Loma Prieta, 1160m (3806 ft)

Mountain area: High Point, Santa Cruz Mountains, California USA

Click for larger image

American Tower on
Loma Prieta summit

Access:
Take US17 from US101 to Santa Cruz, and locate the Summit Road exit halfway between Cupertino and Santa Cruz. Follow the Summit Road southeast until you reach a gate (it might be open) that states trespassing is forbidden. You can park by the gate. You are rather high at this point. If you're in for a longer hike, you can drive back down as far as you like, now that you know the distance.

The trail:
Although the sign says private property, it seems that it is widely acceptable to take the summit walk. The antennas at the top are behind wired fences, so you won't get tangled up in transmission equipment. The trail (road) to the top is gravel and wide. Follow signs to American Tower. The hike from the gate takes 30-45 minutes.

Notes:
Great view towards Silicon Valley (northeast) and the pacific ocean (west). This is the highest point in the Santa Cruz mountain range.

Pictures: (move cursor to read notes, and click on the images to see full version)

Some of the thumbnails may have been cropped to fit the format

The parking in front of the gate (111KB) You can spot the pacific ocean in the horizon (64KB) You can spot Santa Cruz in the horizon (66KB) The American Tower on the Loma Prieta summit (119KB)

Southern view towards Gilroy (167KB) Northeastern view towards San Jose (169KB)

Other trail descriptions for this region: