Although locals refer to the Santa Cruz Mountains as “the hill”, the coastal ranges have seemingly countless hills, peaks, valleys, and gluches winding between the Santa Clara Valley and the beach. Several of the hills and peaks have names (if they all do, I’m not aware of it), one of them being Collord’s Peak, which you can read about at the corner of East Main Street and High School Court. In the image below, there’s a very tall peak, El Sombroso, with a nearer and lower peak in the foreground – that one is Collord’s peak.
Plaque at the edge of Los Gatos High School which honors Victor R. Collord and names a peak in the Los Gatos Mountains after him.
It was not possible for me to show both the hills in the distance and the plaque equally well lit, so here’s a closeup of the plaque honoring Victor R. Collord.
Colord Peak Plaque closeup – Victor R Collord
And one more closeup of his good deeds named:
Collord Peak Plaque closeup – Victor R Collord
From the high school, Collord’s Peak does not look super high. That’s because it is in the shadow of El Sombroso, the highest peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Collord’s Peak has an elevation of 2398 feet (El Sombroso boasts 3005 feet). Here’s a view of a topographical map (created with Google’s MyMaps) in which I’ve identified St. Joseph’s Hill, Collord’s Peak, El Sombroso, Mt. Thayer, and Mt. Umunhum.
Collord’s Peak and nearby hills in east Los Gatos
Collord’s Peak is part of the Midpeninsula Open Space Preserve’s Sierra Azul Preserve. The Kennedy Trail will let you visit the area and provide stunning views. Here’s a trail map courtesy of MidPen for the Kennedy Trail and nearby areas of Sierra Azul. You find find more info on the various MidPen preserves, dog friendly areas, and more on the MidPen website.
Related Reading:
Town of Los Gatos: Bike, Parks, and Trails Map info
Town of Los Gatos: Open Space Trails Map (Heintz Open Space & Santa Rosa Open Space maps)
Belwood of Los Gatos site: Trails near Belwood, Belgatos, Surmont and Heritage Grove neighborhoods
