Since I started the New Year with an energizing hike, I thought I was setting the stage for a number of great weekly hikes for this year. However, it didn’t quite work out that way. After more than a month of no hiking, just as the weather started to warm up a little bit and the trees outside our apartment started showing small signs of coming back to life, I knew it was high time to get back on the trail.
The Bay Area is full of delightful hikes to suit every type of hiker. I had read about the beautiful Wildflower Hikes on various hiking forums and was keen to check them out. My research told me the Stile Ranch Trail in the Santa Teresa County Park had one of best wildflower hikes in San Jose.
The trail’s steep terrain and southern exposure apparently make it a prime habitat for the California poppy. I was getting tired of the bare trees all around and needed to see some colour. And the idea of climbing up a rough terrain to be rewarded by vast and beautiful vistas from a hill top was thrilling. I had turned into quite the hiking junkie!
I convinced my husband to put aside his laptop and get out there with me one Sunday afternoon. The Stile Ranch trail is about an hour’s drive from where we live in North San Jose. You can reach the trail head at San Vicente Avenue by turning right at the end of Almaden Expwy onto Harry Rd, taking an immediate left onto McKean Rd, then turning left onto Fortini Rd and left onto San Vicente Ave. You’ll see a small 10-car parking lot at the trail head surrounded by vast green mountains and open green fields.
It was a bright, beautiful sunny afternoon—perfect Spring weather, and all that greenery around us seemed to be glowing in the sunlight. The photographs don’t do it justice….it was almost like being inside a picture postcard.
Two trails diverge from this entrance, the Stile Ranch and Fortini Trails. They form a 2.7 mile loop that connects with other trails deeper into the park.
Since this was our first time, and we had about 2 hours to sunset, we chose to hike the loop starting clockwise at the trailhead. This involves hiking up Stile Ranch Trail, then taking Mine Trail to Fortini Trail and back to the trailhead.
Despite their proximity to each other, these two trails could not be more different in makeup.  The Fortini Trail is an easier, and flatter trail that rolls through a lush landscape and is supposed to take you to the Santa Teresa creek (we could hear a stream gurgling in a distance on our way back, but couldn’t see it). The Fortini trail is also supposed to be quite popular with mountain bikers.
The day we visited was Superbowl Day, which means there was practically no one in the streets or in the trails. We only saw one other couple almost towards the end of our hike and one mountain biker enter Fortini trail when we started our ascent on the Stile Ranch trail.
Stile Ranch is a rugged trail that climbs uphill, steadily zig-zagging in the Santa Teresa hills. By about three-fourths of a mile, we would have climbed ~350 ft. in a pretty rough & rocky dirt trail. Five minutes into our climb, I turned around and was surprised to find how quickly we had gained height!
Tip: Carry water. Wear sunscreen. There is almost no tree cover anywhere in this trail. Warning: No restrooms either.
The trail climbs steadily via a series of switchbacks and crosses two summits at about 700 feet elevation before descending to the junction with the Mine Trail. Since I hadn’t done any hiking for over a month, I was feeling the burn in my legs, and the exertion of the climb. But it was a good kind of burn that told me I was getting a workout, and the fresh air and greenery was invigorating.
Unfortunately, it was too early in Spring for the wildflowers to have bloomed. We saw a sum total of 3 poppies, just starting to bloom. I have seen pictures of the trail covered in a blanket of wildflowers, and was quite disappointed to find it so bereft of colour.
Nevertheless, the views were stunning and we were enjoying the feel of being in a remote meadow-like place straight out of a Wordsworth poem, so close to the city.
After passing over the first summit, Stile Ranch Trail descends about 100 feet and then climbs back up to a second summit. From the summits, there are nice views to the east, including part of the Diablo Range and Lick Observatory on Mt Hamilton. After climbing to the second, east, summit, there was an especially nice view of the trail zig-zagging down the side of the first, west, summit.
The IBM Almaden facility is visible on the left as the trail turns and heads down the side of a grassy gulch. The next stretch of the trail leading down to a creek crossing looks like it could get very muddy following rainstorms. We saw little messy puddles here and there. Once across a footbridge, Stile Ranch Trail climbs back uphill to dry ground. Some boulders studding the grassland are covered with bright orange lichen, quite a contrast to early spring’s vibrant green grass.
The interior section of the loop, including the short section of Mine Trail, is in open grassland, and you’ll find beautiful oak trees here.
Here are some more photos from the hike.
The entire loop took us a little over an hour at a moderate speed. This trail is not for beginners or those with serious knee injuries. I had some discomfort in my left knee since I have a Jumper’s Knee, but I have trained myself to walk in a certain way without putting too much pressure on my knees.
The main reason I chose this trail is because this loop is supposed to be the best wildflower viewing area in San Jose. Despite not seeing any (ok, a small cluster of poppies) we truly enjoyed this hike because every spot on the trail had its own beauty. All we had to do was to slow down enough to take it in.
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