Grizzly Flats Trail

This trail is all the way up the Saratoga-Santa cruz mountains. It's a bit of a drive but completely worth it. You can park on either sides of the road but the trail itself is on the right side. Once you begin walking keeping heading downward and follow the path, there are a few forks in the trail but if u just keep going down you can reach a gorgeous river that actually has water in it now because of all the rain. The hike is heavy downhill but then that means its heavy uphill on the way back. The trail is covered for the most part, and shaded with trees. It is a 1.5 mile hike on the way down to the river and 1.5 miles on the way back up. As you get further down you'll start to hear the rushing and if you keep an eye out you can see tons of multi-colored newts that love on the trail and by the river bed. This hike takes somewhat of a long time so it's best to go earlier in the day so you don't get stuck in the dark. Once you get down to the river there are countless opportunities for exploring and there is much to see. The hike down is lots easier than the hike up so bring lots of water to stay hydrated with. The hike up is almost entire uphill and the trail gets pretty steep so proper hiking boots of exercise shoes are highly recommended. This trail is great for seeing wildlife and a pretty intense workout so I encourage all readers to check it out!