(Last updated in 2026.)
This preserve has tall coastal redwoods, including a conjoined Frankenstein tree with a tree growing from a hanging branch. Parking is plenty, but apparently gets full by 9AM on weekends. There is a restoration of the ruins of a Jesuit college happening here.
I did a 5.8 mile loop hike: Upper Pete Siemens Trail -> Redwood Springs Trail.
The trail is wide (and almost motorable), full of tree cover, well marked and easy even with the rise in elevation from 900 ft to 1900 ft.
We did the hike to climb to the summit of Black Mountain by starting from Hidden Villa.
There is ample parking at Hidden Villa if you purchase a $10 day parking pass ahead of time. It is better to purchase this before going there, since we found that the cellphone network strength was weak there.
This 10-mile route is rated as hard and it truly was the hardest hike I did in a long time. Even though a majority of the route was shaded, the incline is relentless and especially the last mile to the summit was incredibly hard for me.
Due to the difficulty of the hike, I definitely felt like I should have taken a lot more water, a hiking pole and some delicious food to savor at the summit.
We hiked in this park to see the many beautiful waterfalls it is famous for.
Note that a $10 day pass has to be purchased online before visiting. We tried getting this pass the day before for a Saturday or Sunday and found all the slots already booked out. We tried again a few days before the weekend and were able to purchase the day pass. When we drove there, we realized that the road to the park actually goes through the property of a Swedish resort called Sveadal.
We hiked the Upper, Basin, and Black Rock Falls via Contour and Waterfall Loop: Alec Canyon Trail -> Contour Trail -> Waterfall Loop Trail
The first half of this route is all uphill with some nice canyon views. The latter half was the real joy with the trail going alongside the creek, offering multiple opportunities to get to the refreshingly cold water at multiple waterfalls. The Upper Falls is the best looking one.
Our kids were a bit tired by the time we got to the waterfalls, but they had a lot of fun playing near the water, making boats of leaves and letting them flow downstream.
This is a park near Santa Cruz with trails that have gorgeous views of the coast and the ocean.
We paid the $10 fee to park at the Wilder Ranch Day Use Parking. A short walk from here is the Wilder Ranch where they have preserved a Victorian farmhouse, dairy farm and farm animals for kids to see and interact with. Passing through this ranch is a path that goes under the highway and the trails begin after that.
We did a 8 mile hike of the Old Cabin and Twin Oaks Trail that took us about 4 hours. This route is composed of: West Engelmans Trail -> Engelmans Loop -> Wild Boar Trail -> Old Cabin Trail -> Eucalyptus Loop -> Twin Oaks Trail -> Wilder Ridge Loop.
In the middle of the route we took a short detour to an overlook from where there was a stunning view of the coastline and the Wilder Beach.
These trails seem to be very popular with bikers. They passed by us all the time and the trails have been worn deep and narrow due to the biking. This actually made walking difficult on the trails.
This park is famous for having views that are reminiscent of Yosemite and so people call it Little Yosemite. The Alameda Creek cuts through the park providing many chances for visitors to witness it flowing over rocks and touch the cool water.
We drove here on a Sunday in March when the hills were green. The $5 parking fee was not needed on this Sunday. The park has 6 overflow parking lots, so is able to entertain hundreds of families.
We first went to the cute Visitor Center which has maps and informational displays of the local flora, fauna, Native American and settler history. After that we did a hike on the paved Camp Ohlone Road to the Alameda Creek Overlook to see the beautiful waters flowing over rocks. It is slightly difficult to get down to the rocks and water, but it is totally worth it.
Castle Rock has a waterfall, elevated views of surrounding mountains and big sandstone rocks.
Visitors who park their car pay the $10 fee at the Visitor Center. The toilets are modern and clean.
We took the trail on the left of the visitor center to Castle Rock Falls. There is a viewing platform which overlooks the falls (which is pretty small), and the view from there is great. We backtracked and took the trail to Castle Rock. The sandstone rocks here provided lots of climbing and exploring for our kids and they were not ready to leave. The rocks here are popular with climbers, every rock had a group of them practicing their techniques.
Mount Umunhum is one of the tallest peaks in the Bay Area. We parked at the Mount Umunhum Summit Parking Area, where a flight of stairs takes you to the summit. At the summit there are viewpoints with great views of the South Bay. In my opinion, this summit has the most stunning views of the South Bay, you can see all the cities spread out below you in a valley and the mountains ranged all around and the back.
There is a cool abandoned cubical building on top which was a defense radar system. The facilities look brand new (in 2026) and are very well maintained.
We took the Mount Umunhum Trail down from the summit for about 2.5 miles and then back the same distance. The trail was mostly shaded by trees and we passed streams and bridges. It was a relaxing green hike when we did this on a surprisingly sunny day in wintry January.
We parked in the lot near the Lexington Reservoir County Park near the Alma Gate Entrance. Looking at the weather and energy level of our kids on the spring day, we completed a 2.4 mile loop hike: