Do you like trails better than the roads because of having exclusive access for walkers and bikers without having to stop or watch for cars? Some trails are hidden in plain sight, right in the middle of our beautiful city!
Welcome to the unpaved, walk/bike-friendly Union Pacific Trail that runs by the railroad tracks between Stelling Road and Bubb Road. You can start at Stevens Creek or Bubb Road and walk South towards Saratoga. Enjoy the beautiful majestic oaks on your way! This trail is frequented by walkers, bikers, and our four-legged friends. Having large, mature trees along the path helps with the shade especially as the days get warmer with summer.
What is more interesting is the myriad of smaller trails that the UP trail leads to once you go hit Prospect. At Prospect, you can choose to continue on the trail towards Saratoga-Sunnyvale, or choose to turn right towards the Fremont Older Preserve. Each of these is a treat on its own!
Go towards Fremont Older Preserve and enjoy the quiet uphill climb on the Parker Ranch Trail. You might even spot a deer or two ☺ You can go walk up towards the Fremont Older Preserve and choose any of the interconnected trails up there. Our favorite is getting the views up and above from the Hunter’s Point!
If you don’t like the uphill climb, then continue past Prospect along the railroad tracks, past Saratoga Sunnyvale. At this point, the trail becomes paved and is a part of Joe’s trail as maintained by the City of Saratoga. You can go all the way to 85 on this trail.
The wonder of these trails is that you can choose how hard, or how long you want to walk or bike. The interconnected trails, right in the middle of the both Cupertino and Saratoga is a blessing for us residents!
Happy trails!
I would like to contribute money to plant some trees along the trail. How do I do that?
What a great idea! The land along the railroad tracks is owned by Union Pacific Railroad. It is notoriously difficult to get a response from them and they will likely not want to add trees unless they are well out of the way of the track. However, State Senator Dave Cortese is leading an effort to try to shut down the Lehigh Quarry in the Cupertino hills. If that happens, the railroad tracks will no longer have any use and the community might be able to convince UPRR to let us turn them into a real trail. This would be a multi-year plan, but something to look forward to!
Sounds like the Lehigh Quarry is shut down. Any updates on turning the railroad into a real trail?
A potential trail there looks to be on a permanent hold. Cupertino city staff cannot get Union Pacific to even discuss the track area, or agree to a meeting or call.
Thank you for sharing and advertising. Yes, great existing space to enjoy the outdoors. I’ve run hundreds of miles along this track and was/am going to blog about it too. That being said, apart for Joe’s Trail in Saratoga, isn’t the rest of the “trail” illicit and trespassing?
Thanks Jean, for your reply to the post. Yes, the Union Pacific “Trail” is not officially a trail but it’s being used by many residents as a de facto trail. We unfortunately don’t have that many places in Cupertino to have off-street trails, so many of our residents (especially now with so many people exercising outside) walk where they can.
We’d welcome an article from you on other places that you run! Contact us at walkbikecupertinofeedback@gmail.com for more details.