St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve
Managed by Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
174 acres3.3 mi of trail
Manzanita TrailFlume TrailJones TrailNovitiate Trail+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Ramkumar Menon · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Los Gatos
Los Gatos has 21 miles of mapped trails, 1.8 for every square mile of land
17% of Los Gatos’ land is conserved, about 1,253 acres. 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1,249 acres are parks and preserves, 38 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #92 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
1,253 acres · of 11.6 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
1.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,249 ac
38 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
22 mi
10 mi lanes · 7.7 mi paths
Highest peak
1,253 ft
Saint Josephs Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Los Gatos?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Los Gatos have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Los Gatos is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #92 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Los Gatos’ overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land38 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,249 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home96% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 89%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve, with 3.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Heintz Open Space
Managed by Town of Los Gatos, Parks and Public Works Department
86 acres2.2 mi of trail
Valley View TrailVista TrailSky Lane Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Santa Rosa Openspace
Nature preserve
57 acres1.1 mi of trail
Santa Rosa TrailRidge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Belgatos Park
Park
17 acres0.8 mi of trail
Ridge TrailSanta Rosa Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Vasona Lake County Park
Managed by Santa Clara County Parks
157 acres0.5 mi of trail
Viola Anderson Native Plant TrailLos Gatos Creek Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 14 parks & preserves
St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve174 acres · 3.3 mi of trail · Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
DirectionsHeintz Open Space86 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Town of Los Gatos, Parks and Public Works Department
DirectionsSanta Rosa Openspace57 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
Belgatos Park17 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsVasona Lake County Park157 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Santa Clara County Parks
DirectionsWorcester Park13 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Town of Los Gatos
DirectionsOak Meadow Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLa Rinconada Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBlossom Hill Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Los Gatos
DirectionsLive Oak Manor Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Vasona Lake Eucalyptus Grove1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsOak Hill Playlot1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Los Gatos Creek County Park8 acres · Santa Clara County Parks
DirectionsBachman Park4 acres
Who protects it
1,253 conserved acres
17% of Los Gatos’ land. Who manages Los Gatos’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency878 ac
Town or city221 ac
County157 ac
Local Conservation Area · 836 acLocal Park · 224 acLocal Recreation Area · 146 acConservation Easement · 42 acLocal Other or Unknown · 8 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 38 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 659 | Closed |
| St Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 174 | Open |
| Vasona Lake County Park Local Park | County | 149 | Open |
| Heintz Open Space Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 87 | Open |
| Santa Rosa Open Space Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 59 | Open |
| Belgatos Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Worcester Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Oak Meadow Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Blossom Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| La Rinconada Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
113 places to go in Los Gatos
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Los Gatos
5 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Los Gatos
25 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Los Gatos
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Los Gatos
Vasona ReservoirIn Vasona Lake County Park
DirectionsScenic views in Los Gatos
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Los Gatos
Saint Josephs Hill1,253 ft elevation · In St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve
DirectionsCollords Peak
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Los Gatos
Blossom Valley Group Picnic AreaIn Vasona Lake County Park
DirectionsCircle Group Picnic AreaFee · In Vasona Lake County Park
DirectionsGateway PavilionIn Vasona Lake County Park
DirectionsLakeview Group Picnic AreaIn Vasona Lake County Park
DirectionsLakeview Group Picnic AreaIn Vasona Lake County Park
DirectionsLakeview Group Picnic AreaIn Vasona Lake County Park
DirectionsMeadowbrook Group AreaIn Vasona Lake County Park
DirectionsMeadowbrook Group AreaIn Vasona Lake County Park
Directions3 more picnic areas
Pepper Tree Group Picnic AreaIn Vasona Lake County Park
DirectionsPepper Tree Group Picnic AreaIn Vasona Lake County Park
DirectionsRaintree Group Picnic AreaIn Vasona Lake County Park
Directions76 picnic areas are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Trails & water
19 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.5 miHorses · 7.1 miUnpaved · 9.6 mi
Kennedy Trail3.7 mi
Manzanita Trail1.5 mi
Santa Rosa Trail0.9 mi
Valley View Trail0.9 mi
Flume Trail0.5 mi
Jones Trail0.5 mi
Ridge Trail0.5 mi
Oak Ridge Trail0.4 mi
Rocky Ridge Trail0.4 mi
Novitiate Trail0.4 mi
9 more trails
Vista Trail
0.4 miSky Lane Trail
0.3 miSanta Rosa Bypass
0.3 miViola Anderson Native Plant Trail
0.2 miSerpentine Trail
0.2 miLower Brothers Bypass
0.2 miRange Trail
0.2 miUpper Brothers Bypass
0.1 miLos Gatos Creek Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
22 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
10 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
7.7 mi
off-road bike paths
4.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
67Tennis
27Basketball
20Pickleball
15Baseball
4Soccer
2Lacrosse
2Volleyball
1Field hockey
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Los Gatos: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 60 | 63 | 67 | 70 | 76 | 82 | 85 | 85 | 84 | 77 | 67 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 4.4 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 4.2 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.5 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Los Gatos →
Next door
Los Gatos and its neighbors
Los Gatos has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Los Gatos
Where can I hike in Los Gatos?
The longest trail networks: St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve, 3.3 miles; Heintz Open Space, 2.2 miles; Santa Rosa Openspace, 1.1 miles; Belgatos Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Los Gatos is conserved land?
17% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Los Gatos’ trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve (on leash) and Heintz Open Space (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Los Gatos?
22 miles of bike routes are on the map: 10 of painted or protected lanes, 7.7 of off-road paths and 4.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Los Gatos?
56,132 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Los Gatos or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,249 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Los Gatos have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #92 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Los Gatos neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →