A challenging hike to Black Mountain from Rancho San Antonio.

Location: Rancho San Antonio County Park

» Official Trail Map: High quality map showing various trail sections.

» Redwoodhikes Trail Map: Great map showing many parks like Purisima Creek, Huddart, Wunderlich, El Corte De Madera, Foothills, Hidden Villa and Rancho San Antonio. Trail maps for individual parks are available online for free. However, the RedwoodHikes map shows the big picture and is helpful for planning hikes that go through multiple parks.

To Black Mountain (6.1 miles): From the southern parking lot in Rancho San Antonio, follow PG&E Trail (4.0 miles) to 'Vista Point'. Follow Quarry Trail (1.1 miles) → left on Black Mountain Trail (1.0 miles) to reach Black Mountain. Panoramic views of silicon valley are visible in the north. Fantastic views of Santa Cruz Mountains, carpeted by trees, are visible in the south.

To Rancho San Antonio Parking Lot (8.7 miles): From Black Mountain, follow Black Mountain Trail (4.0 miles) → right on Chamise Trail (2.3 miles) → Rogue Valley Trail (1.1 miles) → Lower Meadow Trail (0.8 miles) → unnamed trails (0.5 miles) to the southern parking lot in Rancho San Antonio.

Location: near 22500 Cristo Rey Drive, Los Altos, CA 94024 . Parking area is visible in Google Maps if you zoom in sufficiently.

Directions: From I-280, north or south, take the Foothill Boulevard exit and proceed south on Foothill Boulevard approximately 0.2-mile to Cristo Rey Drive. Turn right on Cristo Rey Drive, continue for about 1 mile, veer right around the traffic circle, and turn left into the County Park entrance.

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: None (last visited: Feb 2010)

Capacity: Free parking for dozens of cars. However, the park is very popular among local residents, so parking is always a challenge.

Latitude: 37.332716     Longitude: -122.086800