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Tags:
Level: Beginner
Length: 6 mi (9.7 km)
Surface: Fire Road
Configuration: Network
Elevation: +403/ -429 ft
Total: 85 riders
Mountain Biking St. Joseph's Hill
#214 of 1,004 mountain bike trails in California
The long fireroad climb will get your heart pumping. Some short side trails near the top of the hill but they will eventually point you to the peak. Take in the view, catch your breath and its all downhill... you'll have to resist your urge to go screaming downhill (heck, you deserve it after the long climb!) but there are often rangers out that will give you a ticket for speeding over 15mph.
First added by on Apr 26, 2004. Last updated May 7, 2020. → add an update
Before you go
- Drinking water: unknown
- Lift service: unknown
- Night riding: unknown
- Pump track: unknown
- Restrooms: unknown
- Fat bike grooming: unknown
- E-bikes allowed: unknown
- Fee required: unknown
This trail information is user-generated. Help improve this information by suggesting a correction.
One of two trailheads is accessible from Jones Road near downtown Los Gatos. To get to Los Gatos, take Hwy 17 exit Los Gatos Saratoga Rd towards East Los Gatos, take a right on Los Gatos Blvd which turns into Main Street.
I'd recommend this trail ! Gorgeous views ! Good steep climbing workout and definitely DH is lot of fun. I Mostly try to hit the trail on weekdays as on weekend it gets crowded .
| Thankgreat trail to get in shape on
| Thankfor a long ride it's great to go from the top and do a lap around lexington. That way adds another hour or so of road ridding.
This trail is a must if you live in the area. There is an exiting no bikes trail that leads to the bottom of the mountain from los gatos creek trail. From there there is a five mile climb. At the top, you can se so much, and the dam looks puny. From there on it is all down hill and you can reach high speeds *cough* 40 mph *cough*. Ive never acutually seen a ranger on the trail, but stay on your feet, cuz there are pedestrians.
| ThankI rode this with a bunch of guys from work who were not in the same shape as me and I waited quite a bit for them.
| ThankView is priceless. Lots of manzanita and brush. The first part of the ride, just a few hundred feet, is nearly vertical (being severely out of shape, I had to walk the second half), but after that the climb is slightly less strenuous... but still heart pumping. Great cardio ride. The way down is fast and furious. Wouldn't recommend this in the summer, probably way hot, and most of the trail is exposed. Did it in fall with fog rolling in, and I was still soaked.
| ThankThis is a great training ride for those working on their climbing skills. The initial uphill from the gate entrance is a gut-buster, but if you can grit it out the view from the top is a pure "sound of music" experience. Check out the open space preserve site to grab a PDF topo map of the trail before you head out:
http://www.openspace.org/preserves/pr_st_josephs.asp
You can find this site on google maps at:
| Thankhttp://maps.google.com/maps?q=st.+joseph+hill,+los+gatos,+ca&ll=37.215019,-121.985128&spn=0.007557,0.007838&t=h&num=10&start=0&hl=en