Looking for some good vertical gain on a bluebird spring day, I found my way back to a trail I had already done before. Leaving from Lexington Reservoir County Park and heading into Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve, the hike to Priest Rock would give some legitimate elevation gain in a relatively short, and very accessible trail!
There are a whole bunch of ways to reach the viewpoint at Priest Rock. You can take the Priest Rock Trail, the Limekiln Trail, or the Kennedy Trail. While the most direct route is the Priest Rock Trail, the climb is steep and exposed, so I took the perhaps unorthodox route up the Limekiln Trail, and then finished with the Priest Rock Trail to the summit! Considering this hike is only about 20 minutes from my front door, it’s a pretty good local spot!
Miles/Elevation:
7.4 miles
2,142 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:
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
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 follow basic trail etiquette when on trail!
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!
If you would rather take the steeper and more exposed Priest Rock Trail the entire way, continue past the Limekiln Trailhead for a quarter mile or so. The Priest Rock Trailhead will be on the left side of the road (if the reservoir is on your right).
The Hike To Priest Rock:
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 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!
Hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains? Be sure to check out Castle Rock State Park!
The ascent starts stiffly as you pass a trail sign signaling your entry into Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. 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. The climb is at a 500 feet per mile clip which is a solid climb for those not in great shape. 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!
Try the Lexington Reservoir loop for a shorter hike starting at the same trailhead!
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. Starting from here, you will get the best view of the day as you can look back towards Silicon Valley and deeper into the mountains!
The Priest Rock Trail:
From the intersection of the Limekiln Trail and the Priest Rock Trail, there is about a mile and a half left of hiking and just under 1,000 vertical left to climb. The climb begins right away from the intersection!
Almaden Quicksilver is really close and has more great hiking outside San Jose!
1,000 vertical feet over a mile and a half wouldn’t be that bad on a well made, well groomed, and well graded trail. Unfortunately, this trail isn’t really a trail at all. You’ll be walking along dirt fire roads for the rest of the way to the summit.
The first mile from the intersection actually isn’t too bad. Yes it’s a bit steep at times, but for the most part it’s not too crazy. In that first mile on the Priest Rock Trail, you’ll gain about 500 vertical feet. It’s nothing crazy, but it definitely is not consistent or well made as far as hiking trails go.
The good thing about the hiking on the Priest Rock Trail is the constant open views and ridgetop walking. You’ll pretty consistently be able to look both down into Silicon Valley as well as deeper into the Santa Cruz Mountains. You’ll be very close to Mt Umunhum and Mt Thayer, two of the highest peaks of the Santa Cruz Mountains!
Once you reach the final half mile of the Priest Rock Trail, the incline picks up sharply. This last half mile gains about 500 vertical feet. Standing at the bottom of the final incline, it looks like the trail ascends a wall in front of you!
Once you’re on the incline it’s about as tough as it looks. The fire road blasts its way up the slope, and there’s essentially no shade to be found! There is a single large tree about ¾’s of the way up, but that’s it for shade. There isn’t too much to say other than power through and you’ll be at the top before you know it!
Looking for huge old growth Redwoods instead? Head to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park!
The top of the climb is very underwhelming! Once you reach the top of the climb, the trail hits an intersection, and apparently that’s it? I honestly wasn’t sure. Going left takes you down towards San Jose along the Kennedy Trail. However, if you take a right you will quickly reach a nice viewpoint!
For more great views of San Jose, head to Monte Bello Open Space Reserve!
The viewpoint, which I’m assuming is called Priest Rock, provides some pretty cool panoramas. In the foreground beneath you is more or less the entire Priest Rock Trail as it traces the ridgelines heading north back towards Lexington Reservoir! Beyond the nearest hills is the valley containing the reservoir and highway 17, and then beyond that are the ridges and forests of Sanborn County Park, Castle Rock State Park, and more!
Bear Creek Redwoods is just on the other side of 17!
The view is definitely the best of the entire day, which is always a fitting thing to have at the top of a hike! After a quick snack, I began my descent.
Hiking Down:
Mt Umunhum is an awesome summit opportunity nearby in Sierra Azul with more great South Bay views!
The return hike is very straightforward. I returned on the exact same route that I took on the way up, although you could descend along the Priest Rock Trail all the way to the reservoir and then follow the road for a quarter mile back to the Limekiln Trailhead.
The descent along the Priest Rock Trail, especially at the beginning of the descent, is extremely steep. At times, I found myself needing to walk more or less sideways to keep my footing, but after that first mile of steep descending, it was smooth sailing!
In the sun of the Priest Rock Trail downhill hiking was very pleasant, and in the shade of the Limekiln Trail the hiking went by super quick. After about 2 hours and 40 minutes, I was back at the trailhead and done!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 7/10
This is a very solid hike, but there isn’t anything special about it and a few things that I really am not a fan of. The views are good, but they really aren’t that special, and you’ll find lots of 7-8 mile hikes with better views. The trail quality isn’t awful, but you’ll spend a lot of time on very steep fire roads, not ideal.
This is definitely not a bad hike, but when you start talking about hikes in the 7-8 mile range, there’s a lot of really really good ones. This hike is good, and I would recommend it to others, but it just isn’t anything special, and when you compare it to 7 and 8 mile hikes in big mountains, it definitely doesn’t hold up.
Pros:
- Good views
- Ridgewalk-esque trail
- Easily accessible
Cons:
- Extremely steep in spots
- Lots of sun exposure
- Views are good not great
- Busy
- Mountain bikes
Alternative Hikes:
Almaden Quicksilver: Wood Road, Castillero, Mine Trail Loop
When To Hike To Priest Rock:
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. However, the dry does create fire risk later in the year, especially from August to November.
Links For Further Reading:
Lexington Reservoir County Park – Parks and Recreation
Hiking Trails near Lexington Reservoir County Park
