I stumbled upon this route one day while looking for good Los Gatos rides and cobbled together a few suggested rides with Google maps to come up with this ride. This lovely ride is not for beginners, it traverses about 28.4 miles and goes along the Los Alamitos Creek Trail, wrapping around the back of Almaden Quicksilver and passing by two beautiful reservoirs, but includes some substantial climbs (2,002 feet in total), which had me pretty beat by the end of the ride.
Strava map of the ride.
The loop starts in downtown Los Gatos (I parked in the parking lot near Los Gatos Roasting Company), and takes the Los Gatos Creek Trail briefly to Blossom Hill Road. From here you turn right on Meridian and then left on Coleman, turning into Almaden Lake Park to get on the Los Alamitos Creek Trail.
View along the trail. Photo credit: Lisette
You ride the trail until it hits McKean road and make a right, turning left quickly onto Almaden Road. Almaden Road takes you through the adorable little downtown of Almaden Valley. Here you will find quaint houses and the famous La Foret restaurant. You’ll also pass the historic Almaden Club’s Casa Grande, which looks like the elite social club of yesteryear.
Club Almaden. Photo credit: Lisette
The road then becomes Alamitos and takes you back past the Almaden Reservoir. From here you turn right on Hicks Road and prepare for a VERY steep climb. If you’re like me and not a super serious road biker (but trying to get there), you might curse whoever brought you on this ride. You might curse me for publishing this ride. There’s good news: very few cars are on this section – you can rest, you can walk, you can take your time. No one will see your shame, not that you should ever be ashamed, because you’re out there taking on this stupid steep ride. Who cares what anyone thinks anyway?
Almaden Reservoir. Photo credit: Lisette
Once you reach the top, there is a parking lot (and no water, in case you were hoping there would be) with a toilet. Now enjoy your beautiful descent along Hicks Road past the Guadalupe Reservoir. From here, make a left onto Shannon and take Shannon all the way back to Los Gatos Blvd and your starting point.
Descending past Guadalupe Reservoir. Photo credit: Lisette
Once you finish your ride be sure to reward yourself with a coffee and treat from the nearby Los Gatos Roasting Company or the less crowded Cafe Dio (with a lovely patio) just down the road.
