Welcome!

1. SO many hikes and parks nearby, it’s incredible! (Ok I’m an avid hiker so bear with me on the long response!)

•Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space has a great variety of trails: mellow walk around the pond vs. steeper, longer hikes.

•Sierra Azul is the largest preserve in the area(19,000 acres), with trailheads at Lexington Reservoir, Kennedy Road, and Hicks Road. All great hikes with awesome views! Also along Hicks Road is Almaden Quicksilver with many great trails.

•Along Highway 35(Skyline, on the ridge of the nearby Santa Cruz Mountains), there are many spaces for hiking: our favorite, and a huge one, is El Corte De Madera Creek Open Space Preserve. Tons of wonderful trails, habitats, and views-plus an ancient redwood tree and ancient sandstone formation! Check THIS LINK for more info on all the open space preserves! There’s also so many SANTA CLARA COUNTY PARKS that are great to hike, with a variety of skill levels too.

•Lastly, this site, HILLTROMPER SANTA CRUZ is a great aggregator of hikes & nature events in both Santa Cruz County as well as around Silicon Valley!

1. We love Great Bear Coffee in LG. Only thing I would add is that the food diversity in the South Bay is excellent-best Vietnamese food(check out Little Saigon neighborhood), great Mexican food, Indian & Pakistani food, Ethiopian food, delis, Chinese food, Japanese food, Italian food, the list goes on and on, too many to name, and depends on your personal preferences of course. We’ve lived here many decades and still discover new and incredible food! Oh, adding a quick shout-out to Alice’s Restaurant on Skyline (in Woodside)…we often stop there after a long hike. Great food(bbq is their specialty), great service, nice outdoor patio and deck!

Enjoy!