How to Explore

I’ve been hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains since the 1980s, but only recently did I discover more ways to learn nature. We live in a beautiful environment, but you can only see so much from your car. You would like to get out into our beautiful mountains, but where can you find what you are looking for?

Do you want a short walk or a long one? Are you looking for dramatic views of mountains, the ocean, green valleys, or a pleasant walk near your own neighborhood? Are you looking for more exercise with challenging climbs and long distances, or a short, more park-like experience? Can you fit this activity into your life easily and safely?

Yes, there are lots of questions, but there are easy answers. I learned the hard way. Living on the south side of Chicago wasn’t necessarily the best place to learn hiking, but I joined an Explorer Unit while in grade school that took me to nearby parks and summer camps in Michigan.

I wasn’t much of an athlete, but I liked walking in the woods. I also wandered in the forests along Missouri’s Salt River on my grandfather’s farm. When my wife and I moved to the Santa Cruz Mountains, we didn’t even know that our nearby parks and preserves existed. We signed up for a series of hikes led by Tom Taber, a great guide who shared his knowledge and enthusiasm. Even better, however, were his books. His first edition of The Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Book was published in 1974.

We have five more updated editions. Reading is a great encouragement for exploration, especially if it is as useful as the 2025 edition of 101 Great Hikes in the San Francisco Bay Area by Ann Marie Brown. She reports on the best hikes for vistas, waterfalls, and wildflowers. She tells you the best hikes to take your children or dogs.

She helps you plan with turn-by-turn directions, trail maps, and elevation profiles. The book is available at Barnes & Noble in Los Gatos. Her three-page story on the Black Mountain and Stevens Creek Loop hike in Monte Bello Open Space Preserve gave me the confidence to complete the View from the top of Black Mountain 5.5-mile hike with a 2,786 foot-tall mountain peak.

You can learn about a hike without reading a book or hiking long trails. I was on my way home from a hike on Skyline Boulevard

(Highway 35) when I opted for a different road home. I turned off on Page Mill Road. At 1.7 miles, I noticed an entrance to Monte Bello Open Space Preserve. I drove in to take a look. The view was beautiful. I immediately put it on my futures list. You might try a short walk at a nearby park for The next week, I signed up for a once-a- year group hike at Monte Bello, sponsored by Midpeninsula Open Space District. It was in a restricted area at the far end of the preserve on the Water Wheel Creek Trail. We were led by a qualified docent who made the walk more interesting, even though we were in a cold fog. It encouraged my own walk- alone hike up Black Mountain in Monte You can take some steps toward hiking by joining a local hiking group sponsored by Los Gatos or Santa Cruz senior centers.

I still like my walk-alone hikes for writing stories and taking pictures, but I’ve enjoyed walking many miles with both groups. Whatever you do, I hope to see you