Stevens
Creek County Park/
Fremont Older Open Space Preserve,
Santa Clara County Parks/
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District,
Santa Clara County
In brief:
6.1 mile loop around and above Stevens Creek Reservoir.
Getting there:
From Interstate 280 in Santa Clara County, exit Foothill Expressway (exit #13)
and drive south on Foothill Boulevard about 1 mile to the junction with Stevens
Canyon Road. Stay in the middle right lane and drive on Stevens Canyon Road about
2 miles to the park entrance on the left side of the road. Drive downhill, pull
into the Chestnut Picnic Area on the left to pay the entrance fee, then continue
on the park road to the ranger station on the right side of the road. Pick
up a map, then continue down the road to the Baytree Picnic Area at the end of
the road.
Trailhead details:
$5 entrance/parking fee. Parking for 17 vehicles, and one designated handicapped
parking spot. Restrooms and drinking water at picnic area. If you look at the
map(s) on line before visiting these parks, note that although the maps show parking
areas at the Madrone and Sycamore Group Areas, the gates leading to the areas
are not always open. There is some roadside parking at this southern portion of
the park, but your best bet is to use the main entrance to Stevens Creek County
Park as a trailhead. There is no direct public transportation to the park. Trails
are wheelchair accessible for short distances.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, pay phone, and store back on Stevens Canyon Road at Foothills. No camping.
Rules:
Some trails are multi-use, some just open to hikers and equestrians, and a few
hiking only. Dogs are not allowed on every trail on the hike described below:
they are permitted below the dam on Stevens Creek Trail in Stevens Creek County
Park, and on the Fremont Older trails.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 6.1 mile loop hike is moderate. Trailhead elevation is around
400 feet. The featured hike's high point is about 1170 feet, but one trail wanders
up and down considerably, and the hike's total ascent is about 1110 feet. You
can take this hike in either direction, but Coyote Ridge Trail is a steep fire
road, in my opinion, better hiked down than up.
The Official Story:
• SCCP's
Steven's Creek page (click on Find a Park, then Steven's Creek)
• Stevens Creek County Park office: 408-867-3654
• MROSD's
Fremont Older page.
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• Map
from SCCP (download Stevens Creek pdf).
• Map
from MROSD (download Fremont Older pdf).
• The Trail Center's Trail Map of the Southern Peninsula is an excellent
guide to Stevens Creek County Park.
• Peninsula Trails, by Jean Rusmore, has a simple map and trail descriptions
(order
this book from Amazon.com).
• The Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Book, by Tom Taber, has a map and
preserve description (order
this book from Amazon.com).
Stevens
Creek County Park in a nutshell -- a printable, text-only guide to
the featured hike.
• View photos from this hike
You'll have to pick your poison when you plan a hike to
Stevens Creek County Park.
Are you bothered by crowds? Then go on a weekday. Dislike the roar of quarry trucks?
Your best bet is a weekend hike. The quarry on Stevens Canyon Road, on the
west shore of the reservoir, is very noisy, but the trucks roar Monday through
Friday, taking Saturday and Sunday off. That's when throngs of fishermen descend
to Stevens Creek Reservoir, cyclists zip up and down the steep fire roads, picnickers
unfurl their blankets, and archers let their arrows fly at a range in the southeast
corner of Stevens Creek Park.
Stevens Creek is Santa Clara County's first park.
The county has gradually increased the park from an original 1924 400 acre purchase
to 1,042 acres. Fremont Older Open Space Preserve
abuts the park to the east, and Picchetti Ranch Open
Space Preserve to the west, permitting long loops and out-and-back excursions
for cyclists, hikers, and equestrians. From the trailhead at Baytree Picnic Area,
there aren't any short loops, although an out-and-back hike on Stevens Creek Tony
Look Trail 
would
be a good choice for a brief walk. For a longer hike, you can extend this
featured hike by visiting Nob Hill, on the southeast corner of Fremont Older (see
MROSD's Fremont Older map), then taking Toyon and Bay View Trails back to Coyote
Ridge Trail. The trail systems at Fremont Older and Pichetti Ranch are more
conducive to shorter hikes.
