Villa Montalvo in Saratoga sits on the rolling hillside east of downtown, with a mix of manicured grounds and genuine wild terrain that makes it feel like you’re leaving the suburbs behind. The main villa and gardens are managed by the Villa Montalvo Association, but if you head uphill past those areas, you enter county-managed trail system that opens up into miles of actual hiking country.

The trails climb through oak woodland with decent elevation gain depending on which route you take. On a clear day you get views back toward the Santa Clara Valley, and the whole place is quiet enough that you’ll mostly hear birds and the crunch of your dog’s paws on the path. Dogs need to stay on a 6-foot leash, which is reasonable given how many people use these trails on weekends.

The tricky part is that this is really two separate operations. The lower villa grounds have their own character—there are open spaces to walk around and you can see the historic building and some of the landscaping. But the better hiking happens above, where Santa Clara County Parks manages those trails. Both areas welcome leashed dogs, but they’re under different management, so conditions and rules can differ. The trails above tend to be less crowded than the villa grounds, especially if you go on weekdays.

Parking is on-site at Villa Montalvo proper, and from there you can explore either the gardens and grounds or head up onto the county trails. There’s something nice about having both options in one visit—you can do a shorter walk if your dog isn’t in the mood for miles of hiking, or push further into the hills if they’ve got the energy. The elevation gain is real on the upper trails, so bring water.