Los Altos Hills Voyage Tips and guide

Los Altos Hills is a town in Santa Clara County, California. Considered to be one of the "richest" towns in the United States, Los Altos Hills is known for its minimum lot size of one acre (0.4 ha) and large homes. It is entirely residential and there is no business district within the town limits. Los Altos Hills has no stores and restaurants, and no place for overnight stays except a youth summer camp.

Los Altos Hills was incorporated in 1956 to preserve the traditional low-density atmosphere of what was then a rural area at the edge of what would become Silicon Valley.

Most of Los Altos Hills is a difficult place to enter, much harder than any other cities or towns in the surrounding area. Fremont Road and Concepcion Road are the only roads that lead to the town's center.

• If entering from the north, Fremont Road can be accessed by turning south off Page Mill Road.
• Visitors from the west can take Arastradero Road off Interstate 280, turning right onto La Cresta Drive, left onto St Francis Road and finally right onto Fremont Road.
• From the south, take El Monte Road off Interstate 280, follow the fork to the left for Moody Road, and loop around the south side of the community college. Turn right onto Elena Road. Turn right onto Robleda Road and then left onto Purissima Road. You will reach Concepcion Road after about half a mile.
• It is relatively easy to reach Los Altos Hills from the east as it is within walking distance from downtown Los Altos.

The only part of the town which is relatively easy to access is the local community college, Foothill College. The college sits at the end of El Monte Road near that road's cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 280.

Apart from a short stretch of El Monte Road that runs directly into Foothill College, Los Altos Hills has no arterial roads. The entire town is residential. The town's road network consists almost entirely of two-lane undivided streets.

Apart from El Monte Road, the vast majority of streets in Los Altos Hills do not have paved sidewalks. Some but not all streets are served by the town's pathway network (i.e., unpaved dirt paths which can become muddy during rainstorms).

Valley Transportation Authority operates bus lines 40 and 52 which link Foothill College via El Monte Road to nearby cities. On weekdays during commute hours, several bus lines stop along Arastradero Road on the town's northern border with Palo Alto, to provide service to the office parks on the Palo Alto side. The rest of the town has no public transit service. See the VTA map for details.

Just to the west are the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains. Hiking and horseback riding are prevalent on local trails and in the nearby Rancho San Antonio County Park (see Cupertino for details). Biking is also very common due to the hilly landscapes. Los Altos Hills presents a challenge to any biker due to the steep grades.

Along with hiking and the biking in Rancho San Antonio County Park and on local trails, geocaching is another popular activity in Los Altos Hills. Due to the steep hills, geocaching in both the town and the park is excellent for both sightseeing and exercise. Visitors planning to stay can stop at the 37.3837-122.13861 Town Hall at 26379 Fremont Rd to learn more about the town. Some community events, such as concerts and chess expos, are held at the town hall.

• 37.36509-122.159941 Holiday Barn Lighting, 27210 Altamont Rd, ☏ +1 650 941 6113. 2-5PM. An annual holiday event that takes place at Westwind Community Barn in early December. Features food and children's activities. Free. (updated Apr 2023)

Los Altos Hills officially has no commercial zones. The only retail store is the campus bookstore at Foothill College.

Residents traditionally do their shopping and dining in adjacent cities (see below).

However, meat and other animal products can be ordered from Hidden Villa (see § Sleep) and picked up there. Produce is also available community farm stands at various locations, although it is seasonal and may often be unavailable. Such farm stands also have a "book share" where visitors can take and leave books.

Los Altos Hills has no bars or restaurants, but fine dining and groceries are available in downtown Los Altos.

• 37.35423-122.156411 Hidden Villa, 26870 Moody Rd, ☏ +1 650 949 8648, fax: +1 650 949 8608, [email protected]. Check-out: 5PM. Hidden Villa also offers a youth summer camp, at one of the oldest hostels in the United States. It also comprises a 1,600-acre organic farm and wilderness preserve. Animal products such as meat and honey are available for sale. Visitors suffering from financial hardships can request the $10 fee be waived. $10 vehicle fee; $100 for all-access pass. (updated Apr 2023)

Free public Wi-Fi access is available at the town hall.

There are several surrounding cities such as:

• Los Altos
• Palo Alto and Stanford
• Mountain View
• Sunnyvale
• Cupertino

San Francisco ← Woodside ←

N  S

→ Cupertino → San Jose