Although Stevens Creek Tony Look Trail is mostly
shaded, I wouldn't recommend a summer hike at Stevens Creek County Park or Fremont
Older. Too much valley smog. Autumn is nice, with attractive sycamore, cottonwood,
big-leaf maple, and cercocarpus foliage. In winter there are tiny waterfalls on
Stevens Creek Tony Look Trail, and spring brings wildflowers to the grassland
and woods.
For the featured hike, start at Baytree
Picnic Area's parking lot. Walk back along the park road, cross the
bridge, and after about 180 feet, turn right onto gated and signed Stevens
Creek Tony Look Trail. The broad trail, open to hikers and cyclists, follows
along Stevens Creek. The slightly ascending trail is well-shaded by California
bay and coast live oak, as well as
clusters of sycamore, big-leaf maple, cottonwood, and alder, all pretty in autumn.
At 0.40 mile, there's a fenced flat area, and a few steps later you'll reach a
signed junction, with Stevens Creek Tony Look Trail veering off to the
right, and Coyote Ridge Trail beginning the climb to the ridge on the left. Stay
to the right on Stevens Creek Tony Look Trail.
After a brief climb through coyote brush, poison
oak, and sagebrush, the trail levels out. A few coast live oak shade the trail
as it edges near the reservoir. A short section of fence, blocking off the
spillway, ends and you can reach the water's edge, but no wading or swimming is
permitted. The trail, with coast live oak, toyon, and coyote brush prominent,
follows along the shore until 0.76 mile, when Stevens Creek Tony Look Trail swings
to the left. The other trail ends about 0.2 mile further. Turn left
to remain on Stevens Creek Tony Look Trail.
Check out the boy scout-built bat house at the
junction. This portion
of the trail was built in 1988 by volunteers, and it's a fantastic hiking-only
path through woods of coast live oak, buckeye, California bay, poison oak, creambush,
and toyon. If you think of blackberry as a benign plant, check out the spot not
far from the junction where vines have completely overtaken the understory. Switchbacks
smooth out the elevation gain. At the highest point along the trail, the path
cuts through an amazing patch of old-growth chaparral. Some of the shrubs, especially
the chamise, are the size of small trees. You might also see sagebrush, toyon,
pitcher sage, cercocarpus, and hollyleaf cherry. Views to the forested slopes
across the reservoir are unobstructed. The trail snakes downhill, passing through
a grassy area with some elegant coast live oaks. A fence guards a steep dropoff
as the trail drops to a bridge. There's nowhere to go but up, and Stevens Creek
Tony Look Trail climbs a bit before reaching a clear spot with yerba santa-framed
views of the southern tip of the reservoir. In autumn, look for lovely golden
leaves on sycamores at the shoreline. Stevens Creek Tony Look Trail descends again,
and 
another
fence prevents shortcuts as a shallow switchback channels the trail downhill.
Through the trees you might see ducks and herons in the quiet pools of the reservoir.
The narrow trail edges beneath a strange slab of rock where small seasonal waterfalls
feed the reservoir on rainy winter days. After one last bridge, the trail climbs
through grassy woodland and reaches Laurel Flat, the end of the volunteer built
section of trail. The trail widens and passes what seems to be the park dump on
the left. At 2.76 miles a gate blocks the fire road's exit to Stevens Canyon
Road. Take the trail to the left.
This small, hiking-only trail winds around the
back of Madrone and Sycamore Group Picnic Areas. Stay to the left at two unsigned
junctions, at 2.82 and 2.92 miles. This path becomes Lookout Trail somewhere
along here (the Fremont Older map suggests the transition at the Madrone Group
Area; it doesn't really matter because it's the only trail at this point). The
trail is very narrow in sections, and although switchbacks cushion the blow of
much of the climb, the ascent will have your heart pumping. 
