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Sunnyvale Mountain Trailhead
4.4 ★★★★☆ 34 Google reviews · Running trail in Saratoga, California · Posted hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Not reported
- Loop distance
- Not reported
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Tree cover
- Access
- Posted hours
Confirmed from Sunnyvale Mountain Trailhead's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
What runners say about Sunnyvale Mountain Trailhead
“The John Nicholas trail is mostly shady, with twists and turns, occasionally hugging huge boulders and quite dusty.”
A small parking area for the Skyline Trail. Parked there twice during the weekdays and got a spot each time. There was a mobile toilet at the trailhead. The trail was mostly shaded. Great for the summer. Perhaps 15 degrees lower than in San Jose. It connected to the John Nicholas Trail which I took.
Went on July 4th. Sunnyvale and Santa clara were in the 80s but the skyline trail was in the high 60s. Shaded hike and boulders to climb. At Indian rock, if you climb the boulders, you get a view of all san jose. I didn't have problems with parking.
This is an access point to John Nicholas trail (super popular for mountain biking) and to the Skyline trail of Sanborn County Park. It has just a few parking spots, a picnic table and a portable toilet. The John Nicholas trail is mostly shady, with twists and turns, occasionally hugging huge boulders and quite dusty.
Obviously this trailhead is named for the trail up Sunnyvale Mountain, but we took a different route. A short walk on Skyline trail brings you to John Nicholas Trail and awesome views of the Silicon Valley. You can descend all the way to lake or just have a short down ward hike before hiking back up to the parking lot.
Trail conditions & character
“Obviously this trailhead is named for the trail up Sunnyvale Mountain, but we took a different route.”
“A short walk on Skyline trail brings you to John Nicholas Trail and awesome views of the Silicon Valley.”
“The John Nicholas trail is mostly shady, with twists and turns, occasionally hugging huge boulders and quite dusty.”
“Short 10 minute loop past the gate or 30 minutes with a toddler.”
Plan your run at Sunnyvale Mountain Trailhead
The practical stuff
- AccessPosted hours — posted hours below; park gates sometimes close earlier than the listing says
- DistanceNot reported. Trail systems often quote total path mileage rather than a single loop, so measure the route you actually want before you drive out.
- ShadeRunners describe real tree cover here — it makes a summer afternoon workable
- At the trailheadparking — reported by runners
Hours
| Monday | 7:30 AM–6:30 PM |
| Tuesday | 7:30 AM–8 PM |
| Wednesday | 7:30 AM–8 PM |
| Thursday | 7 AM–8 PM |
| Friday | 7:30 AM–8 PM |
| Saturday | 7:30 AM–8 PM |
| Sunday | 7:30 AM–8 PM |
Running trails near Saratoga
Other trails within easy driving distance — useful when this one is flooded, gated, or just not the run you had in mind today.
John Nicholas Trailhead in Sanborn County Park
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Popular site for hiking and mountain biking, featuring mostly shaded trails, and a reservoir.
Saratoga Quarry Park
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Villa Montalvo Lookout Point
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Castle Rock State Park
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Park offering 34 miles of hiking & horseback riding trails among redwoods & other regional trees.
Wildwood Park
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Mature trees fill this public park also offering picnic tables & a children's playground.