Kennedy-Limekiln Area of Sierra Azul Preserve

Sierra Azul is the largest preserve in the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD). Here is the blurb on the park from their website:

Just south of the Town of Los Gatos, on the east side of the Lexington Reservoir, sits Sierra Azul, the District's southernmost open space preserve. Translated Sierra Azul means "Blue Range." Encompassing more than 18,000 acres, this is the District's largest Preserve. Sierra Azul Preserve is a true wilderness area, yet surprisingly close to the urban areas of the South Bay, making it a popular destination. Because of its size, Sierra Azul is divided into four areas: Kennedy-Limekiln, Mount Umunhum, Cathedral Oaks, and Rancho do Guadalupe.

Today, I visited the Kennedy-Limekiln area for the first time. I took a loop that is just over 5 miles, and I was treated to a bay laurel forest, a mixed forest of oak and madrone, a chaparral ecosystem with manzanita and chamise (and 360-degree views of mountains), eucalyptus trees, and views of the Lexington Reservoir. 

I found street parking on the side of the road near Gate SA22. The Limekiln Trail climbs up steeply in the shade of a bay laurel forest. I highly recommend that you take this trail for the loop UP the mountain. It made a world of difference to have deep shade while making the steep ascent. Right after you pass the overview of the quarry, the trail turns into sunny (and hot) chaparral. The nice thing about the exposure is that it affords you opportunity to really see the mountain ranges--both the one that you are walking on and the ones in the distance all around you.

Here, I looped back on the Priest Rock Trail. I would have liked to have made the longer loop (see the map), but it would have more than doubled my total distance and I was worried about not having enough water.

The descent was mostly well graded, with a few steep parts. It was mostly exposed until the trail gets within view of the Lexington Reservoir. At that point, I entered into a mixed forest of oak and madrone, with a few stray eucalyptus trees scattered throughout as I got closer to the water. 

The trail ends on Alma Bridge Road at Gate SA21; from there, it's less than a mile to hike back to your car where you parked it.

I really enjoyed this hike, and would happily do it again; however, I don't think that it would be fun to try to do this with my baby in an infant carrier. This seems better suited for just adults; to visit this area in a kid-friendly way, try the Lexington Reservoir County park for a picnic and some swimming in the water! The boat launch area would be perfect for that.