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Wild Recovery San Jose, California

September 24, 2005 Hidden Villa

The Place

For over 50 years Hidden Villa has been a natural oasis for people to discover their connections to the earth and each other. The land is the Adobe Creek Watershed, a 1600-acre farm and wilderness preserve. It is one of the largest privately owned preserves in the area.

Getting There

From San Jose: take 280 north toward San Francisco. Take the Moody Road exit and turn left. At the intersection of El Monte and Elena (by the Foothill College Fire Station), turn left onto Moody Rd. Follow the Hidden Villa and Moody Road signs. Hidden Villa is on the left hand side of the road 1.7 miles from Foothill College, 2 miles from the freeway. Drive time is 30 minutes.

Walking the Walk

We enter the property through an ancient olive grove that opens out into a creekside meadow and a valley floor that hosts gardens and farm buildings. But the vast majority of the property is wilderness, which climbs steeply towards Skyline Ridge. That is where wild recovery will be. We will go up along the creek to the Black Mountain Trail, which will take us to the upper meadow for our meeting. This is a Level 2.5 hike; 6 miles hike with an 850-foot elevation gain.

Know Before You Go

Parking is $5. Sorry, no dogs allowed in the preserve. As always, bring plenty of water, sunscreen and a hat. Please arrive early so we can start promptly at 10 AM. Contact your host, Susan D., for more information.