Hidden Villa-Los Altos Hills
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: Hidden Villa, 26870 Moody Rd., Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
Starting Point: After the entry gate, drive a little further to the main parking lot. Picnic tables and toilet facilities are here at the start of the path leading to gardens, animal areas, and the Creek Trail trailhead.
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Hidden Villa info link (Hidden Villa):
https://www.hiddenvilla.org
Hidden Villa Plan Your Trip link (Hidden Villa):
https://www.hiddenvilla.org/visit/plan-your-trip/
Distance:
Visitors can just have an easy amble around the gardens, the animal barns, and check out the creek without walking very far. That would make for a nice easy visit. Hidden Villa also has plenty of hiking trails to explore. We did the Creek Trail and Pipeline Trail loop which was 0.6 miles on the Creek Trail and though I didn’t see a trail distance marked, the Pipeline Trail back to the start was probably 0.7 miles, for a 1.3 mile loop walk, added onto walking in the garden and animal areas. There are many other trail options to choose from which can be seen on the Hidden Villa trail map https://www.hiddenvilla.org/visit/hiking-trails/.
Considerations:
• We followed the driving directions to get to Hidden Villa but got offtrack and ended up on the wrong roads in a loop around Foothill College. We managed to not miss the Moody Road turn on our third try and found our way.
• Hidden Villa is not a “just show up and hike” venue. See their website for current system for reserving ahead and paying a day use fee. It was $10 per car on our visit.
• The main parking area is a bit past the entry gate, and that is where we found picnic tables and toilet facilities.
• Heed all health and safety signs, including wildlife, poison oak, and tick alerts.
• Layers are always a good idea but it can get quite warm here. Be sure to have sun protection and water.
• Cell phone service may be spotty.
The trail:
We had heard about Hidden Villa years ago, but knew that it was not a “just show up and hike” location. Visitors have to make arrangements in advance. (See https://www.hiddenvilla.org for current details on visiting.)
We finally visited for a pre-reserved group hike with other families. We missed the turn for Moody Road and looped through Foothill College a couple of times before getting to the entry gate. We saw a sign for a main parking lot past the initial parking area, and drove there to meet others at a picnic area where there were toilet facilities.
From the picnic area, we visited a garden with herbs, vegetables and flowers. We walked a little further in, past some barns with hay. The animals were out in the pasture at that time so we did not see the cows or sheep who resided there. We made our way across a footbridge over a creek, and passed some rusty old farm equipment which reminded me of the dairy farm terrain I grew up in.
Further down we walked through a flower-covered arch, past a chicken coop (unoccupied during our visit), and then to a barn with pigs. After exiting this area, we moved on to the goat area where adorable babies climbed and played.
There were some very inviting spots along the creek where visitors could stop and hang out by the water under shady trees. Not far past this was the official trailhead sign stating that we had come to the start of Creek Trail.
We walked the 0.6 miles of earthy trail that paralleled the creek with its curves and bends, all with just a moderate incline. The shade from the trees made walking on a fairly warm day quite comfortable. The creek and more footbridges made for a charming walk.
The trail rose gradually higher through similar shady creek-side trail, getting a bit narrower as we went on. We eventually came to a sign saying Pipeline Trail. The Pipeline Trail turned us back toward our starting direction, leading us back from the other side of the creek, higher up a hillside.
Pipeline Trail was narrower and slightly overgrown, so we reminded each other to stay out of contact with poison oak and to also be careful of ticks in the tall grass. We saw a variety of beautiful wildflowers along this stretch, which had tree cover part of the time but also had stretches that were open to sun exposure.
There were some tight switchback sections that led us back down to lower ground, and we eventually came back to one of the footbridges that indicated we were back at the beginning of the trail area.
It was a pleasant hike even on a warm day, and on the way back we were able to revisit animal and garden displays as we wished.
Hidden Villa is a charming place that has a variety of things to explore. Our hike was less than 2 miles round trip, but the trail map shows a variety of trails to choose from, some of which can be quite long. Check the main web site for current rules on visiting.
(Hidden Villa-Los Altos Hills Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Ups and Downs Together” Insights post.)
Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: Hidden Villa, 26870 Moody Rd., Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
Starting Point: After the entry gate, drive a little further to the main parking lot. Picnic tables and toilet facilities are here at the start of the path leading to gardens, animal areas, and the Creek Trail trailhead.
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Hidden Villa info link (Hidden Villa):
https://www.hiddenvilla.org
Hidden Villa Plan Your Trip link (Hidden Villa):
https://www.hiddenvilla.org/visit/plan-your-trip/
Distance:
Visitors can just have an easy amble around the gardens, the animal barns, and check out the creek without walking very far. That would make for a nice easy visit. Hidden Villa also has plenty of hiking trails to explore. We did the Creek Trail and Pipeline Trail loop which was 0.6 miles on the Creek Trail and though I didn’t see a trail distance marked, the Pipeline Trail back to the start was probably 0.7 miles, for a 1.3 mile loop walk, added onto walking in the garden and animal areas. There are many other trail options to choose from which can be seen on the Hidden Villa trail map https://www.hiddenvilla.org/visit/hiking-trails/.
Considerations:
• We followed the driving directions to get to Hidden Villa but got offtrack and ended up on the wrong roads in a loop around Foothill College. We managed to not miss the Moody Road turn on our third try and found our way.
• Hidden Villa is not a “just show up and hike” venue. See their website for current system for reserving ahead and paying a day use fee. It was $10 per car on our visit.
• The main parking area is a bit past the entry gate, and that is where we found picnic tables and toilet facilities.
• Heed all health and safety signs, including wildlife, poison oak, and tick alerts.
• Layers are always a good idea but it can get quite warm here. Be sure to have sun protection and water.
• Cell phone service may be spotty.
The trail:
We had heard about Hidden Villa years ago, but knew that it was not a “just show up and hike” location. Visitors have to make arrangements in advance. (See https://www.hiddenvilla.org for current details on visiting.)
We finally visited for a pre-reserved group hike with other families. We missed the turn for Moody Road and looped through Foothill College a couple of times before getting to the entry gate. We saw a sign for a main parking lot past the initial parking area, and drove there to meet others at a picnic area where there were toilet facilities.
From the picnic area, we visited a garden with herbs, vegetables and flowers. We walked a little further in, past some barns with hay. The animals were out in the pasture at that time so we did not see the cows or sheep who resided there. We made our way across a footbridge over a creek, and passed some rusty old farm equipment which reminded me of the dairy farm terrain I grew up in.
Further down we walked through a flower-covered arch, past a chicken coop (unoccupied during our visit), and then to a barn with pigs. After exiting this area, we moved on to the goat area where adorable babies climbed and played.
There were some very inviting spots along the creek where visitors could stop and hang out by the water under shady trees. Not far past this was the official trailhead sign stating that we had come to the start of Creek Trail.
We walked the 0.6 miles of earthy trail that paralleled the creek with its curves and bends, all with just a moderate incline. The shade from the trees made walking on a fairly warm day quite comfortable. The creek and more footbridges made for a charming walk.
The trail rose gradually higher through similar shady creek-side trail, getting a bit narrower as we went on. We eventually came to a sign saying Pipeline Trail. The Pipeline Trail turned us back toward our starting direction, leading us back from the other side of the creek, higher up a hillside.
Pipeline Trail was narrower and slightly overgrown, so we reminded each other to stay out of contact with poison oak and to also be careful of ticks in the tall grass. We saw a variety of beautiful wildflowers along this stretch, which had tree cover part of the time but also had stretches that were open to sun exposure.
There were some tight switchback sections that led us back down to lower ground, and we eventually came back to one of the footbridges that indicated we were back at the beginning of the trail area.
It was a pleasant hike even on a warm day, and on the way back we were able to revisit animal and garden displays as we wished.
Hidden Villa is a charming place that has a variety of things to explore. Our hike was less than 2 miles round trip, but the trail map shows a variety of trails to choose from, some of which can be quite long. Check the main web site for current rules on visiting.
(Hidden Villa-Los Altos Hills Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Ups and Downs Together” Insights post.)
Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
