn! Although