Lexington Hills, CA

Lexington Hills is a cluster of mountain communities in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Santa Clara County, just south of Los Gatos along State Route 17. Redwoods, reservoirs and open-space preserves fill the map, with homes spread through them instead of gathered into a town center. Three Houseberry neighborhoods share the district. Redwood Estates has the most going on, with a post office, a store and a main road lined by redwoods. Chemeketa Park, about a century old, is the self-reliant one, with its own water company and clubhouse. Aldercroft Heights climbs the hills above Lexington Reservoir and is the quietest and most residential of the three. Houses are mountain homes on sloped, wooded lots, a mix of long-standing places and newer rebuilds. The roads serving them are narrow, curving and short on sidewalks. Each community keeps its own character, and getting between them means following a winding road along a ridge or creek instead of crossing a block. Outdoors is why people choose this area. Lexington Reservoir County Park wraps a lake of roughly 338 acres, and its trails tie into longer routes through the hills. Across Lexington Hills, people fish from the shoreline, picnic on the banks and paddle small boats on weekends, while Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve covers more than 1,400 acres. Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve offers a gentle loop beside Upper Lake and a few ancient trees among the second growth. Eating out is a short list. Pizzeria Vittoria is the sit-down pick for wood-fired pizza, and the Redwood Store supplies groceries, with ice cream and craft beer on the side. Beyond those, Los Gatos is the next stop. A car is required, and Highway 17 is the one real route in and out. That single road is the main cost. A backup on 17 slows every trip, and the winding side roads leave little slack. The trade is quick convenience for quiet, and the redwoods are what that quiet is made of.