Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve is about three miles south of Los Gatos. The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District says it has over 10 miles of hiking and equestrian trails through 1,430 acres of second-growth redwood forest, along with Douglas fir and oak woodland.
A layered history
Ohlone people lived in the region for thousands of years, and several of their rock mortars are in the preserve, Wikipedia says. The mortars were moved during the estate era to a spot near Upper Lake. The land was logged repeatedly starting in the 1850s. In 1906, Harry Tevis, heir to a San Francisco mining fortune, built a 50-room mansion on a ridge top. From 1934 to 1969, the site was home to Alma College, a Jesuit seminary.
Midpen says the land was nearly turned into a golf course and country club with luxury homes, until a coalition of environmental activists stopped it. Midpen partnered with Peninsula Open Space Trust and acquired the land, including the Bear Creek Stables, in 1999.
Opening in phases
The first public access phase opened June 8, 2019, according to Wikipedia. Midpen says the Alma College site and another 15 miles of trail will be phased in over the next fifteen years. Near the parking area, a short easy-access trail circles Upper Lake. The 2.5-mile Pete Siemens Trail heads into fir and redwood forest west of Bear Creek Road.
Midpen lists mountain lions, bobcats, western pond turtles and Santa Cruz black salamanders among the wildlife, and says bald eagles are sometimes seen overhead. For another hike nearby, see our guide to El Sereno Preserve.