page_title: Black Mountain (near Los Altos, California)
section_title: Black Mountain today
hierarchical_section_title: Black Mountain (near Los Altos, California) / Black Mountain today
caption_attribution_description: Black Mountain summit in Los Altos (California, USA). View from the highest point of the trail towards Palo Alto and the center of the bay.
context_page_description: Black Mountain is a summit on Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains of west Santa Clara County, California, south of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, and west of Cupertino; it is within the Palo Alto city limits though not near the developed part of the city. It is located on the border between Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve and Monte Bello Open Space Preserve, with the summit located in the former. Early Spanish explorers commonly named tree- or chaparral-covered summits which look black in the distance Loma Prieta, from the Spanish.
  The Spanish also called the middle portion of the Santa Cruz Mountains the Sierra Morena meaning, extending from Half Moon Bay Road south to a gap at Lexington Reservoir, and which includes a summit called Sierra Morena.
  There are over 100 "Black Mountains" in California.
context_section_description: The mountain is a popular destination for hikers and mountain bikers. The summit is most easily accessed from the Monte Bello parking area on Page Mill Road, via a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) route from about 2,200 feet (670 m). The summit can also be reached from the northwestern entrance of Rancho San Antonio on Rhus Ridge Road in Los Altos Hills by a 5 miles (8.0 km) route from about 400-foot (120 m). This strenuous hike is not recommended for novice or beginning hikers.
  The summit can also be reached by Montebello Road which begins near the Stevens Creek Reservoir. This maintained road can be followed most of the way to the summit. It has an average grade of 15% and while it is open to motor vehicles the traffic is comparatively light. On the summit there are two broadcasting stations. One is a private radio station owned by Stanford University, and the other is owned by the Federal Aviation Administration.
  There are several wineries along Montebello Road, including Ridge Vineyards, Fellom Ranch Vineyards and Picchetti Brothers Winery.
caption: View from the highest point of the trail connecting Montebello Road and Page Mill Road.
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