2.5 miles
Distance
128 ft
Climb
-1,044 ft
Descent
00:14:33
Avg time

Lower Priest Rock Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve
    Los Gatos, California
  • Difficulty Rating
    Access Trail or Doubletrack rate
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T2 Mountain Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Dirt/Gravel Road
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC, Gravel
  • Direction
    Both Directions
  • Climb Difficulty
    Blue
  • Physical Rating
    Hard
  • Trail Visibility
    Always easy to follow
  • Season
    All Year
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • Ride in Rain
    Yes
  • Local Popularity
    60 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 45 in Trail Running
    • 60 in Hiking
  • Land Owner
    Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District

Lower Priest Rock traverses the ridge of some of the highest hills around Lexington Reservoir. It begins at Alma Bridge Road and climbs up to the top of Limekiln Trail where it intersects with Upper Priest Rock. Along the way, you will experience challenging rocky sections, some tree cover, and several sections that are so steep they are almost unrideable. This trail can get very hot in the summertime.

The descent from Kennedy is technical and fast. Riding down the upper section of this trail is for moderate and advanced riders due to the steepness and off-camber turns. Many have crashed - some badly - on this trail. The lower section is also steep, but far easier to navigate.

Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
More Stats for Lower Priest Rock multi-use trail trail
  • Altitude change
    -918 ft
  • Altitude min
    744 ft
  • Altitude max
    1,761 ft
  • Altitude start
    1,663 ft
  • Altitude end
    745 ft
  • Grade
    -7%
  • Grade max
    -40.6%
  • Grade min
    13.4%
  • Distance climb
    2,782 ft
  • Distance down
    2 miles
  • Distance flat
    1,007 ft
  • Avg time
    00:14:33
  • Avg reverse time
    00:40:08
  • view trail stats
Status:
on Jun 19, 2023
Dry
Avg: 3.65 (3 votes)
Your vote: 0

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Trail Conditions
  • Unknown
  • Snow Groomed
  • Snow Packed
  • Snow Covered
  • Snow Cover Partial
  • Freeze/thaw Cycle
  • Icy
  • Prevalent Mud
  • Wet
  • Variable
  • Ideal
  • Dry
  • Very Dry
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      Directions to lower-priest-rock trailhead (37.192740, -121.956980)
      update trails status or condition

      Lower Priest Rock Trail Reports

      statusdatedescription
      Jun 19, 2023 @ 7:38am
      Jun 19, 2023
      		 took it in the descending direction. Trail is loose, but as long as speed is under control not dangerous. There are ruts in some corners, be...
      May 25, 2022 @ 5:30am
      May 25, 2022
      May 1, 2022 @ 8:46pm
      May 1, 2022
      		 Dry, rocky, and sketchy. Some deep ruts, but the lower section is leveled and should be smooth until Winter.
      Jan 21, 2022 @ 12:36pm
      Jan 21, 2022
      Nov 27, 2021 @ 7:52am
      Nov 27, 2021
      		 Same old sketchy downhill - trail is in good shape (very steep)
      view all reports »

      Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail

      Past Week
      • 7 rides
      • 17 miles avg distance
      6 Months
      • 121 rides
      • 17 miles avg distance
      All
      • 815 rides
      • Last: Nov 30, 2024

      Technical Trail Features (TTF)

      Photos

      no photos have been added for Lower Priest Rock yet, add a photo.

      Routes with this trail

      titledistance
      Mount Umunhum Loop28 miles
      slippery tire-killer12 miles
      Limekiln-Kennedy-PriestRock-Loop10 miles

      1 Review & Comments


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      Videos

      more »
      youtuber Turkey Day 2021
      5:23 | 172 | Nov 27, 2021 , Los Gatos
      Overgrown Up and Priest Down
      10:34 | 403 | Aug 11, 2020 , Los Gatos

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