Believe it or not, there are still a few Bay Area summits I have yet to climb. Until Sunday, Knibbs Knob in the southern Santa Cruz mountains could be counted among those peaks. It’s a short but steep hike, climbing from approximately 1000 ft to 2700 ft in 1.7 miles.
With the new puppy, I didn’t want to be away for too long this weekend, so on Sunday morning I decided it was the perfect time to tag Knibbs Knob. I got to the parking lot at Uvas at 9 am and started off to the trail. It’s a little difficult to find, not being connected to the main attraction of the park, a waterfall loop trail. The hike starts at the gated end of an old road behind a group camp area.
Trip Report
The trail climbs immediately and follows switchbacks through the trees until emerging on a more exposed ridge.
I love trails like this because they are wide enough that poison oak exposure isn’t a problem. Yay!
It climbs and climbs, and at about 2500 ft you reach the spur trail to the summit of Knibbs Knob.
This is not a spectacular or interesting summit, but the hike does offer some good views into Uvas Canyon below and across to Loma Prieta, the high point of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The constant steep grade keeps the heart pumping and is a good hiking workout.
After a quick snack on the summit I continued up the road to the edge of the park at Summit Road. It’s only a couple hundred feet up and another ~1/3 of a mile beyond Knibbs Knob. At the gate I could see all the private property signs on the spur tracks going off of the road. There are some interesting rumors about the locals up here so I didn’t stick around long, just enough to suck down some water, change my GPS batteries, and finish up my Honey Stinger Chews.
The descent was quick, but I was a bit upset with myself that I didn’t bring the trekking poles. Luckily my knees didn’t complain on the steep downhill sections and I was back at the car to get home in time for lunch with my boys.
