Black Mountain Loop at Monte Bello Open Space Preserve

Monte Bello Open Space Preserve is a lovely park that is part of the complex of parks in the South Skyline Region. This 6-mile loop is absolutely lovely and features a gorgeous mixture of hilly grasslands and densely wooded creeks.

Either direction of the loop is nice, but I took the clockwise version and I thought that it broke up the uphill portions of the hike very nicely. Monte Bello is apparently famous for its flowers in the spring, so I will be back for at least one follow-up visit. My *only* complaint about this park is that I had to ford Stevens Creek at one point, which wasn't too bad overall, but I would have preferred not to get my feet wet!

The stone bench near the parking lot offered views that were so beautiful that I was actually moved to tears. I really want to bring my mother back to the park, specifically so that she can paint from this spot. For the less artistically inclined, this is a great spot to watch the raptor soaring over the valley.