Standup Paddle Boarding (SUP) on Lexington Reservoir

There is shockingly little information about SUPing on Lexington Reservoir in Los Gatos. I figured it out the hard way and here is everything you need to know.

For starters, yes you can SUP at Lexington Reservoir County Park.

There are 2-3 fees you’ll need to pay when you arrive and all can be paid online ahead of time or in person by credit card using the machine. Apple Pay and cash are not supported so bring a physical card if you don’t pay online.

Fees for Standup Paddle Boarding (SUP) at Lexington Reservoir
SUP fees at Lexington Reservoir County Park

First, you pay for your parking for the day ($5) or for the year with an annual pass. You put that receipt on your dashboard for the rangers to see.

Next, you pay a “launch fee” to put your SUP in the water for the day ($3) or for the year with an annual pass. You show that to the rangers when you walk by on your way down to the launch.

Lastly, if it’s your first time visiting or if your SUP was in a different body of water last, you pay for a “vessel inspection” ($2) which is pretty quick. You pay the fee and walk over to the ranger trailer, show them your receipt, and they take a look and then tag your SUP with a little bracelet sticker.

Those are the only three fees.

You have to pay for each fee individually, so your credit card will have three back to back small transactions from the same machine within a few minutes of each other. We saw other visitors have the third transaction declined by their bank and they needed to use another card, but that didn’t happen to us.

SUP Vessel Registration

The last thing you’ll need to deal with is a one pager Vessel Registration of sorts. They’ll hand you a clipboard, you write down information like who you are, what car you’re in, what color and model the SUP is, etc, and they keep that on file. And it’s good for the rest of the calendar year.

You can also complete the Vessel Registration Declaration Form online ahead of time and bring it with you.

Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs)

Kids under 13 are required to wear PFDs (life vests) and adults are recommended to have/wear them.

We already had adult PFDs and picked some up kid size PFDs at Bass Pro Shops.

Parking, Restrooms, and Boat Launch

There is plenty of parking and at Lexington Reservoir County Park are a bunch of portapotties in the parking lot.

To get there, you either come down from Summit Road, or exit from Highway 17 (Northbound only). The address for the parking lot is 17770 Alma Bridge Rd.

You can carry your board down the ramp into the water or you can back your vehicle down the ramp and launch that way.

We just carried down and it was fine.

Where to SUP on Lexington Reservoir?

Once you’re on the water, the reservoir has a delightful perimeter to explore.

The shoreline meaders around and to all kinds of little outlets and coves. It’s super peaceful and quiet on the water with so many different kinds of birds to see everywhere you go.

Depending on when during the year you go, the permititer and outlets vary, but when we’ve gone mid-summer, it’s barely 3km around. I’m guessing in the winter it may be closer to 5km.

Be mindful that the winds do shift out on the reservoir, and you may find some waves and strong headwinds while you’re out. That classically happens when you’ve reached the far end of the reservoir and want to head back and have headwinds for the entire return!

Once you’re out on the water, be mindful that “swimming is prohibited”. If you fall off, obviously that’s okay, you get back on your SUP. But they prohibit swimming so there are no lifeguards or patrols or anything like that. That being said, we saw plenty of families off their SUPs swimming around. Some areas near shallow water with lots of birds have less water flow and in turn pretty gross water, so you wouldn’t want to “fall in” there.

Lexington Reservoir SUP Frequently Asked Questions

What does it cost to park at Lexington Reservoir?

Parking is $5 for the day. You can also buy an annual pass.

Where do you park to SUP at Lexington Reservoir?

You’ll park at the county park lot, 17770 Alma Bridge Rd, accessible from highway 17 (Northbound) or Summit Rd.

Are there bathrooms?

The parking lot has porta potties and the little foot pump powered wash stations, but there is not running water or anything like that.

Do I need a California Boater Card?

No, SUPs do not require a California Boater Card. Those were required starting in 2025, but only for motorized vessels.

Do I need to register my SUP with the DMV? Or present a current Vessel Registration?

Contrary to what the county website will lead you to believe, no, you don’t need to register your SUP with the DMV. The “M” in DMV is for Motor and your SUP does not have a motor.
Instead, you’ll show your driver’s license and put down information about the registered vehicle you arrived in, i.e. your car.

Do I need a current Mussel Sticker?

Contrary to what the county website says, no, you don’t need to purchase a Mussel Sticker from the state. You do need to have your SUP inspected by the rangers and you’ll get a tag for your SUP, but that’s different.

Does my SUP require a vessel inspection?

Yes, you’ll need to have the ranger inspect your SUP and you’ll pay a small fee ahead of time for that. They take a quick look and put a tag on your SUP to show it was inspected at Lexington Reservoir. The next time you SUP at Lexington, so long as you haven’t been anywhere else in between, it should still be valid and shouldn’t need another inspection or fee.
If you do SUP somewhere else in between, they’ll inspect at that location, remove the Lexington tag, and put their own tag on. Then you’ll need another inspection at Lexington.

