Barlow Road

This 1.9-mile steepish trail connects the moderate Mount Umunhum Trail to Woods Trail in the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. It can be taken in either direction, combining it with Woods Trail, Bald Mountain Trail, and/or Mount Umunhum Trail for a wonderful Santa Cruz Mountain hiking experience. As shown here, the trailhead (at the trail start) is 0.3 miles from the Bald Mountain Parking lot, along the Mount Umunhum Trail. A second trailhead (at the trail end) on Woods Trail, is 2.8 miles from the Jacques Ridge Parking areas on Hicks Road. Barlow Road Trail runs through the rugged Santa Cruz Mountains, just east of Mt. Umunhum, one of the highest peaks in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It is a wooded hillside trail that crosses two ridges, Guadalupe Creek, and other seasonal creeks. There are some very steep hillsides in many places, along with open areas, which provide great views of the Bay Area, countryside south of San Jose, Mt. Umunhum, and the Santa Cruz Mountains.