El Sereno Open Space Preserve

Hike Review

• I hiked this preserve before but not this part of the park.

• The trail I walked was a fire road that wasn’t too muddy even though it had been raining on and off for a few days.

• There was a tiny stretch of shade at the top of the hill, but otherwise, it was totally exposed.

• I kept seeing scat with undigested berries inside (which is what bear scat looks like), but given that this is the Santa Cruz mountains and that the scat was small, Steve thought it might be a coyote.

• In terms of vegetation, it was mostly manzanita trees of all sizes (from bushes to one of the tallest that I’ve seen).

• I saw small rodents (it was too rainy and dark to tell which) and quail on the trail. On the drive out, I did see a family of deer.

• There was a small dirt pullout which I think serves as the parking lot next to the trailhead gate. I was the only one parked and there was space for a few more cars.

• There are no facilities at the trailhead.

• There were very few people on the trail (even by rainy day standards)—four joggers and one cyclist.

What I Learned

• The Lexington Reservoir Viewpoint at the end of this trail was underwhelming.

Media Consumed

• The Force

What Happened?

7.4 miles, 2 hrs 54 mins, 2003 ft of ascent

Due to a severe snowstorm alert, I had to cancel my skiing plans for today, so instead I went hiking at El Sereno Open Space Preserve as I had wanted to hike this trail for a few years now. The drive there was a peaceful one, though there are stretches of the road that are single-lane—thankfully, there wasn’t much traffic.

As if choreographed, the rain started in earnest right as I parked and started hiking. Thankfully, I had brought my three-layer rain jacket, so water wasn’t much of an issue.

The hike was fine, but nothing really stood out to me. The view of the hills was nice, but it was marred by these giant houses that did not blend in with the foliage at all. The view of the reservoir was all right, but it just wasn’t very picturesque. The short section with trees was nice, but it was so short, I’m not sure it was worth it. At least I got to enjoy the fresh air outdoors and get some exercise.