Lace up your hiking boots. We’ve compiled a curated hiking guide for the San Jose area with 15 trails and routes to help you plan your next adventure.
Note: Before heading out, we recommend checking park websites for further info, current trail conditions, and safest practices for the area.
Key: Easy = 🥾| Moderate = 🥾🥾 | Hard = 🥾🥾🥾
East SJ + Milpitas
Eagle Rock Trail, Alum Rock Park
- Difficulty: 🥾
- Length: 2.7-mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: Portions
- Pet-friendly: No
This easy and quiet loop offers quick views of San Jose. Pro tip: Bring $6 for parking.
North Rim to Boccardo Trail, Alum Rock Park + Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 8-mile loop (1,594-ft elevation gain)
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: No
Passing through farmland, this trail promises sightings of exotic wildlife, like cows + horses. It’s unshaded, so bring sun protection. Pro tip: Mountain biking enthusiasts, this is the trail for you.
Sierra Road Trail, Milpitas
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 4.6-mile loop (974-ft elevation gain)
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: No
This popular, unshaded trail hooks up with several other regional trails if you’re looking to extend your trek. Pro tip: If you take this, look counterclockwise —you only have one large hill to go up.
Aquila Trail, Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve
- Difficulty: 🥾
- Length: 1.1-mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: No
This trail is less crowded and a great beginner trek. Pro tip: The path offers no shade and only goes one-way.
Coyote Creek Trail, Hellyer County Park
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 22.1 miles point-to-point (587-ft elevation gain)
- Wheelchair accessible: Portions
- Pet-friendly: Yes, leash required
Create your own DIY hiking experience with this paved, point-to-point trail that passes creeks, lakes, and ponds. Pro tip: Bring your line and tackle for some seasonal fishing.
South SJ
Coyote Peak and Ridge Trail, Santa Teresa County Park
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 3.8-mile loop (711-ft elevation gain)
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, leash required
While this trail doesn’t offer much in the way of shade and is challenging for bikers, don’t skip the peak — the views are worth it.
Senador Mine to Mine Hill, Almaden Quicksilver County Park
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 13.8-mile loop (2,257-ft elevation gain)
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, leash required
This trail offers pretty views of the Bay Area + Guadalupe Reservoir and is popular for wildflower viewing during spring.
New Almaden Trail, Almaden Quicksilver County Park
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾🥾
- Length: 11.9 miles out and back (1,738-ft elevation gain)
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, leash required
This shaded trail is off the beaten path + will have fewer people, but be prepared to see some extreme wildlife, including rattlesnakes and mountain lions.
Mount Umunhum, Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 8 miles out and back (1,194-ft elevation gain)
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: No
This popular trail offers plenty of shade, valley views, and a sight of The Cube. Pro tip: Watch out for poison oak among the dense shrubbery.
Walk along the stream at Sanborn County Park.
Photo by Eugene Zelenko
West SJ
Sanborn Creek Trail, Sanborn County Park
- Difficulty: 🥾
- Length: 1.4 miles out and back
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes
This kid-friendly trail travels under a canopy of trees and over a relaxing stream. Pro tip: Watch out for a steep slope — this path is not wheelchair or stroller friendly.
Seven Springs Trail, Fremont Older Open Space Preserve
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 2.8-mile loop (557-ft elevation gain)
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, leash required
If you’re looking for a morning hike to get you pumped, try this shaded trail in Cupertino. It gets crowded fast, so get there early.
Black Mountain via Rhus Ridge, Rancho San Antonio Open Space Reserve
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾🥾
- Length: 10 miles out and back (2,509-ft elevation gain)
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: No
This unshaded trail will push experienced hikers to their limits, but will reward them with amazing valley views. Pro tip: Bring more water than you expect you’ll need.
This popular hike has the best reward — a breathtaking view of the Bay Area.
Photo by Oleg Alexandrov
Beyond SJ
Mission Peak, Mission Peak Regional Preserve
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾🥾
- Length: 6-mile loop (2,152-ft elevation gain)
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes
The length of your trek depends on whether you start from Stanford Avenue Staging Area or Ohlone College. Because this trail is so popular, expect to encounter other people + maybe some unleashed dogs. Pro tip: Come for sunrise or sunset to enjoy golden views all the way to Oakland and San Francisco.
Hidden Valley Trail, Mission Peak Regional Preserve
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾🥾
- Length: 6.2 miles out and back (2,125-ft elevation gain)
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, leash required
Looking for Bay views but want to skip the crowds? Try this trail instead. Pro tip: This trail offers little shade and the weather shifts quickly, so wear layers and bring a wind shell, and avoid visiting during hot weather.
Bayview and Meadowlark, Coyote Hills County Park
- Difficulty: 🥾
- Length: 4.9-mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: Yes
- Pet-friendly: Yes
Looking for bay views without an intense workout? No problem. This paved trail allows unleashed dogs in some areas. Pro tip: Don’t forget a side-trip to the Tuibun Ohlone Village site.
Map it out
To explore more local trails, download the All Trails app or explore the San José Trail Network. Also, learn more about trail conservation + volunteer opportunities from Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve, and San Jose’s Department of Parks and Rec.
Are there any local trails you’d like to see added to this list? Let us know.
Get the right gear
Get the most out of your trip with comfortable, handy, and helpful hiking gear:
- For the best footwear, check out Nordstrom Rack’s sneaker edit for hiking.
- If your trail demands a proper hiking boot, we like Columbia’s collection on Amazon.
- Travel light (but still have room for snacks) with lululemon’s Everywhere Belt Bag.
- Get a good bulk deal on Perfect Bars, Clif Bars, or Kind Bars at a warehouse store like Sam’s Club.
- Don’t forget to bring a compact, portable phone charger (you’ll thank us later).
- We like this Teton hiking backpack.
- We like this lightweight water bottle.
- Psst — to be ultra-prepared, here are the 10 items you should never enter a national park without, according to the National Park Service.
