Los Gatos Creek County Park

If you and your pooch find yourselves in the Campbell, CA area, you’d be barking mad not to check out Los Gatos Creek County Park! This pawesome urban greenspace is home to the Los Gatos Creek Trail, a mostly-paved route that runs for ruffly 10 miles from San Jose to Lexington Reservoir. Your furry friend will need to be leashed on the trail, but if Fido does need to run free, don’t worry -- you can let them loose in the Los Gatos Creek County Park Dog Park on the way there or back! There’s plenty of parking at the park entrance on Dell Avenue, but there is a fee -- $2 per hour, or you can purchase an annual pass from Santa Clara County.

A former South Pacific Coast railway line, the Los Gatos Creek Trail is now one of the more pawpular walking routes in Santa Clara County. The trail is well-frequented during the week and borderline packed on the weekends -- make sure your pooch is prepared to deal with crowds! You might expect most of the scenery to be some shade of suburban, but you’d be wrong -- the trail meanders alongside the creek, through gorgeous, well-maintained parkland, and features a couple of loops around pretty ponds where ducks come to chill. Watch out for territorial geese! Though not all of the trail is shaded, mature trees line a decent portion of the route.

Los Gatos Creek County Park and Trail comes with all the amenities that you might expect from urban parkland -- most of the parks that the trail passes through have restrooms, and while there aren’t any benches on the trail itself, you can always stop off in Oak Meadow Park or Campbell Park and take a breather at one of the picnic areas. This is one of the more accessible routes in the area -- there’s only a very moderate incline, and the trail has an asphalt surface from Los Gatos onwards. Be sure to bring waste bags and water, and have a wonderful walk!