Los Gatos Creek Trail

The Los Gatos Creek Trail is a 9.7-mile (15.6 km) pedestrian and bicycle trail that runs through western Santa Clara County in California, from Lexington Reservoir in Los Gatos, California through Campbell, California to Meridian Avenue in San Jose, California alongside Los Gatos Creek. The trail is heavily used.

There are two trails between Lexington Reservoir and downtown Los Gatos. The portion of the trail on the west side of the creek is the Los Gatos Creek Trail proper and is a smooth, wide, unpaved trail on an old railway bed. The portion on the east side is the Jones Trail near the reservoir which connects to the Flume Trail. The north portion of this trail is for pedestrians only as it's windy and goes down to the stream level in several places. Jones Road is an alternative for cyclists. The Jones and Flume trail connect with Novitiate Park and the St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve. There is a limited amount of parking available in Novitate Park and at the end of Jones Road.

There are mile markers on the Los Gatos Creek trail, with the mile zero marker being located about 100 feet (30 m) north of the trailhead from Alma Bridge Road. The first half mile offers a significant drop in elevation.

As the trail reaches downtown Los Gatos, the first access point is at the Main Street bridge. The trail then passes the 1854 Forbes Mill, which houses a history museum. It then crosses from the east to the west of Highway 17 via a dedicated bridge. From this point northward the trail is paved. Next, there is an access point immediately behind the Old Town shopping area. 250 yards to the North, there is an access point and a parking lot with a few spaces meant for the trail next to a small park north of Old Town that can be reached via Miles Avenue.

The trail next runs through Oak Meadow Park and Vasona Park. Attractions in this pair of parks include the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad and a T33 airplane that kids can crawl on. The trail follows the east side of the lake and goes up and over the dam.

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Wikipedia