Located just a few miles outside San Jose, Lexington Reservoir is a notable feature along highway 17 heading towards Santa Cruz that I had driven past it numerous times. While I knew there were quite a few hiking trails around the reservoir, I had never actually hiked there. I finally decided to actually hike one: the Lexington Reservoir Trail Loop!
The Lexington Reservoir Loop starts just above the reservoir’s surface and climbs over a thousand feet towards a beautiful ridgeline in Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. This moderate loop promised some really nice views on a cool winter day!
Miles/Elevation:
5 miles
1,204 feet vertical gain
About Lexington Reservoir County Park:
Centered around Lexington Reservoir, Lexington Reservoir County Park is a 950 acre public park providing hiking, fishing, and self powered boating. Of the 950 acres, 338 are the reservoir itself, a man made body providing water for Silicon Valley. There is no swimming, nor power boats allowed in the reservoir!
About Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve:
The distal half of this hike takes you into Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. Protecting 19,300 acres of natural landscape, Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve is a large area of protected landscape south of San Jose CA. Topped by the 3,400 foot plus Mt Umunhum, this area has some of the highest peaks in the Bay Area!
Sierra Azul has 26 miles of trails available for use for hikers, cyclists, and equestrians, and is located just minutes from San Jose itself, making it one of the best easily accessible outdoor areas in the South Bay!
Located on the inland side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Sierra Azul does not have the Redwood forests typical of the coastal slopes of the range, but is consistently wooded. Expect low, shrubby, trees, lots of bushes, and dry conditions! Temperatures get hot for much of the year, and shade isn’t always easy to come by!
Sierra Azul is great in and of itself, but it is also surrounded by other excellent parks and preserves! Almaden Quicksilver County Park, Calero County Park, Rancho Canada del Oro Open Space Preserve, and Lexington Reservoir County Park all ring Sierra Azul!
Getting To The Trailhead:
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
The trailhead for this hike is the Limekiln Trailhead in Lexington Reservoir County Park. From San Jose, take highway 17 south towards Santa Cruz. Take the exit onto Bear Creek Road, but then head across the bridge and get back on 17 heading north back towards San Jose. There is no southbound exit to reach the park, so a turn around is required.
After turning around and getting onto 17 south, exit onto Alma Bridge Road. Continue on Alma Bridge Road into the park and around the reservoir. Once on the far side of the reservoir, look out for a switchback turn. Once you go around the switchback turn, park in the parking area on the side of the road for the Limekiln Trail. The trail starts right next to the road!
The Lexington Reservoir Trail Loop:
The Limekiln Trail:
From the parking area, quickly cross the road and begin hiking on the Limekiln Trail. The path here immediately begins a gentle ascent, and over the next half a mile, you’ll gain about 150 vertical feet.
Within the first half mile, you will begin to get cool views looking down and over the canyon you are hiking through. As the trail climbs up the right hand side of the canyon, the views get better and better, and you’ll get the first unobstructed views within a quarter mile or so of the trailhead.
After the easy climbing of the first half mile, the trail begins a short descent down to the bottom of the canyon. The open views are left behind as you approach the canyon floor. The foliage changes from tough chaparral to woodland, and at the bottom you’ll find a creek running through the trees. The creek was hardly running when we hiked this trail in January, not a good sign for the following fire season!
Always follow basic trail etiquette when on trail!
The creek signals the bottom of this quick descent and the beginning of the big climb of the day. From the low point at the creek, you’ll be climbing just over 1,000 vertical in the following 2 miles, so enjoy the mellow hiking while you have it!
The Climb:
The ascent starts stiffly as you pass a trail sign signaling your entry into Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve (though it doesn’t actually mention this). The trail continues as a double wide dirt path. It makes for nice walking, though it isn’t especially pretty, and does have some rutted and root filled sections.
Hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains? Be sure to check out Castle Rock State Park!
The climb is at a 500 feet per mile clip which is a solid climb for those not in great shape. We were still ramping back up and getting in shape, so we were breathing pretty hard on the climb. If you’re an avid hiker, this climb will be pretty manageable.
