Parks in Saratoga

Tour the Guide Dog for the Blind facility to learn and see how they train their puppies and dogs. After a homestyle Puerto Rican lunch, the Executive Director of the Sausalito Center for the Arts teaches us about the artists and their artwork as we tour the center.

This preserve is over 730 acres with over 14 miles of dirt trails that are open to hikers, bicycles and horses and dogs that must be on leash.  At the top of the trails, there are views of the Santa Clara Valley.  Preserves are open one half hour before sunrise until one half hour after sunset.  There is a dirt parking for about 15 cars. Park as far as you can from the golf course fence.

This is a four mile relatively easy loop on a wide dirt trail that is used by hikers and equestrians.  The only parking is on the road (it is free) and the trail head is at a bridge.  The trail goes uphill toward Fremont Older so there are views.  Peak elevation is about 700 feet.  The trail winds through the open spaces between the houses of the neighborhoods.

Sanborn County Park is within Santa Cruz mountains and has over 3,688 highly forested acres. At the Sanborn Road main entrance, there is a one mile nature trail that offers examples of the flora and fauna diversity in the park. There are over 15 miles of trails for hikers. There is another entrance at the Lake Ranch Trailhead off of Bear Creek Road that offers a shaded, easy, flat hike to Ranch Lake.  There are multiple restrooms available at the main entrance but none at Lake Ranch.

Villa Montalvo County Park is 137 acres that features an arboretum and gardens.  There are a few miles of hiking trails within the park grounds that take you through the shady redwoods and past art installations. You can walk to the top for a view of the valley.