Your Guide to a Quick Trail Along West San Jose’s Saratoga Creek

If you know me, you know I’m always trying to explore new places and find new hikes, nature trails, and outdoor activities to stay active and spend more time in nature.

A couple days ago, I went on a hike in Castle Rock State Park, and wanted to spend some more time outdoors today, without it taking up the majority of my day.

So I checked out Saratoga Creek Trail in West San Jose, for a peaceful walk just a quick drive away.

A few things to note about Saratoga Creek Trail:

• The whole trail is about 1.3 miles and doesn’t loop back
• The trail stretches from Mitty High School on one end to a little past Murdock Park on the other end
• The path disconnects at Bollinger and Lawrence and continues across the street.
• This is not a hiking trail, and is a creek-side path stretching along residential areas and several parks

If you are looking for a good hike, I would not recommend coming on this trail. The trail is completely flat, and not incredibly scenic (although you do walk alongside a creek for the majority of the trail). If you are looking for a new walking, running or biking route, this is a good 3-mile round trip option.

Overall, I found the trail to be incredibly peaceful and a nice shift away from my regular neighborhood walks. There were a lot of beautiful flowers, cattails, and other plants along the route and I stopped several times to take pictures. If you are looking to take nice portraits, the majority of the trail has very aesthetically pleasing nature backdrops and pretty decent natural lighting.

If you have young children, this is a great family-friendly activity for a quick walk and picnic at one of the many parks along the path. You can stop by Murdock Park or Sterling Barnhart Park, both along the path, or make a slight detour and stop by either John Mise Park or Rainbow Park.

On today’s walk, we brought a couple salads and sparkling watermelon juice from Trader Joe’s. I love Trader Joe’s sparkling watermelon juice, and even opted to create a fresh, homemade version (scroll down in the linked page and check out my recipe)!

Check out some nature pictures I took during my walk below!