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Santa Teresa Park Mountain Bike Trail
San Jose, California
MTB TRAIL STATS
Avg Rating:    |
10 trail reviews |
| Status: |
Difficulty:  Intermediate |
| Length: 6 miles | Global Rank: #1416 |
| Tread: Doubletrack | Configuration: Out & Back |
| Ridden: 53 | Wishlist: 21 |
| Avg. Speed: 7.53 mph | Avg. Time: 1hr 19min |
| Elevation Gain/Loss: +1,979/-1,389 ft (based on partial GPS data) |
Mountain Bike Trails in the Santa Teresa Park Trail System
Directions:
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Description: Santa Teresa Park comprises over 1,600 acres, and sits in the southeast corner of San Jose, off of Bernal Road, near the Junction of Highway 85 and 101. The park is an excellent place to visit in the spring, between the rains. Wildflowers are in full bloom and are abundant. The creeks are running and the wild turkey are roaming about. The trails here can be quite exposed and hot during the summer - add at least 10 degrees to the readings for San Jose. The park is mostly closed during winter as the clay-filled soil is much too soft to ride on. If the soil is wet at all the park will not be open (Santa Clara County has a trail closure line you can call and check). The terrain is mostly hardpack/loose-over-hardpack with some serious rocks to boot.
There can be some equestrian (horse) traffic, but there is usually none on weekends - though there are more hikers on weekends. I've not found it to be a problem.
For mountain bikers, the most popular trail in this park is probably descending Rocky Ridge. This is a very fun, technically intermediate level trail. If you're a beginner and have not ridden over a lot of rocks before, parts of this trail will seem quite advanced to you at first. Full-suspension bikes are probably your best bet here. The top of the trail is flowy, turning into more serious rocky terrain in the second third of the trail. It's roughly a 2-mile descent and over 500 of elevation to get to the bottom of the trail, which is the center of the park.
There are many fun and quite steep ways to get to the top of Rocky Ridge trail. You can do an up-and-back on the trail itself, or park in any of there areas in or out of the park and make a loop out of it (there is a parking charge inside the park). Most mountain bikers stick to the trails south and east of Bernal avenue, since they contain the most single track. Either direction on Ohlone or Hidden Springs trails is great. Get ready for some steep climbing. Unfortunately, there is no way to shuttle to the top of Rocky Ridge - you're going to have to climb.
Stile Ranch is another favorite - this one is good technical practice if Rocky Ridge is too daunting for you. The switchbacks are very tight, and there are a lot of them, so prepare for some serious turning fun. Heading from north to south on this trail seems to be the best direction.
There are several ways to make loops and interconnect these various trails, and they are all very enjoyable. Don't miss Coyote Peak, which affords views of all the major mountains in the Bay Area - on clear days you can literally see the entire ring of mountains surrounding the bay. There are occasional wild boar, lots of wild turkey, deer, snakes, tarantulas, Northern Harriers and other birds of prey. Apparently the county plans to bring cattle back to the park to control non-native grasses (see the meeting minutes on the Friends of Santa Teresa County Park page).
Here's a good article on the park by Lars Thomsen of Trail Head Cyclery:
http://freehubmag.com/2010/05/santa-teresa-park-from-trail-head-cyclery/
added on February 21, 2004 by 
TRAIL REVIEWS review this trail
reviewed by 1GFSugarOne_Rider on January 4, 2012
I found this trail by complete accident one afternoon while riding with my brother. Thankfully we both ride full suspension bikes. By accident I mean we started from the bottom and made our way up this trail and it was pretty difficult at times but not impossible. The rocks were tight, the dirt was sticky and the weather was perfect. GREAT challenge and a lot of fun. Take music, concentrate on balance and never give up! Haven't gone down it yet but there's always tomorrow
Similar Trail: Boccardo Trail - Alum Rock Park, San Jose CA
reviewed by bwenzel29 on March 29, 2011
This park has great variety in trails from easy fire roads to step, technical trails. This park is great after work ride because you can pick different aspects to train on (steep, rocks, endurance, etc). But, beware of the park ranger. They are known for giving out tickets for speeding or riding on closed trails.
Similar Trail: Fremont Older Preserve
reviewed by hitman6050 on February 6, 2011
Lots of fun. I actually found this trail by accident after riding in from another one. I haven't explored all of it yet, but the parts I have ridden on are the most fun I've had on a bike. If you're riding a cheapy bike like mine, make sure you replace all the weak parts because my derailleur snapped after I finished a hard ride on it
reviewed by jsenior82 on April 26, 2010
The descents were pretty fun and climbs definitely not for the feint of heart. A word of warning, however, if the signs say the trail is closed bet on rangers being there to hand out tickets.
reviewed by TrojanMonkey on July 17, 2008
Decent ride. Good if you're short on time (especially travel time). If you follow the route on the map you can get here, it'll be more of a challenge on the climbs than the descent. The climbs can get pretty tough, though. Lots of rocks and loose over hardpack. Beware, however, some changes to the trail structure: From C to D, you'll have to climb the hill instead of turning left, which will lead to to a tight descent and a fireroad that loops around the back of the hill. From M back to the trailhead, you'll have to follow the road, there's no longer a connection from the road to the trail. I'll try to upload a new map after I've gotten all of the other turns right. ;>
* Review edited 7/17/2008
Similar Trail: Fremont Older
reviewed by gfitness on June 17, 2006
It is a great ride. Make it whatever you want. Easy, advanced and test your skills on trails such as Rocky Ridge. The whole park is about 12 miles. This may be approximately 2-3 hours depending on skill level. It is a great little secret because it is never crowded and the horses are not a problem.
reviewed by Paco on May 20, 2006
This is a great place to ride and a great workout. Excellent for a after work ride. Going up stile ranch trail is a great workout, and then take the rocky ridge up hill for a great technical challenge. After you complete those two trails, stop at the top enjoy the view and take in the great accomplishment.
reviewed by gab26 on April 2, 2006
For fun ride up Rocky Ridge it is all doable. It took me a couple tries before I could make it up everything but I got there so can you. This is good for afterwork or when you have an hour or so to burn
reviewed by McStrings on August 4, 2005
There are some short loops here but my favorite and most nerve-wracking part is Ranch(?) Trail. It's tightly wound, rocky, singletrack switchbacks. The views are nice and there are some steep climbs/descents when you're in the mood. The trails here turn into mud with the consistency of wet modeling clay when it rains so consider yourself warned. They used to hold the Sizzler Classic Race here. Do they still do that? Oh, if you want a warm-up park at the bottom of the hill before the park and ride up the road to feel a little lactic acid build-up.
Similar Trail: Stevens Creek Canyon/Montebello, CA
reviewed by maleonardphi on July 22, 2005
Santa Teresa Park has a good, rocky technical trails with some nice hill climbs. If you stop to check out the scenery, the views are pretty nice too. But is is very rocky in some portions, but that just makes it that much more fun.
Similar Trail: China Camp
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