Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve
Hidden in the hills above the Lexington Reservoir in Los Gatos is one of the district's newest preserves. Bear Creek Redwoods is so new, in fact, that it is not even open to the general public yet. However, trail use is allowed if you obtain a permit first. Because of the restriction, chances are you will have the entire preserve to yourself. Be careful, however, because the trails have not yet been developed and are unmarked.
Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve was acquired by the district in 1999. The 1400-acre preserve includes the site of the former Alma College, a Jesuit seminary that later relocated to Berkeley. Multiple dilapidated buildings and about 10 miles of roads/trails still exist on the land. Even through the land was heavily logged, the preserve contains one of the largest and finest second-growth redwood forests remaining in the county. Some redwoods on the property are believed to be 800 to 900 years old. As an interesting side note, Alma College was named after the nearby town of Alma, the site of which now lies under the waters of Lexington Reservoir.
Currently the only access into the park is through the locked gate marked BC04 along Bear Creek Road. The entrance code is provided to you after you obtain your permit.
The Dirt:
Extras:
Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve was acquired by the district in 1999. The 1400-acre preserve includes the site of the former Alma College, a Jesuit seminary that later relocated to Berkeley. Multiple dilapidated buildings and about 10 miles of roads/trails still exist on the land. Even through the land was heavily logged, the preserve contains one of the largest and finest second-growth redwood forests remaining in the county. Some redwoods on the property are believed to be 800 to 900 years old. As an interesting side note, Alma College was named after the nearby town of Alma, the site of which now lies under the waters of Lexington Reservoir.
Currently the only access into the park is through the locked gate marked BC04 along Bear Creek Road. The entrance code is provided to you after you obtain your permit.
The Dirt:
- Click here for the official web site with link to a trail map. (Because the trails are unmarked the trail map is of limited use!)
- The permit application can be found here.
- Click here for driving directions to the BC04 entrance gate via Google Maps.
- There are no dogs allowed in the preserve.
Extras:
- This page from the Open Space District describes the property history and future plans.
Favorite Run #1: Coming soon!
Coming soon...