Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve, three miles south of Los Gatos, protects about 1,400 acres of second-growth redwood forest, Douglas fir, and oak woodland along cool, year-round creeks, with higher trails looking across to the Sierra Azul. Most of its redwoods are less than 150 years old, regrown after the 1850–1900 logging boom, though a few oddly shaped old-growth trees that loggers skipped can be seen from the trails. Wildlife includes mountain lions, bobcats, western pond turtles, Santa Cruz black salamanders, and the occasional bald eagle overhead.

The land's history is layered: logging, a brief stint as a fish farm, grand estates of wealthy California families, and then, from 1934 until 1969, Alma College, a Jesuit theological school and the first of its kind in the West. When the college closed, the property was slated for a golf course and luxury homes until conservationists, Midpen, and the Peninsula Open Space Trust bought it, creating the preserve in 1999. Bats that roosted in the old college buildings now live in a converted carport "bat cave," and the Bear Creek Stables, built in 1916, still board more than 70 horses.

Near the 53-space Alma parking area on Bear Creek Road, the 0.2-mile Upper Lake Loop is an accessible path past habitat restoration and Ohlone mortars. The Pete Siemens Trail climbs from about 1,000 feet to Madrone Knoll at 2,400 feet. More than 10 miles of trails are open to hikers and riders, with more planned; some trails are closed during parking-lot construction. Dogs and bikes are not allowed.