Luckily,
the trail is thickly forested with coast live oak and California bay, so it's
cool and shady. Look for creambush and gooseberry in the understory. At a
grassy flat spot on the right side of the trail, a break in the trees reveals
a spectacular view to the southwest (this is a nice lunch spot). In autumn, on
the high, sloping vineyards across the valley, grape leaves, lit with color, stand
out from the surrounding chaparral and woods. At 3.63 miles, Lookout Trail crests
and crosses through a gate into Fremont Older and grassland.
The trail drops down a bare slope near
a power line (there's a faint path that bypasses the sharp descent to the left),
then climbs easily to two junctions at 3.71 and 3.77 miles. Go straight at
the first junction, and then at the second, turn right onto Vista Loop
Trail. (Either branch of Vista Loop Trail will hook up with Coyote Ridge
Trail eventually, but the trail to the right has nicer views to the east.) You'll
walk down a broad, level multi-use dirt road lined with eucalyptus trees, with
nice views south to Mount Umunhum. The archery range is visible down the slope
to the right. At 3.92 miles, turn left at a signed junction onto Coyote
Ridge Trail.
Coyote Ridge Trail is a hiking, bicycling, and
equestrian trail, so be alert for traffic. 
The
trail climbs a little, and there are views back downhill to Lookout Trail. At
4.13 miles, a spur trail not on the map (but marked by a faded wooden informative
sign) leads to the highest point in the preserve. Take the short trail
uphill to the right to Maisie's Peak.
This vantage point offers particularly good views
of the eastern portion of Fremont Older. On a clear day you should be able to
see Mission Peak, Mount Diablo, Mount Hamilton, Mount Umunhum, and even San Francisco
and Mount Tamalpais. Maisie's Peak is a great lunch or break spot, but it can
get uncomfortably windy in winter. When you are ready to continue, return to
Coyote Ridge Trail, turn right and then continue straight at the signed junction
with Vista Loop Trail, at 4.27 miles.
Grassy slopes visible on the left side of the trail
are crisscrossed with animal paths. Look for deer and coyote footprints on the
ground, and vultures and hawks soaring in the thermals overhead. Poison oak, toyon,
sagebrush, scrub oak, monkeyflower, cercocarpus,
coyote brush, and chamise take over the landscape, but there are some occasional
pockets of coast live oak and blue oak. Coyote Ridge Trail rises and falls a bit
as it passes three signed junctions: the first with a trail descending to Bay
View Trail (at 4.43 miles), the second with Fern Trail (at 4.49 miles; not on
the Stevens Creek County Park map), and lastly with another spur leading down
to Bay View Trail (at 4.57 miles). Stay on Coyote Ridge Trail at each
junction.
The ridgetop trail draws near to some houses, a
water tank, and a few pines on the right, before veering back into chaparral.
Coyote Ridge Trail begins a plunge back toward Stevens Creek County Park. At 5.04
miles, stay to the left at a junction with an unnamed trail (it deadends
after 0.4 mile).
The descent is sharp, and beware of cyclists traveling
downhill. High tension power towers accompany coast live oak, buckeye, blue elderberry,
toyon, and hollyleaf cherry along the trail. At 5.73 miles, you'll reach a previously
encountered junction. If you want a different walk back to the parking area, walk
straight a few feet, then look to the left for a break in the fence just past
the junction and "no horses" sign. This path, Rim Trail, runs along
Stevens Canyon Road and ends near the parking lot. I prefer the gentle sound of
running water to the roar of a diesel (most of the time), so continue back
the way you came, to the parking lot at Baytree Picnic Area.
Total distance: 6.13 miles
Last hiked: Monday, December
10, 2001
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
Are you bothered by crowds? Then go on a weekday. Dislike the roar of quarry trucks?
