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Bear Creek Redwoods Opens Four New Miles of Historic Trails

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District holds a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open four miles of new trails at a newly restored section of Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve in Los Gatos.

By Majken Talbot

October 29, 2024—"We call it The Bat Cave," Leigh Ann Gessner, Public Affairs Specialist, explained, pointing to the historic brick building crouched above us. A cadre of rangers, trail maintenance technicians, journalists, and board members of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District have assembled for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of four miles of new trails at Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve.

The newly opened eastern portion of the preserve includes an interpretive walk guiding visitors through the historic buildings of the old Jesuit Alma College and the remnant foundations of former Gilded Age luxury estates.

The Bat Cave was the carport of a bungalow-style mansion built by Dr. Harry Tevis in 1906. The Gilded Age home burnt down in the ’70s, leaving only the carport standing. Once the humans moved out, the bats moved in. Multiple species of bats had taken up residence in the two surviving buildings of the old Alma College. MidPen sealed off those structures during restoration but left the carport for bat habitat.

Restoration Facts
This open space preserve south of Los Gatos is restored thanks to Measure AA, passed by district voters in 2014. The $300 million raised by the bond is being used to fund more than 25 open space projects, including the restoration of Bear Creek Redwoods.

Stalwart Midpen crews had their work literally cut out for them. It took seven years of hard labor to restore the land. The 4.3 miles of new trail required the construction of 300 feet of fencing and the installation of 2,300 tons of base rock. Crews had to slash their way through forests of invasive French broom and wrangle eleven pesky yellow jacket nests. Overall, three hundred tons of hazmat were hauled out of the old Alma College dumpsite, including asbestos. Buried fuel tanks were also uncovered and had to be carefully removed. Other notable historic junk items found in the dump included old soda bottles, glass inkwells, and two vintage motorcycles.

Geology Wreaks Havoc
The San Andreas Fault snakes through the preserve. In 1906, the fault movement raised the bottom of Upper Lake a whopping ten feet. In a prime example of Murphy's Law, dentist Dr. Harry Tevis bought the estate only to have the mansion leveled by the great earthquake the same year. Undaunted, he rebuilt the mansion and went on to construct an elaborate water infrastructure to irrigate his rose gardens and orchards. He also installed luxurious water features, including a fountain and a Roman Plunge.

A History Buff's Paradise
The remnants of aqueducts, trout weirs, lily ponds, and historic buildings of various eras are scattered throughout the first mile or so of the trail. Spotting these sometimes hidden and half-buried features adds intrigue and mystery to the hike. A set of brick stairs mysteriously descends into the earth—a closer inspection reveals a concrete garage structure hidden beneath the trail.

A stroll down Salamander Springs Trail reveals an old estate-built aqueduct and fountain set into the hillside above. A cascade of bricks piled on an interfluve of land at a fork in Briggs Creek—the remains of a former Jesuit tea house. Middle Pete Siemens Trail winds past a jigsaw puzzle of old dam and trout weir foundations lining the creek.

Signs of Indigenous habitation are also evident. Boulders along the Upper Lake Loop Trail are pockmarked with deep mortars made by the Ohlone tribes for grinding acorns. The ADA-accessible trail provides interpretive signs to guide visitors through the site's unique history.

A Salamander Sanctuary
The area was logged extensively in the 1800s—it has been said that one old-growth redwood could provide lumber to build twenty houses. Although virtually all of the giants are gone, small groves of second-growth redwoods adorn the creekside, providing cool shade beneath their moisture-capturing canopies. Briggs Creek offers much-needed habitat for several "special status species," including the California Giant Salamander. Restoration crews have planted new redwood saplings beside the second concrete dam to help restore the creek habitat.

Trails and Parking
The short to medium-length scenic trails begin at Upper Lake and descend approximately 200 feet through redwoods and oak woodland. After Salamander Springs Trail crosses Briggs Creek, the landscape opens up into an iconic California landscape of rolling hills and grassland. Mule deer, coyote, and even a golden eagle or two have been spotted here.

Crews found historical evidence that Beavers once inhabited the preserve. Today, the beavers are gone, but Midpen has dedicated a trail to these furry, buck-toothed ecosystem engineers.

The trails are closed to dogs and cyclists, but horses are permitted. Midpen plans to add a parking lot with more designated spaces for horse trailers near Toad Hollow trail. For now, equestrians can get a permit to park at historic Bear Creek Stables located within the park. The main parking area for the preserve is located just off Bear Creek Road in Los Gatos near Upper Lake.

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