There are few places in the bustling Bay Area that rival the beauty and history of the Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.
It’s in the Santa Cruz mountains above Los Gatos.
Work has now begun to open the land to the public.
Majestic redwoods, even a few old growth trees, remain in a corner of the Santa Cruz Mountains along Bear Creek Road across from Lexington Reservoir.
Ground was broken Tuesday for the first of three phases of the project.
The first phase will open to the public next May.
“It’s over 1,400 acres of open space land and starting off with over 6 miles of trails open to hiking and equestrian use, and a 50-car parking lot to welcome our visitors,” Mid-Peninsula Open Space District General Manager Anna Ruiz said.
Aside from its natural redwood-studded beauty, the Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve is rich in history.
Dating to the Gold Rush, this land has seen logging, country estates, horse stables, and a Jesuit School of Theology.
The publically owned preserve cost $25 million in 1999 when it was purchased by a partnership between POST and Midpen. Public access to the preserve is being paid for by a voter-approved bond passed in 2014.
“There was a larger partnership in the acquisition of the land in initially, but what was missing was the funding to actually begin the improvements,” Ruiz said.
The preserve will be opened to the public in three stages, starting next year to hikers and horses.
One day, you will be able to ride your bike from the Los Gatos Creek trail to Skyline Boulevard.
Eventually, there will be a total of 20 miles of hiking trails available and perhaps best of all, this place is just 15-20 minutes from downtown San Jose and not much more than an hour from virtually anywhere in the Bay Area.