El Sereno Open Space Preserve is a park unit of the

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) is a non-enterprise special district in the San Francisco Bay Area. Formed in 1972 by voter initiative, it has acquired and preserved a regional green belt of open space land and provides oppo ...

located on the peak and slopes of 2580 ft. El Sereno mountain, a peak in the

Santa Cruz Mountains The Santa Cruz Mountains ( Mutsun Ohlone: Mak-sah-re-jah, "Sharp Ridged Mountain of the Eagle" or "People of the Eagle Mountain") are a mountain range in central and Northern California, United States, constituting a part of the Pacific Coast R ...

. The preserve is located in

Santa Clara County, California Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring Sa ...

Location

The city of

Monte Sereno, California Monte Sereno ( Spanish for "Serene Mountain") is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 3,479 at the 2020 census. The city is located in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, about southwest of San J ...

is named after El Sereno mountain. A portion of the city is built on the foothills of the mountain. El Sereno mountain is paired with El Sombroso mountain on each side of

Los Gatos, California Los Gatos (; ; ) is an List of municipalities in California, incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population is 33,529 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located in the San Franc ...

Geology

The

San Andreas Fault The San Andreas Fault is a continental Fault (geology)#Strike-slip faults, right-lateral strike-slip transform fault that extends roughly through the U.S. state of California. It forms part of the tectonics, tectonic boundary between the Paci ...

runs in the valley immediately to the south of the mountain. The Berrocal fault zone runs under the mountain's northern slope. A small, unnamed fault runs in the small valley that leads down to Canon Dr. The northern slope forms the headwaters of San Tomas Aquino Creek.

Views

The preserve offers visitors views of

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley ...

and

Lexington Reservoir Lexington Reservoir is an lake#Types of lakes, artificial lake on the Los Gatos Creek (Santa Clara County, California), Los Gatos Creek near Los Gatos, California. The James J. Lenihan Dam, a high, thick earthen dam, forms the third-larg ...

. The

Monterey peninsula The Monterey Peninsula anchors the northern portion on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California and comprises the cities of Monterey, California, Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, California, P ...

can be seen in the distance.

Trails

Limited parking is available at the end of Montevina Rd. The Montevina Ridge Trail from there connects to both Bolhman Road and the Aquinas Trail. Aquinas Trail goes from the Montevina Ridge Trail to Sheldon Road, the Serenity Trail and the Loma Vista Trail. The Serenity Trail goes to the base of a power pole overlooking Lexington Reservoir. The Loma Vista Trail goes to Overlook Drive. The Overlook Trail connects nearby from one spot on Overlook Drive to another spot on Overlook Drive, and permit parking is available on the westernmost of these spots.

Cougar habitat

El Sereno mountain is a habitat for the

Cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...

. Signs at the entrance to the preserve warn visitors.

References

External links

Map of El Sereno Open Space Preserve

Mountain biking page about the preserve

USGS Map of the Sargent-Berrocal fault zone
Parks in Santa Clara County, California Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Nature reserves in California Santa Cruz Mountains Parks in the San Francisco Bay Area Bay Area Ridge Trail {{SantaClaraCountyCA-geo-stub