A few weeks ago on Martin Luther King Jr. Monday, I went on a hike with my family. This time, we hiked in the Picchetti Ranch Preserve, and followed the Zinfandel trail that Seema Lindskog, Chair of Walk Bike Cupertino, wrote about in summer 2020. The Stevens Creek reservoir looks like a piece of sapphire as we viewed it from the Zinfandel trail, and the bubbling creek at the trail’s end was so refreshing.
The preserve is close by, and has an interesting history. There are fun activities and guided hikes organized by Midpen (Midpeninsula Regional Open Space).
Location & Access Info
This map shows that Picchetti Ranch Open Space is connected to Stevens Creek County Park through the Creek Trail. After crossing Stevens Canyon Road, the trail leads to the Fremont Older Open Space.
We parked at Picchetti Ranch Parking Area with 80 regular parking spots and 2 ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) spots. Even during a long weekend, we could easily find parking. Note, neither bicycles nor dogs are allowed in this preserve, but horses are allowed on designated trails shown in the map. One public restroom is available near the Picchetti Winery picnic area. The Midpen website offers a lot of information to know before you go. Signs are posted at the entrances, on the gates, and along the trails.
History
I learned the history of Picchetti Ranch from the Midpen website and Wikipedia. Both were great to find the answers to some questions that came up during our hike.
- Why is the most popular trail named “Zinfandel”?
- What kind of characters were the Picchetti brothers who built this ranch?
- Where did the peacocks come from?
Have you found the answers yet? If not, finish reading the blog and locate the answers at the end.
Activities
In addition to hiking, people also come here to enjoy picnicking, horseback riding, and birding. Here is a great birding guide posted by Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance.
Also, Midpen organized docent-led activities at the preserve to explore waters, wildlife, and wildflowers. In 2023, they even offered one guided hike about Peacocks At Picchetti.
Have you heard about “Biodiversity Indexing”? In 2017, Midpen created a “Biodiversity Index” project on iNaturalist, so open space visitors can share their observations of species with the world. Below are some photos my family took during our hike at the preserve in spring 2020.
The Midpen Biodiversity Index project will help biologists at the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District by crowd-sourcing species data from within the District’s sphere of influence. By understanding what organisms occur, and where, we can gain a greater knowledge of the diverse ecosystems found throughout the peninsula.
Of course, another popular activity is wine tasting, a few steps aways from the preserve. Be sure to have a sober driver with you and follow the rule “Drink not Drive”.
Let Us Know
Hope you enjoy reading about the history and activities offered at the Picchetti Ranch Open Space. Will you go there in person to hike or participate in these activities? If you would like to get more involved, check out their volunteering opportunities. Looking forward to hearing your stories on the trail and around the preserve. Email us at info@walkbikecupertino.org.
“The first grapes planted were Zinfandel, Carignane and Petite Sirah. At first, the brothers only sold the grapes to local wineries, but in 1896 they decided to make their own wine, becoming one of the early wineries in California (California Bonded Winery number 148).”
“Instrumental in establishing the Montebello School in 1892, Vincenzo served on the first school board and supplied a room for a teacher at his ranch. Vineyards were the lifeblood of the town of Cupertino’s early economy, although grape parasites destroyed many of the vines in the region in the 1890s.”
“…the peacocks that continue to wander the grounds are a reminder of another time when the ranch was filled with various animals and livestock.”