Sanborn County Park climbs the eastern slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains from Sanborn Road all the way up to Skyline Boulevard, four miles west of Saratoga. It's deeply forested, with creeks that run year-round, and it's one of the coolest Santa Clara County parks in summer. In fall and winter, it's a quiet place to walk among redwoods.

The hikes

  • Todd Creek Redwoods loop (5.6 miles): Weekend Sherpa's loop starts at the Sequoia parking lot and passes Peterson Grove, where redwoods ring an accessible wooden deck. It continues through the campground and climbs the Sanborn Trail more than 1,000 feet in about a mile and a half, past big sandstone boulders, to the Todd Creek Redwoods. That grove of second-growth redwoods is dotted with huge stumps from the old-growth trees. The loop returns on the Upper and Lower Madrone trails and the San Andreas Trail.
  • Shorter Sanborn loop (about 5 miles, roughly 500 feet of gain): The Modern Female Hiker describes a mostly shaded, moderate loop starting on the San Andreas Trail. Cell service is spotty, so download a map before you go.
  • Going higher: The park has the first Santa Clara County segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail. Summit Rock, a climbing spot with a view over Saratoga and the South Bay, sits at the top of the park and is easiest to reach from Skyline Boulevard. Lake Ranch Reservoir, a small mountain lake, is in the southeast corner.

History

An Ohlone grinding slab forms half of the entry gate to the park's log house. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James R. Welch built the house in 1908 as a summer retreat, according to Wikipedia. In 1956, Vernon J. Pick, called "America's Uranium King," bought the property. He set up a 200-person electronics company there and named it Walden West, after Thoreau's Walden. The county bought the land in the late 1970s. From 1976 to 2010, the house was the Sanborn Park Hostel, which said it charged the lowest rate of any U.S. hostel, $14 a night when it closed.

Know before you go

  • Getting there: From Saratoga, go two miles west on Highway 9 to Sanborn Road, then turn left and go one mile to the entrance.
  • Hours and fees: Open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset, according to Weekend Sherpa. There's an entry fee.
  • Dogs: Allowed on leash in picnic and RV areas and on most trails.
  • Kids: The Youth Science Institute's Sanborn Science and Nature Center, opened in 1982, has live Santa Cruz Mountains animals, earthquake exhibits and an arthropod zoo.
  • Summer: The park hosts Silicon Valley's only outdoor Shakespeare company.