A pleasant walk along fire roads offering panoramic valley views.

Location: El Sereno Open Space Preserve

» Official Trail Map: Good map with various trails shown clearly.

» Redwood Hikes Map: Bay Area Trail Map: Saratoga to Big Basin, First edition, 2010. This is an excellent map sold by Dave Baselt ($6.95 in Dec 2011). This map is useful for exploring many parks in this area. Highly recommended for avid hikers.

Route in brief: Walk along Aquinas Trail (4.2 miles) all the way until you reach a paved road. Return by Aquinas Trail (4.2 miles) along with a side trip to Serenity Trail (2.6 miles round-trip). At the end of Serenity Trail, there is an Electricity Tower with views of Lexington Reservoir.

Notes: We hiked in overcast conditions in Dec 2010. Even though it had rained over the past week, the trails were in good conditions. Trails in El Sereno are fire roads, portions of which are shaded. Aquinas Trail appeared well used and well maintained. Serenity Trail appeared unmaintained. At the end of Serenity Trail, there is a large PG&E tower with views of Lexington Reservoir.

Location: 19699 Montevina Rd, Los Gatos, CA 95033 . Parking area is not visible in Google Maps.

Directions: From Highway 17, take Bear Creek Road exit, turn right on Montevina Road and drive up all the way to reach a small parking lot for El Sereno Open Space Preserve.

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: None (last visited: December 2010)

Capacity: About 5 to 6 cars.

Latitude: 37.213184     Longitude: -122.023363