Periodically on the ascent you’ll catch a view looking out over the canyon. The views certainly aren’t constant or even frequent, but when you do get a window looking through the trees, it provides a nice excuse for a break! The views are solid looking out over Limekiln Canyon, though the large Lexington Quarry within isn’t the prettiest thing to look at!
Bear Creek Redwoods is just on the other side of 17!
Just over a mile and a half from the creek and a bit over 2 miles from the trailhead, you will reach an intersection with the Priest Rock Trail. You’ll know it’s coming once you emerge out of the forest and the environment changes into rough chaparral. Here, you get the best view of the day as you can look back towards Silicon Valley and deeper into the mountains! Turn right onto the Priest Rock Trail to continue back towards the trailhead.
The Priest Rock Trail:
Immediately open gaining the Priest Rock Trail you will be rewarded with huge panoramic views looking down into Silicon Valley as well as deeper into the Santa Cruz Mountains. There’s an open grassy area near the intersection that makes for a nice sitting area, so we sat down and took a break to take in the views!
Looking for huge old growth Redwoods instead? Head to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park!
Once you begin hiking back towards the trailhead along the Priest Rock Trail, you’ll discover that there’s still a bit of climbing to do! From the intersection, you have 100 feet of climbing left. Super manageable but it is an unwelcome surprise!
Mt Umunhum is an awesome summit opportunity in Sierra Azul with more great South Bay views!
The Priest Rock Trail is an old dirt fire road. While the views are excellent up here, I didn’t enjoy the actual hiking on this trail. The fire road clearly isn’t maintained as evidenced by the huge ruts and serious erosion that has taken place, and the descent is really steep at points which wears on the knees.
I didn’t like the fire road, but the views are very good as you hike downhill on the Priest Rock Trail. You’ll lose the views of Silicon Valley as you hike, but the views looking north over Lexington Reservoir and towards Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve open up as you go! You’ll have pretty constant panoramas as you hike down!
As you descend, the environment changes from the low scrubby chaparral of the ridges to denser forest. Eucalyptus trees also make an appearance, and add a cool and different look though some of the lower slopes of the descent!
The Road Walk:
Eventually, the Priest Rock Trail will run into the road. Hike done! Not just yet actually! The trailhead that you start on to take the Limekiln Trail is a different trailhead than this one. So, to get back to your car, you will need to do a short road walk.
Turn right on the road (Alma Bridge Road) and continue on the shoulder back around the shores of Lexington Reservoir. The road walk is somewhere between a quarter and half mile. Cars generally drive pretty slow through here, so while it doesn’t feel super safe walking without a sidewalk, we didn’t ever feel in danger. After a few minutes walking along Alma Bridge Road, you’ll be back at your car and done with the Lexington Reservoir Loop!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 7/10
This is a solid hike; there’s nothing really that bad about it. I don’t love the fire roads, the very steep descent, or the first half having little for views, but there isn’t anything terrible that should keep you away. But is there anything spectacular about this trail? Not really in my opinion. The views are good, not great, and overall, there just aren’t any wow moments.
This hike is worth checking out if you get the chance, but I wouldn’t put it at the top of any of my hiking lists.
Pros:
- Good views
- Easily accessible
- Shaded climb
Cons:
- No spectacular moments or views
- Steep descent
- Fire road hiking and road walk
Alternative Hikes:
When To Hike The Lexington Reservoir Trail:
While you certainly could visit Lexington Reservoir in summer, it’s going to be hot. For me, I don’t love extreme heat, so I would probably try to avoid this area in the peak of summer, or if I did visit, I would be sure to go in the morning or the evening.
Lexington Reservoir and Sierra Azul are great places to visit any time from fall through spring. Expect warm, pleasant temperatures in spring and fall, and cooler days in winter, though in the sun it’ll probably still feel warm!
Lexington and Sierra Azul benefit from the rain shadow created by the Santa Cruz Mountains, so it is quite dry throughout the year. Most rain will fall from December-March, but many days in that time will still likely be sunny. The dry does create fire risk later in the year, especially from August to November.
Links For Further Reading:
Lexington Reservoir Trail – California | AllTrails
Hiking Trails near Lexington Reservoir County ParkLexington Reservoir County Park – Parks and Recreation
