Nestled in the eastern Santa Cruz Mountains between Morgan Hill and Watsonville is Uvas Canyon County Park. With Swanson Creek flowing year-round and tall hills, this is a great place for some mellow and scenic hiking away, but not away, from civilization. You can hit miles of trails and still be back in time for brunch. I met up with my longtime Instagram friend, Christian Arballo, and set off to explore some trails in this new-to-us park!
Hike: Rattlesnake Ledge to East Peak and back
Where: Rattlesnake Lake
Level: Strenuous
Duration: 3 hours and 58 minutes roundtrip
Length: 1.9 miles up to Rattlesnake Ledge, 2.4 miles from Rattlesnake Ledge to East Peak, one way.
Fitbit Steps: Approximately 27,000
Gear:
CamelBak Aventura Hydration Pack,
REI Sahara Convertible Pants,
Ahnu Women’s Montara Waterproof Boot,
ExOfficio BugsAway Adventure Hat, UNIQLO Airism men’s v-neck (check out my review of this here)
Cost of Parking: Free!
Rattlesnake Ledge is a fun, short little hike with an elevation gain of 1,175 feet in a short 1.9 miles. The huffing and puffing all the way to the top is worth it though. The views of Rattlesnake Lake, Mt. Si, and the surrounding greenery is unbeatable.
The trail consists of steep switchbacks under the shady cover of tall evergreens. Even on hot days, the hike is not unbearable.