Can you swim off your SUP in Lexington Reservoir?

Technically “swimming is prohibited” in Lexington Reservoir, but falling in is understandable and you can get back on your SUP. But… we saw plenty of folks off their boards enjoying the water.

Can you rent SUPs at Lexington?

Vessels are not available to available to rent at Lexington. If you’re looking to rent, you can do that at Vasona Lake County Park in Los Gatos or at Stevens Creek County Park in Cupertino. You’ll find minimum age restrictions for rentals, though.

Enjoy your time out on the water. There are plenty of SUPs out there and it’s a ton of fun for the whole family!

Bike Riding in San Miguel de Allende

As a roadie looking for road cycling options while in Mexico, I kept coming up short when looking what was out my front door in San Miguel de Allende.

From everyone I spoke with and what I’ve seen, road biking only happens on highways – some of which are designated as bike highways – and mostly only ever in groups for safety.

Trucks tend to drive half way in the shoulder so cars can pass them halfway over the center line. This means the already cruddy shoulder you might mistake for a bike lane will be shared with trucks.

Even in checking Strava segments and routes, there simply isn’t anything for road cycling in the city.

“Why?!” you may wonder? Well. San Miguel is mostly all cobblestone roads and hills and is a rough ride even by car. Anyone riding in town is typically on a mountain, gravel, or fat bike, and even then is typically heading out of town vs around town.

That being said, outside of town there are some good segments, and there’s even a local road race every year.

Bike Rentals and Tours in San Miguel de Allende

If you’re just here a short while or didn’t bring a bike, heading out on an organized bike tour in town is a great option.

Beto (Alberto) of Bici Burro runs a number of great local bike tours that include transportation from his local shop to various trail heads, mountain bikes, helmets, gloves, water, and wonderful local history.

Mountain bike riding out of San Miguel de Allende from La Gruta and into the desert.

His father open Bici Burro as the first bicycle shop in San Miguel and Beto was literally born behind the bike shop.

Of course if you’re looking to buy a bike, need a great mechanic, or just want to pickup parts, his shop has every you need for that, too.

I’ve enjoyed heading out with Beto on a few rides and have met some other like minded cyclists visiting or relocating to SMA.

Bike Riding Routes Near San Miguel de Allende

If you have your bike and a car, there are actually some pretty great options near SMA.

Querétaro – the biggest city just southeast of San Miguel – has a ton of great cycling.

South of SMA is an incredible volcano – Cerro El Picacho – with a few great climbing options.

Riding down to and through Comonfort is another common route.

Running in San Miguel de Allende

Before coming down to San Miguel de Allende, I poured over local Strava segments, looked for local running stores, and tried to find local run groups, all to no avail.

The best information I could find was “some people run in Parque Juarez because it’s flatish” and “there’s a nice track a few miles outside of town.”

I was nervous about running on cobblestone hills, but quickly discovered that it’s not as bad as it sounds and, for early morning runs, the streets and sidewalks are pretty empty.

There are a fair amount of other runners out in the mornings before 9am (San Miguel is a sleepy town where nothing is really open until after 9 anyway. Even coffee shops don’t really open until – get this – 8:30 or later!)

One of my favorite segments is the stairs of Callejeron del Chorro that go up from Parque Juarez to Salida Real a Querétaro. On Strava there is even a segment up the stairs called Jesus Nazareno Climb!

The stairs of Callejeron del Chorro in San Miguel de Allende.

My first time exploring that area I ran down those steps and all the other runners were going up. Now I only run up it. Heading north on Salida Real a Querétaro, you’ll even come to a gorgeous city overlook vista.

Views of San Miguel de Allende from running along Salida Real a Querétaro

Heading west from Centro, you can climb Correo / Santo Domingo all the way to the Botanical Gardens, Charco del Ingenio. It’s a great climb and a good Strava segment aptly named Sto Domingo Climb is at the base.

The best time of day to run in SMA still seems to be the morning – especially in summer when it’s often rainy in the afternoon. Cobblestones on hills in the rain are NOT good for running.

Running Groups in San Miguel de Allende

When looking for local SMA running groups, I tried Meetup, Trip Advisor, and even asking locals, but it doesn’t seem like there are many organized groups that go out.

All the runners I saw out and about seemed to be solo.

Yukon River by Canoe: Route, Outfitters, Planning, Logistics, and More!

We just returned from an incredible 8 days and 304km on the Yukon River leaving out of Whitehorse and finishing up in Carmacks.

