As described by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District:"Overlooking the town of Los Gatos and the south bay, Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve is the District's largest preserve, encompassing over 17,000 acres of mostly rugged and steep terrain.The environment of Sierra Azul is strikingly varied. One can visit serpentine grasslands, hard, rocky, and steep chaparral, dense stands of bay trees, or quiet, shaded oak woodland forests. For the more hardy explorers, there are deep ravines and riparian corridors, some containing seasonal or year-round water flow.Wildlife is abundant in Sierra Azul. The entire Preserve is prime mountain lion habitat and also provides homes for deer, bobcats, coyotes, and many other species of animals. Sierra Azul ("Blue Range") is a true wilderness area, yet surprisingly close to the urban areas of the South Bay, making it a popular destination."
Trails
Summary
Difficulty
Distance
Limekiln Trail to Priest Rock and Kennedy Trail
One of the best scenic workouts in the Sierra Azul OSP around Los Gatos/San Jose!
One of the best scenic workouts in the Sierra Azul OSP around Los Gatos/San Jose!
Difficult
6.4 mi
10.3 km
10.3 km
Guides
One of the best scenic workouts in the Sierra Azul OSP around Los Gatos/San Jose!
Woods Rd to Barlow Rd to Mt Umunhum Rd
Community Trips
Lexington Reservoir to Hicks Road - Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve
Lexington (historical), California, United States
11.9 miles
11.9 miles
This is a very classic hike that I do at least once a year. Sam and I staged a car at Hicks Road and drove down to Lexington Reservoir. We climbed up Priest Rock Trail all the way to Kennedy Road. This is was a good exercise. The temperature was ideal, we never felt chilly or hot. In less than 2 hours, we were on the ridge, and we continued on the...
This 7.9 mile / 1554 ft hike goes to Bald Mountain.The trail head is located at the intersection of Hicks road and Mt Umunhum road. Toilet facilities are available and there are usually maps available for the Sierra Azul Open Space.We started out on Woods road. The wide trail/road is a pleasant easy shaded hike for 2.8 miles. You do see some nice views of San Jose below. This trip, there was...
Laurent and I had a nice time hiking from Lexington Reservoir to the Hicks Road trailhead in Sierra Azul on the Priest Rock, Kennedy and Woods Trails. We met at the Hicks Road trailhead, left one car there, then drove to Lexington. I was surprised ... the trip took more than 30 minutes! I guess the hike is going to be long and impressive then...I had hiked from Lexington to Sombroso a...
Bay Area Ridge Trail: Sierra Azul, Lexington to Hicks Road
Lexington (historical), California, United States
11.9 miles
11.9 miles
The first in our new challenge to hike the entire BART. More story and photos to be added later.
Lexington Reservoir to Hick Rd Trail.A nice Steep climb.It was just suppose to Shower. Turned out to be raining on most of our hike.We where going to do 3+ miles out and back just to check this trail out. But the rain would not let up and BIG BIRD started complaining about the steep climb. We decided to head back a little sooner then 1st planned. This is a Fire Road Trail. Nice...
Letshike - Limekiln -> Priest Rock -> Kennedy
Lexington (historical), California, United States
6.4 miles
6.4 miles
Having made it to Kennedy-Priest Rock Junction before from the North (See my trip ID=86960) last December (and earlier) I'd been meaning to make it from the West.. Finally made it today! The sun was bright but temperatures were not at their peek and a gentle 5 mph breeze made the shady spots delicious!The views from the top are extraordinary! If you are not used to it, this can be a tough...
Easy family hike to the Bull Run area from the Wood Rd. entrance. We had a nice picnic at Bull Run, including hot tea and cider.I've hiked this route or similar ones many times, and eaten lunch at the Bull Run picnic tables a gazillion times but that didn't make today any less fun.
Several weeks ago Laurent and I hiked from Gudalupe Lake to Hicks Road via the Sierra Azul Openspace. We were both astonished by the variety and quantity of amazing wildflowers .. almost all of them in the last 2 miles! Today I brought Elaine back for a peek. We drove up to the Hicks Road trailhead and headed down Woods Trail. The trail zigzags in and out of small valleys, and thus...
Gorgeous Rural Street Walk on Weaver Rd (nr Lexington Reservoir)
Aldercroft Heights, California, United States
2.9 miles
2.9 miles
After several weekends of rain, a beautiful day got too many people off their couch... the parking space at Limekiln and Priest Rock were full (and the Crewing club was hopping)... So, we decided to drive further - took a left on Soda Springs and kept going up... The views from Weaver Road are to die for. My pictures could never do justice - serene & fresh - today we could see...
I took the day off today to do some hiking and geocache finding with a crew I know via the Geocachers of the Bay Area. One of the rationales for choosing this route today was to find a cache placed on a previous MLK day, but I was mainly looking for some good exercise with nice people: sammydee, DragonsWest, KendraH, bykenut.The valley was foggy today, but we were in sunshine above the...
