Review Date
February 13, 2007

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 2 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a month

Reviewed by: Ty.S ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
Well I tried something new today. Seeing as how the weather was acting up I figured the rain would wash away most of the foot traffic on this little trail, I was sort of right. I went in at about 3pm figured with the weather and the muddy conditions from the previous days of rain it might be fairly empty. I was very right, but unpleasantly wrong. If you ride on a weekday don't go at 3pm. The Los Gatos High School girls cross country team is up there running around. While I don't mind sharing the trail I do mind nearly gagging on the overwhelming odor of PERFUME!! I could smell these girls a quarter mile away! Don't get me wrong, it was typical expensive los gatos type perfume, but man was it strong, especially when all 11 of them were most likely bathing in it just prior to my arrival. By the time I passed them I could smell it on my own clothes, so I stayed out in the rain for a while so I wouldn't come home to an angry wife.

Anyway, the real review:

This trail is fun, sorta. The congestion and the blind corners make it a sorta. I haven't seen rangers out there, but I'm sure they exist, watch your speed as I'm sure most of the people on this trail have a laywer on speed dial. If you stay on the jones trail you can get yourself over to lexington and if you so choose take a much more mild return back to where you came from.. or you can turn around and go right back the way you came, which will be a rather steep hill for those not in shape.

I wouldn't take a newbie rider here as the climb can get them tired and discouraged. But if you're looking for a quick ride just stay on the jones trail, its about a 3mi. round trip from start to finish(according to my little computer).

Recommended Route:
Park on Main St. or next to Penthouse Apartments. Ride up College, turn right on Jones, follow to trailhead.

DO NOT drive to the trailhead as the street gets very very skinny and there is no sidewalk to speak of. Not to mention no formal parking. There is lots of free parking in downtown LG as well.

Review Date
December 20, 2006

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 1 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: FoggyGoggles ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Yes, this place gets crowded with joggers and hikers. Yes, there are lots of yuppies riding bling with bad form. Yes, many of the moderately technical challenges present a few years ago have been plowed into tarmac.

HOWEVER....Do you like boosting airs off water bars? Do you like wall rides and berms? Do you want to bomb down fire road? Do you wanna wet your beak on a short section of single track? Do you wanna climb without blowing a gasket on the freaking "Wall" at the top of Kennedy? If the answer is yes to any of these questions you must ride St Joseph's Hill. I rode it today, which is a weekday, on a hardtail and had mucho fun.

Recommended Route:
Here are a few sections that can't be missed. The Serpentine Trail: A rare section of legal singletrack in the Sierra Azul area. It is only 0.2 miles long. The bushes have been trimmed back and someone removed inconveniently located rocks but Serpentine is still very fun. I bet if you ride it enough times, you could really get your flow on. Manzanita Trail and Jones Trail both have fun water bars and berms/wall rides.

Check out this map:

http://openspace.org/preserves/maps/pr_st_josephs.pdf

Other recommended trails in the same area:
El Sereno, Belgatos, Overgown, Quicksilver

Review Date
March 6, 2006

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 2 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 2 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: Rex_Skidmore ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
When I lived in Campbell, I would ride out my front door, onto the par course, and up College to St. Joseph.

This is the only trail where I have received a speeding ticket from a Ranger. I nearly bunny-hopped him when I came around the corner and saw him standing in the middle of the trail, holding a cordless radar gun. His truck was parked on the largest berm downhill from the 15 MPH Strictly Enforced sign that I ignored.

There's a lot of joggers, dog-walkers here. This was once my every-other-day 21-mile loop before going in to work.

Two weeks ago, I was able to see SF, OAK, Moffett, Shoreline Amp, Stanford Tower --- everything in full clarity. Did I have my 400mm lens and my camera? Of course not. It rained hours later.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Overgrown, Priest, Limekiln, but not Shannon Effing Road. That's a death wish on wheels, my friends.

Review Date
August 19, 2004

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 1 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a month

Reviewed by: bharper ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
This is the trail that people bring beginners and I don't know why. Technically this is a 1, but aerobically it is about a 3 and your average beginner spends more time resting than riding. For the couch potato just starting to ride, this trail will kill them. For those with legs and lungs just starting to ride this is a good place to start. For the intermediate or above rider, this trail is wide, crowded, there are rangers with radar regularly, and with Limekiln/Overgrown/Priest right around the corner, why bother?

Recommended Route:
Go up, come down at 14 mph. Avoid the rangers, dogs, and hikers on the way down.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Overgrown, Limekiln, Priest, or drive a little to Soquel Demonstartion Forest.

Review Date
July 27, 2004

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 1 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 1 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a month

Reviewed by: Biking Brazilian ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Convenient if you're short on time or just need a quick spin on the bike. Very easy trails to climb/descend.

I do this ride on my singlespeed, and it's a blast. I make it interesting by riding up Foster Road and using the top-secret entrance near where the nuns house used to be. By the time you get to St. Joe's (the secret trail drops you right off at the summit), you're warmed up and ready to drop down into Lexington. Then ride up Overgrown, go right at Kennedy, then left on Woods, go to Hicks Road, ride down to Camden, left on Blossom Hill, then head back home. Two hours at a good race pace, 4 hours at a decent pace, or infinite if you're out-of-shape or riding one of those Costco bikes that have a triple crown fork on a hardtail with brand names like MOTIV or BIKE.

Recommended Route:
Park car. Get out and stretch. Get back in car and go to El Sereno or somewhere else where there aren't 97 hikers per biker.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
If you're at St. Joe's, hop over to El Sereno. Nobody goes there, and there aren't any rangers since there aren't any hot LG lasses walking around in undersized Spandex garments for them to check out.