Sunnyvale East Channel – Guadalupe Slough loop from Santa Clara-Great America

Mountain biking trails

Sunnyvale East Channel – Guadalupe Slough loop from Santa Clara-Great America

Easy

4.7

(6485)

9,347

riders

Sunnyvale East Channel – Guadalupe Slough loop from Santa Clara-Great America

01:31

25.6km

30m

Mountain biking

Easy mountain bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: July 20, 2026

Tips

Cycling is not permitted along parts of this route

After 0 m for 235 m

After 25.4 km for 235 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

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1.99 km

San Tomas Aquino Creek Trail

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

This trail has smooth pavement (mostly) and is a quick North-South route from the San Francisco Bay Trail to Santa Clara. It's pretty popular with walkers and cyclists, but there's plenty of room to move freely. The trail runs right besides the San Francisco 49ers stadium, so the trail is closed occasionally during the football season.

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3.11 km

SF Bay Trail (unpaved section)

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

This section of the SF Bay Trail is a combination of loose gravel and packed dirt/sand, and popular with many commuters from what I can tell. Dry weather conditions make this route fun, but probably best to take the roads on the more rainy days. Road cyclists will definitely wanna take the loose gravel portions slower. Gravel grinders, this route is for you!

No water refill stations along this segment that I could tell, but Baylands Park near the entrance offers facilities and watering options. Also beware of periodic closures due to trail maintenance.

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6.44 km

Sunnyvale Water Treatment Center

Highlight • Structure

The Donald M. Somers Water Pollution Control Plant, also called the Sunnyvale Water Treatment Center, is a wastewater treatment plant focused on making the water clean enough to be safely released into San Francisco Bay or used for non-drinking purposes. The plant produces about 300 million gallons of recycled water each year.

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6.64 km

San Francisco Bay Trail – Stevens Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

This section of the San Francisco Bay Trail's surface is a fine compacted gravel that is fast and smooth to ride on. It's great to do on a road bike with narrow tires but any bike is fine on this pancake flat segment. The trail runs right along the bay so there's almost always wind and plenty of birds and wildlife to see.

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12.6 km

Stevens Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area Open Space Preserve

Highlight • Natural

This nature preserve is home to a number of waterfowl and shorebirds. Keep an eye out for cormorants, pintails, snowy and great egrets, black-necked stilts, and more.

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12.9 km

Stevens Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area Open Space Preserve

Highlight • Natural

This nature preserve is home to a number of waterfowl and shorebirds. Keep an eye out for cormorants, pintails, snowy and great egrets, black-necked stilts, and more.

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20.4 km

Sunnyvale East Channel

Highlight • River

Bikers on the SF Bay Trail can enjoy great views of the Sunnyvale East Channel, part of the extensive drainage and flood control network in the South Bay Area. The channel manages stormwater runoff and prevents flooding in nearby urban areas, draining into the San Francisco Bay. The trail is a peaceful spot to appreciate both nature and regional water management efforts.

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21.0 km

Guadalupe Slough

Highlight (Segment) • River

Pleasant wide gravel trail along the water. Keep an eye out for goathead thorns that can puncture most tires. Ideally use tires/tubes filled with sealant liquid. Carry repair kit and pump.

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