Steven Creek County Park & Fremont Older Open Space Loop

Today I lead my Foothill College class on a six mile hike through Stevens Creek County Park and Fremont Older Open Space Preserve. We started our outing at the Stevens Creek County Park parking lot on Stevens Canyon Road.
It was a hot day, and the combination of heat and recent rain resulted in an explosion of wildflowers. It looks like we pretty much hit the wildflowers at their peak. We say larkspur, globe lilly, striped coral root orchids, chia, monkey flower, phlox, blue witch, Chinese houses, linanthus, climatis, checker lilly, and many more. Being on the dry east side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the wildflowers will be fading in the next few weeks.
Our six mile hike started at the Stevens Creek County Park parking lot. We followed the  Stevens Creek Tony Look Trail along the reservoir to the group picnic area where we had lunch. We then made a steep ascent into Fremont Older Open Space Preserve  to the Coyote Ridge Trail, where we watched a mole burrow through the ground and disappeared out of sight into the ground. We then enjoyed a spectacular view of the Santa Clara Valley from atop Maisie's Peak. From there it was downhill on the Coyote Ridge Trail back to our starting point.
TO GET THERE: from Highway 280 take Foothill Boulevard south. It turns into Stevens Canyon Road before reaching Stevens Canyon County Park.