Getting Out: In a recent column, I wrote about a short walk to
Bald Mountain, a spectacular viewpoint in Sierra Azul Open Space
Preserve on the flanks of Mount Umunhum. That trip made me aware of
the nearby Woods Trail, billed as a fairly flat trail through a
variety of plant communities. That is an attractive combination,
especially in rough country on the side of a steep mountain.
In a recent column, I wrote about a short walk to Bald Mountain, a spectacular viewpoint in Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve on the flanks of Mount Umunhum. That trip made me aware of the nearby Woods Trail, billed as a fairly flat trail through a variety of plant communities. That is an attractive combination, especially in rough country on the side of a steep mountain.
Walking the Woods Trail requires making a deal with the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which has cut a road for easy entry into otherwise inaccessible country. But the road was used to install a series of high-voltage towers and powerlines that accompany you on your walk. After enjoying a morning in this country, though, as well as enjoying every time I flip the light switch, I say it’s a good deal.
From the South County area, choose one of several ways to Almaden Road north of Calero Reservoir, then turn south toward New Almaden. Pass through the historic town and continue past Almaden Reservoir to Hicks Road. A little more than a mile up Hicks Road, Mount Umunhum Road will appear on your left. The parking lot and trailhead are right at that corner. There is a bathroom there but no water source, so be sure to bring water with you.
The show begins right away. You enter a classic California forest of coast live oaks, bay and madrone. One hundred yards down the trail, the mountainside drops away and down into the Guadalupe Creek drainage, which opens your first view across San Jose and the south Bay Area.
I was surprised and pleased to hear the tumbling splashes of Guadalupe Creek echo down below me well before I crossed it a mile and a half or so along the trail. Our big rain storm of a month ago has given the creek a bustling life I would normally not expect until later in the season. Just beyond Guadalupe Creek, you will see large eucalyptus, Lombardy poplars and cypress trees planted by some early settler.
The trail continues to contour a fairly level course across the flank of Mount Umunhum; foliage alternating between chaparral and forest, views switching from down valley to up the mountain slopes. A robust hiker can stay on Woods Trail to the top of Mount El Sombroso and continue on to the Kennedy-Limekiln portion of Sierra Azul for a long one-way hike of more than 11 miles ending near Lexington Reservoir above Los Gatos. But I was lured on up a side trail to see a small grove of California nutmeg trees.
Nearly three miles from the parking lot, Barlow Road turns off Woods Trail and turns sharply upslope. From here, the mountain rises steeply up to the monolith atop Mount Umunhum, which looms high above.
My goal, a cluster of unspectacular but rare trees, may only be of interest to us nature nerds. I finally found them on the left side of the trail several hundred yards after recrossing Guadalupe Creek. Be alert, because they might easily be mistaken for young redwood or fir trees with their two-ranked flat sprays of needles. A careful observer will notice the sharper, more stout needles as well as the different bark and fruit.
True to its billing, Woods Trail — actually a wide vehicle access road — is relatively flat. Dogs are not allowed, but the trail is perfect for bikes, equestrians and hikers of any ambition looking for a pleasant day out.
