hiking


National Hiking Day 2022

villa montalvo hiking trails

Happy National Hiking Day! This is a beautiful day for a hike! You can go for a short hike before work, so go on a more adventuresome hike after work. If you can get away, go during the day!

If you are local to the San Francisco Bay Area, here are a few local hikes you can check out on this fabulous day dedicated to hiking, fitness, and enjoying nature.

In Saratoga, Villa Montalvo has beautiful trails. Check out my post about them!

Cupertino has a fabulous trail next to a winery. Check out my post about the Zinfandel Trail!

Stevens Creek County Park has a ton of amazing trails. Check out my post about them!

Love history? China Camp is a great place to hike, camp and learn about local history. Check out my post.

Alum Rock has really cool trails with a bit of historical remnants along the way. Check it out!

Looking for a fabulous view? Check out the Marin Headlands.

Still wish it was Halloween? Hike this trail to find a ghost town!

San Antonio Creek Trail in Cupertino offers several amazing trails, check them out!

Interested in more history? Almaden Quicksilver trails offer hikes through an extinct mercury mine.

Santa Teresa County Park offers trails with some pretty cool views. Check it out.

There are hundreds of amazing places to hike in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hop on a trail near you and have fun!

Thanks for stopping by, and go hiking!

XOXO

Cathy


Villa Montalvo hiking trails

villa montalvo hiking trails
villa montalvo hiking trails
hiking trails saratoga california

The Villa Montalvo hiking trails are some of the prettiest trails in Saratoga, California. If you are local to the San Francisco Bay Area, you may already be familiar with Villa Montalvo in Saratoga. It is an historic mansion which is currently used as an event venue, artist retreat, children’s activities, and for outdoor activities.

Sometimes you don’t want to go on an aggressive hike. There are days when a one or two-hour hike is just perfect. The hiking trails at Villa Montalvo are for those days. There are several connecting trails which you can make into a half-hour hike, or a three-hour hike. It all depends on how long you feel like staying out. It is easy to adjust and find a linking trail which takes you back to the Villa or the parking lot in a few minutes when you get tired.

We hiked at Villa Montalvo with my daughter’s girl scout troop, and since we had some younger girls with us, we lasted roughly two hours. This was perfect because the girls had fun, but it wasn’t overly strenuous. There is definitely some elevation on the trails, so even if you hike for a short time, you will still enjoy beautiful views of Silicon Valley and get a great outdoor workout. Love that!

In addition to hiking, the artists in residence have added some beauty to the natural trails. There are inspirational quotes along the trail as well as occasional artwork. It is very pretty and unique.

saratoga hiking tails art work

The hiking trails at Villa Montalvo can get busy since it is a favorite hiking spot for locals and families. If you plan to go, I recommend arriving early in the morning, before 10am. The trails close at 5pm, so plan ahead.

What I wore hiking on a fall day:

Have you hiked at Villa Montalvo before? What did you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

family friendly hiking trails bay area

Zinfandel Trail in Cupertino

zinfandel trail cupertino

Hiking outfit: black jacket / tee-shirt / jeans / G buckle belt / backpack / waterbottle / spring nail polish / hiking boots /

Last weekend, we decided to check out the Zinfandel Trail in Cupertino. This trail is adjacent to a beautiful winery by the name of Picchetti Winery. It is also part of the Steven Creek County Park which we have hiked in before.

This is a fabulous trail whether you are hiking with children, or a group who might be interested in wine tasting after the hike. We were with friends who had small children, and they were able to hike for two hours without complaining! It was great! That being said, don’t think is an easy trail. There are hills, twists and turns. If you hike the entire trail, you will end up on the other side of the reservoir; which is a long hike, but worth it for the beautiful views and amazing exercise.

I really enjoyed the Zinfandel Trail because a good portion of it was in the shade. This meant we had enough sun and shade to not overheat or get burned. Of course, always wear sunscreen! We did!

There were some cute little wildlife sightings along the trail which the kids enjoyed. We saw large and furry caterpillars, as well as various types of lizards in red, green, and grey. There was a variety of birds, and an unidentified animal sound which the kids enjoyed trying to guess what they heard.

The one sad part about this trail is that you can see how low the reservoir is right now during our drought. To top it off, the pond along the trail is completely dry. We are in the middle of spring, which is the end of our rainy season. This means our ponds and reservoirs should be full and thriving. Unfortunately, that is not the case at all. Let’s pray for an odd rainstorm to help us out!

Despite being low, the reservoir still provided a beautiful view and a glimpse at some pretty water. The Zinfandel Trail does provide some spectacular views! You will be rewarded for the work you put in to hike it. I would call this a medium trail.

Of course, if you leave the kids at home, the winery opens at 11am for wine tasting. You can not only have the reward of fabulous views, but a little vino too! Love that! We had kids with us, so we admired the pretty winery from afar.

The Zinfandel Trail can be accessed off Montebello Road which is off Stevens Canyon Road. It is an easy find off highway 85.

I hope you have a chance to check out this beautiful trail!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy