Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains protects wooded hillsides, streams, redwood forest, Douglas fir stands, and oak woodland, including old-growth coast redwoods more than 200 feet tall and estimated to be 600 to 800 years old. Its creeks feed the Los Gatos Creek, Lexington Reservoir, and upper Zayante Creek watersheds, and the preserve supports diverse wildlife from mountain lions to migratory birds. People lived here for thousands of years, including Ohlone communities whose rock mortars remain. After logging began in the 1850s, the land later held Harry Tevis's estate and then Alma College before acquisition by Midpeninsula led to public opening in 2019.

California · United States