Los Gatos Creek

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The Los Gatos Creek is a short waterway in California that runs from the Santa Cruz Mountains northward through the Santa Clara Valley until its confluence with the Guadalupe River in downtown San Jose. The Guadalupe River then continues onward into San Francisco Bay.

The creek begins in the Santa Cruz mountains near the Santa Clara/Santa Cruz County border, just south of the peak Loma Prieta. It then flows northwesterly to the vicinity of Holy City and Chemeketa Park, then northward into the Lexington Reservoir. The creek then flows through the Los Gatos Canyon and through the town of Los Gatos, then northeasterly through Campbell and San Jose where it meets the Guadalupe River.

The creek was named after the Spanish land grant Rancho Rinconada de Los Gatos ("Corner of the Cats"), which itself was named for the wildcats that roamed in the mountains above the present-day town of Los Gatos. Forbes Mill was established along the creek in the 1850s; the town of Los Gatos was subsequently built around the mill. The construction of California State Highway 17 in the 1950s forced much of the creek through Los Gatos to be diverted into a concrete gulch. Also in the 1950s, the construction of the Lexington Dam and Reservoir flooded much of a small valley above Los Gatos, including the former townsites of Lexington and Alma. When the reservoir's water level is low, the concrete bed of the old highway through those towns can be seen, along with foundations from some of the buildings. In spite of these events, much of the creek maintains its natural course and beauty.

The Los Gatos Creek Trail runs along the river from Lexington Reservoir to the Guadalupe River and is popular among local hikers and bicycalists. In Los Gatos, Vasona Lake is another reservoir along the creek and is located in Vasona Park, one of the most popular parks in the Santa Clara County parks system. The Los Gatos Creek Park is located in Campbell.