Your best bet is a weekend hike. The quarry on Stevens Canyon Road, on the
west shore of the reservoir, is very noisy, but the trucks roar Monday through
Friday, taking Saturday and Sunday off. That's when throngs of fishermen descend
to Stevens Creek Reservoir, cyclists zip up and down the steep fire roads, picnickers
unfurl their blankets, and archers let their arrows fly at a range in the southeast
corner of Stevens Creek Park. 
would
be a good choice for a brief walk. For a longer hike, you can extend this
featured hike by visiting Nob Hill, on the southeast corner of Fremont Older (see
MROSD's Fremont Older map), then taking Toyon and Bay View Trails back to Coyote
Ridge Trail. The trail systems at Fremont Older and Pichetti Ranch are more
conducive to shorter hikes. 
clusters of sycamore, big-leaf maple, cottonwood, and alder, all pretty in autumn.
At 0.40 mile, there's a fenced flat area, and a few steps later you'll reach a
signed junction, with Stevens Creek Tony Look Trail veering off to the
right, and Coyote Ridge Trail beginning the climb to the ridge on the left. Stay
to the right on Stevens Creek Tony Look Trail.
of the trail was built in 1988 by volunteers, and it's a fantastic hiking-only
path through woods of coast live oak, buckeye, California bay, poison oak, creambush,
and toyon. If you think of blackberry as a benign plant, check out the spot not
far from the junction where vines have completely overtaken the understory. Switchbacks
smooth out the elevation gain. At the highest point along the trail, the path
cuts through an amazing patch of old-growth chaparral. Some of the shrubs, especially
the chamise, are the size of small trees. You might also see sagebrush, toyon,
pitcher sage, cercocarpus, and hollyleaf cherry. Views to the forested slopes
across the reservoir are unobstructed. The trail snakes downhill, passing through
a grassy area with some elegant coast live oaks. A fence guards a steep dropoff
as the trail drops to a bridge. There's nowhere to go but up, and Stevens Creek
Tony Look Trail climbs a bit before reaching a clear spot with yerba santa-framed
views of the southern tip of the reservoir. In autumn, look for lovely golden
leaves on sycamores at the shoreline. Stevens Creek Tony Look Trail descends again,
and 
another
fence prevents shortcuts as a shallow switchback channels the trail downhill.
Through the trees you might see ducks and herons in the quiet pools of the reservoir.
The narrow trail edges beneath a strange slab of rock where small seasonal waterfalls
feed the reservoir on rainy winter days. After one last bridge, the trail climbs
through grassy woodland and reaches Laurel Flat, the end of the volunteer built
section of trail. The trail widens and passes what seems to be the park dump on
the left. At 2.76 miles a gate blocks the fire road's exit to Stevens Canyon
Road. Take the trail to the left.
Luckily,
the trail is thickly forested with coast live oak and California bay, so it's
cool and shady. Look for creambush and gooseberry in the understory. At a
grassy flat spot on the right side of the trail, a break in the trees reveals
a spectacular view to the southwest (this is a nice lunch spot). In autumn, on
the high, sloping vineyards across the valley, grape leaves, lit with color, stand
out from the surrounding chaparral and woods. At 3.63 miles, Lookout Trail crests
and crosses through a gate into Fremont Older and grassland. 
The
trail climbs a little, and there are views back downhill to Lookout Trail. At
4.13 miles, a spur trail not on the map (but marked by a faded wooden informative
sign) leads to the highest point in the preserve. Take the short trail
uphill to the right to Maisie's Peak.
coyote brush, and chamise take over the landscape, but there are some occasional
pockets of coast live oak and blue oak. Coyote Ridge Trail rises and falls a bit
as it passes three signed junctions: the first with a trail descending to Bay
View Trail (at 4.43 miles), the second with Fern Trail (at 4.49 miles; not on
the Stevens Creek County Park map), and lastly with another spur leading down
to Bay View Trail (at 4.57 miles). Stay on Coyote Ridge Trail at each
junction.