Mount Umunhum (Sierra Azul)
Los Gatos / San Jose · near Los Gatos · SF Bay Area
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 7.8 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,500 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Spring (wildflowers) and fall · Clear winter days after rain give the best views
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- Free MROSD preserve, free parking. Mt Umunhum Rd is open to the summit (periodic maintenance closures — check MROSD). Gates ~7am–sunset. Dogs prohibited.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 0 of 5
What is here
- Features
- 3,486-ft summit with 360° panorama · Historic radar tower ('the Cube') · Ceremonial Ohlone circle · Views to Monterey Bay & the Diablo Range
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- No water or food on the mountain and it's exposed — carry layers for wind at the top even when it's hot below. Want the summit without the climb? Drive up and walk the short paved summit paths.
The guide
The high, radar-topped landmark of the South Bay skyline, reopened to the public in 2017 after decades as a Cold War Air Force …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Mount Umunhum (Sierra Azul) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.1585, -121.8974