Los Altos Hills' New Anza Trail Was Drawn by a 1971 Tract Map
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
"...approve the local designation of the Juan Bautista de Anza Historic Trail, utilize as few wooden signs as necessary to identify the route, and identify the trail only on the Town's pathways map without pursuing broader promotion."
That was Mayor Bhateja's motion on August 20, 2026. It passed 4-0. Vice Mayor Swan and Council Members Mok and Tyson joined him, and Council Member Tankha was absent. Most places marking 250 years since the Anza expedition are trying to draw visitors. Los Altos Hills put the anniversary on its own pathways map and stopped there. The route itself came out of a different question. The Council wasn't asking where Anza walked in 1776. It was asking where the Town holds pathway easements in 2026.
The Pathways Committee's preferred route, called Option 1, used major roads and the roadside pathways along them: Moody, Purissima and Arastradero Roads. It was assessed between the Rhus Ridge Trailhead and the Pearson-Arastradero Preserve area. Committee chair Nick Erndt presented it at the May 14 Council meeting as the flatter of two choices. The other choice, Option 2, focused on regional connections through preserves, and much of it ran outside town limits. On June 18 the Council voted unanimously for Option 1.
Then residents started asking about easements. Staff checked and found that Rhus Ridge Road is a private road. Tract Map No. 4169 shows that when the tract was approved in 1971, the Town did not accept the equestrian easements offered along it. Staff dropped Rhus Ridge Road from the designation. The revised route starts where Rhus Ridge Road meets Moody Road and runs west along Moody Road to the town boundary. It uses existing pathways, easements and public rights-of-way. Past the boundary, the staff report says, the route "could continue along County roads toward Hidden Villa." In the staff report's own words, the revised map shows "the portion of the historic route that can be locally designated based on the currently known pathway easements and public rights-of-way."
For anyone who walks the pathways, that sentence is the key one. The designation follows where the Town can legally route people. The staff report describes the 1775–1776 expedition in general terms, as the first overland route from present-day Mexico to Alta California and the trip that led to the founding of the Presidio of San Francisco and Mission San Francisco de Asís. It does not claim that any particular road in town is the 1776 track.
The revised map, dated August 17, labels a Stanford section, Town Hall, Purissima Road, O'Keefe, Byrne, Robleda Road, Elena Road, Foothill College, Hidden Villa, the Rhus Ridge Trailhead and the town limit. Before the hearing, a commenter asked whether the stretch from the Rhus Ridge Trailhead to Moody Road meant a steep horse path. Associate Engineer Astha Khanal answered that the local designation would not extend to Bassett Lane or Summit Wood Road.
If the Council approved the designation, staff planned 25 to 30 new identification signs, one at each entry point. Town maintenance crews would build and install them, partly on overtime, for up to $25,000 in labor and materials. The Council cut that back to as few signs as necessary.
The minutes explain why. Several Council members and members of the public worried that regional or national promotion could bring more visitors onto Town pathways who don't know the system, along with privacy, parking, traffic, maintenance and neighborhood impacts. A resident asked for a local-only designation and raised parking pressure at the Rancho San Antonio Rhus Ridge trailhead. Some public commenters proposed small markers or badges on existing pathway posts in place of full trail signs. The mayor asked that any signs match the Town's existing pathway signage.
The process took almost two years:
As of early October, no Town record we reviewed confirms that the revised pathways map has been published or that any markers are up. Watch for a few modest additions to the pathway posts along Moody Road, not a trailhead kiosk.
The second history project this season sits beside Town Hall at 26379 Fremont Road. The Heritage House is about 1,100 square feet. It was built in Los Altos, not Los Altos Hills. It started as a one-story, two-bedroom bungalow on Second Street downtown, built by Billy Eschenbruecher, who ran the local hardware store and was postmaster. His wife Lillian later became postmistress, and their son Roy ran the store. The Ruble family lived there later. In 1944 a shell from the firing range at the nearby Page Mill Army Camp hit the roof and damaged the kitchen.
When redevelopment threatened the house, Abigail Ahrens proposed moving it to Los Altos Hills and offered to pay for the move. Local history supporters raised money for a new roof, foundation and electrical system. It arrived on the Town Hall campus in 1985. Since then it has housed Town staff, committees and the Sheriff, and more recently the History and Emergency Preparedness committees. The Town's records give 1909 as the construction year. A 2026 Town Crier story says 1908.
The restoration took a long time. Smelly Mel's Plumbing won the construction contract at $685,650 after five bids came in. The final construction estimate came in about $270,000 over the existing budget, and the Council approved more funding. A $400,000 Community Development Block Grant helped pay for the accessibility work: a compliant restroom with a shower, an accessible coffee bar and an exterior ramp. That work was finished by March 2025. Punch-list work was still going in May 2026.
The ribbon-cutting on August 19 coincided with the town's 70th anniversary. History Committee Co-Chair Bernardo Ferrari brought his grandfather's photographs of Los Altos Hills from the past century. According to the Town Crier, the house will host committee meetings, historical education, social events and community engagement. The Town hasn't posted regular visiting hours or a reservation process.
The two projects work the same way. The Heritage House is a Los Altos bungalow that Los Altos Hills adopted. The Anza route is a commemorative line drawn along the pathways the Town controls. In both cases the Town honors history on its own property, at a scale its residents will use.
The documented 1776 campsites are outside town. Local historians place Anza's exploring party on Stevens Creek on March 25, 1776. Father Pedro Font named the spot Arroyo de San Joseph Cupertino. Heading north, the party crossed San Francisquito Creek into what is now San Mateo County. El Palo Alto, the redwood beside that creek, is linked to Font's survey work. The March 26 camp was near present-day Heritage Park in Burlingame.
That leaves the expedition passing through the area between those two creeks, with the exact line across today's Los Altos Hills unresolved. The Town has also asked for a newer kind of local record. Its July 27–31 weekly newsletter invited anyone who took part in the 1976 De Anza Trek reenactment to share memories and photos.
The History Committee's talk is the next chance to hear the 1776 story told locally. Town Hall has two more events the following weekend.
The Anza talk is in Council Chambers, a few steps from the Heritage House it shares the campus with.
In Los Altos Hills, a 1971 decision about whether to accept an easement can still decide where a trail goes in 2026. If you're weighing what the pathway network, private-road easements or a nearby designation mean for a particular property, Bob Kamangar can go through the tract maps and recorded easements with you before they become an issue. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
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