It was an incredible journey through the Yukon that included wildlife, sunsets after 10pm, Northern Lights, sinking a canoe in whitecaps, exploring marooned riverboats, discovering abandoned woodcutting camps, finding old gold dredger parts, and amazing food. Continue reading “Yukon River by Canoe: Route, Outfitters, Planning, Logistics, and More!”

Hiking Volcan Cerro de Oro, Lake Atitlan, Guatamala

On the northern foot of Volcán Tolimán is a lesser climbed lava dome, Cerro de Oro (“Hill of Gold”). The hike and summit provide gorgeous views of Lago Atitlan, Volcán Tolimán, Volcán San Pedro, and Volcán Atitlán.

And… we discovered a Mayan ceremonial site along the way, and some ancient Mayan stone statues at the summit.

The most popular volcano to climb is San Pedro, but that requires a good 5am departure and a full day to climb. Atitlan and Toliman are even more difficult to get to, require more logistics, and take a full day plus to climb. Continue reading “Hiking Volcan Cerro de Oro, Lake Atitlan, Guatamala”

Hiking Camelback in Phoenix

Summit of Camelback at InfusionCon 2011
Summit of Camelback at InfusionCon 2011

Last year at InfusionCon, Jon Goldman asked if I wanted to climb Camelback the next morning in time to catch the sun rise from the head.

I blurted out YES before he could finish giving me the details and the next morning we found ourselves heading out of the resort around 5am.

This year at InfusionCon, a group of us planned a Sunset climb up to the hump of the camel and got together quite a group for what proved to be a challenging, fun and gorgeous ascent. Continue reading “Hiking Camelback in Phoenix”

Disney’s Secret Vegan Friendly Menu

Vegan Popcorn in Disney
Jeremy Shapiro Enjoying Vegan Popcorn in Disney World's Magic Kingdom!

Disneyland and Disney World have tons of food to keep the whole family happy, but I recently discovered they also have food to keep us vegan folk fat, happy, fed and loving Disney.

What follows are far from healthy options, but they are vegan options. On second thought, Disney doesn’t have much for healthy food, no matter what you eat.

Any place that serves food also has a small binder with all ingredients, allergen warnings and more. Even the popcorn cart has a binder and YES the popcorn IS vegan! (win!) Continue reading “Disney’s Secret Vegan Friendly Menu”

Oktoberfest 2010 – The Best Birthday Layover Ever

Enjoying a Beer at Oktoberfest 2010
Enjoying a Beer at the 200th Annual Oktoberfest

6 years ago for my birthday, Emily and I visited our good friend Charles in München for Oktoberfest. It was a ton of fun with beer to be had, arms to be linked and songs to be sung.

This year, en route to my birthday trip to Italy, we planned our layover to be in München, where we once again met up with Charles.

After meeting us at baggage claim with a Lebkuchen for Emily and a Glückskäfer with chocolate for me, Charles informed us that there was a 40 minute express train to Oktoberfest from the airport and we’d have just enough time to leave the airport, enjoy a beer or two and get back in time for our flight to Pisa. Continue reading “Oktoberfest 2010 – The Best Birthday Layover Ever”

Festa dell’Uva in Impruneta: The Annual Grape Festival

Float with a huge bottle of Chainti
A gigantic bottle of Chianti on a float

Every year since 1926, Impruneta, a small town in the heart of the Chianti area of Tuscany, has it’s annual “Festa dell’Uva” or “Grape Festival” which I can only think to compare to the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.

Before our trip, I poked around online to find out about any events that would be going on during our visit and found a random site that listed the festival, which from the looks of it seemed like just a fun thing to do on a Sunday. I envisioned something like an Italian farmer’s market, with perhaps a heavy focus on grapes. Boy was I in for a surprise…

As we followed a rural side road off of already rural SR 222, we noticed that the sides of the narrow back country twisty road were starting to fill with parked cars. There were no signs for any event, or any indication of what was up ahead.

After we found parking, scaled a grassy hill and took a foot path into town, we hopped a fence and found ourselves smack dab in the middle of the event. Continue reading “Festa dell’Uva in Impruneta: The Annual Grape Festival”

NavDroyd for Android Review

Driving Directions on NavDroyd

After reviewing a bunch of options for “offline” GPS use on my Android phone, I settled on NavDroyd, a paid, albeit powerful looking application that didn’t need to be online for anything.

Using just the built-in GPS and offline Open Street Map data that you download and update from their servers for free from within the app, you can do all the normal GPS functions like look for points of interest, get driving directions, have it read out turn by turn directions while showing you on the map, etc…

There wasn’t a good way to test how it would work in Italy, so I downloaded all the maps and data for Italy (under 100MB in their compressed form), played around, simulated drives, and got comfortable with the interface.

Continue reading “NavDroyd for Android Review”