Near Los Trancos Loop
Open meadow at the top of the first climb.
Near Los Trancos Loop
The very top! You can see all the way from San Francisco to San Jose.
Near Los Trancos Loop
Boronda Lake - Foothills Park
Near Los Trancos Loop
Waterfall
Near Los Trancos Loop
The trail following Los Trancos Creek.

Looking for more photos?

View All Photos
Driving Directions
Hike Route

Los Trancos Loop

4.9 (8 Ratings)
Los Trancos Trail is a 7 miles moderately trafficked trail loop.
6.9
mi
Distance
1,485
ft
Gain
moderate
Difficulty
HistoricalLakeWildflowers
Access Issues
Foothills Park is open to public as of December 2020.

Route Details

Flatter
Steeper
6.86mi
Distance
1,485ft
Elevation Gain
1,485ft
Elevation Loss
60%
Max Grade
1,722ft
High Point
676ft
Low Point
Path Type
Loop
Description
Foothills Parks located in Palo Alto, CA was opened to Public in December 2020.The park has several trails, the longest of them is Los Trancos Trail. This is a one-way trail due to COVID restrictions. The route is clearly marked and one-way signs are posted along the route. There is a $5 donation for parking. On weekends and holidays the parking lots get full quite fast. It is recommended to arrive early (by 8am) or prepare to walk extra mile to the trailhead :)
History & Background
In 1958, Russell V. Lee -- who founded what's now the Palo Alto Medical Foundation -- offered most of the 1,400 acres of land that make up Foothills Park to the city of Palo Alto at a price tag of $1.3 million.Before the park opened, Palo Alto turned down an offer from Santa Clara County in 1964 to contribute $500,000 toward the acquisition costs -- because accepting the county's offer came with a contingency that the park be open to all. Instead, the city limited access to the park to only Palo Alto residents and their guests, starting in 1969, and even made it a misdemeanor for a nonresident to enter the park.Park opened to non-Palo Alto residents in December 2020 after 50 years

Route Conditions

Report Conditions
No Condition Reports
Report Conditions

Nearby Hike Routes

Creek/Pipeline loop at Hidden Villa

Hike Route

Creek/Pipeline loop at Hidden Villa

River/Creek
moderate
1.34 mi
+176 ft
Hostel/Grapevine/Creek Trail Loop

Hike Route

Hostel/Grapevine/Creek Trail Loop

River/Creek
strenuous
2.38 mi
+609 ft
Arastradero Short Loop

Hike Route

Arastradero Short Loop

Birding
moderate
3.38 mi
+432 ft
Arastradero Preserve Loop

Hike Route

Arastradero Preserve Loop

Dogs Allowed
moderate
5.21 mi
+670 ft
Hamms Gulch-Spring Ridge Trail Loop

Hike Route

Hamms Gulch-Spring Ridge Trail Loop

Views
moderate
7.36 mi
+1,754 ft
Black Mountain loop via Stevens Creek

Hike Route

Black Mountain loop via Stevens Creek

River/Creek
strenuous
5.82 mi
+1,300 ft
Contributors
Haroon Muhammad