Stevens Creek Nature Trail – White Oak Trail loop from Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve

Mountain biking trails

United States

California

Santa Clara County

Stevens Creek Nature Trail – White Oak Trail loop from Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve

Moderate

4.6

(9391)

9,392

riders

Stevens Creek Nature Trail – White Oak Trail loop from Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve

03:24

36.2km

870m

Mountain biking

Moderate mountain bike ride. Good fitness required. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: July 2, 2026

Tips

Temporary access restrictions

Includes segments with temporary access restrictions.

After 36 m for 67 m

Permit required

After 36.0 km for 67 m

Permit required

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

10.8 km

Monte Bello Open Space Preserve

Highlight • Forest

This 3,436-acre expanse offers a vibrant tapestry of nature, just waiting to be explored. Millennia before Silicon Valley sprouted, Monte Bello Ridge and Black Mountain stood sentinel over the Santa Clara Valley. Native American tribes frequented the area, leaving behind petroglyphs and village sites whispering tales of the past.

Tip by

12.4 km

Steve's Creek and Canyon Trail Junction

Highlight • Trail

Here, the Steve's Creek Nature Trail and the Canyon Trail intersect. A lovely patch of grass surrounds the junction, making it an ideal spot for a break.

Tip by

13.6 km

Sag Pond in Monte Bello Open Space Preserve

Highlight • Lake

This pond rests atop the San Andreas Fault, causing an indentation that later filled up from an underground spring. Unfortunately, the water isn't easily visible due to the overgrowth of cattails in the area. Nonetheless, it remains a beautiful natural spot worth the effort to explore.

Tip by

13.7 km

Stevens Creek Nature Trail

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

Stevens Creek Nature Trail and Skid Row Trail are just two different names for different segments of the same old dirt road that descends toward the main creek bed of Stevens Creek. Today, this trail is in the form of what I'd call a "singletrack on a shelf"—a fire road narrowed by forest debris into a single biking line that's only as wide as a singletrack. It's a moderately fun descent.

Tip by

14.4 km

White Oak Trail

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

White Oak Trail has been recently re-routed (completed in late 2010). Before this work, the upper reaches of this trail consisted of a steep, wide, and badly rutted "fire road". This segment of the trail is now replaced by a nicely meandering singletrack; initially exposed to the sky, and later under partial oak cover. The second half of the trail (the lower elevations) still follows the older path, which was a decent singletrack to begin with, and still is. I think that this change of White Oak Trail raises the desirability of Monte Bello Open Space for riders who are interested in singletrack trails. In my opinion, this brings this park to the same level as, say, the nearby Russian Ridge in terms of the level of biking trail quality.

Before the White Oak Trail re-routing, I used to do this ride as a clockwise loop (and used to show it on this page in the same way), traversing White Oak Trail uphill. That was because I found White Oak too short, steep, and wide to be interesting for descent. (The ruts may have been an interesting descent challenge for some, but still...) I used to think that it was at least a good climbing challenge to test one's mettle. After the re-routing, I've changed this to a counter-clockwise loop, because the beautiful singletrack that's the newer White Oak Trail is much more fun to descend than to climb, in my opinion.

The new White Oak Trail has some more off-camber spots than I would have expected from a new trail. Nothing too sketchy, but it does discourage you a little bit from speeding. When I come to think of it, the only other major singletrack trail in this park, Bella Vista Trail, also has quite a few off-camber sections. Perhaps it's something about erosion control. Or speed control. There's also at least one particular hairpin turn on White Oak that's a little over the top in its tightness. But maybe that's a good thing; those of us with superhuman bike control skills need some spots where they can test themselves as well.

The last quarter mile of White Oak Trail (after crossing a minor tributary creek over a bridge) has you pedaling uphill at a moderate grade.

Tip by

17.5 km

Skid Road Trail

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

Skid Road Trail is a great connection between the upper part of Canyon Trail and Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve (across to the other side of Skyline Rd), turning West rather than continuing the last mile of Canyon Trail north to Page Mill Road at Los Trancos OSP.
The first part of Skid Road Trail at the turnoff is shared with Stevens Creek Nature Trail, crossing three pretty wood bridges which might soon be replaced by wider concrete/steel bridges.

Tip by

18.9 km

Horseshoe Lake

Highlight • Lake

Pleasant little lake formed by an earthen dam near Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve summit. Less than a mile from the handicapped parking lot along Ridge Trail.
Perfect bench in the sun, no swimming or fishing though.

Tip by

19.0 km

Tree Farm Trail

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

Tree Farm Trail start with a significant climb under tree cover. Right around the point where you might be starting to wonder how much longer the climb will last, a mandatory left turn drops you onto the first wide-dirt-road stretch of Tree Farm Trail.

Along the way, Tree Farm Trail switches to pseudo-singletrack (at what looks like a right-turn, just around the 2.7-mile mark of the ride) but it doesn't last long before it turns back into an uphill dirt road.

Tip by

36.2 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types