El Toro

El Toro (Spanish for "The Bull") is a prominent hill located along the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains in southwest Santa Clara County, California. The iconic landmark is partially owned by the city of Morgan Hill, and its silhouette is incorporated in the city logo. History According to local legend, 19th century American poet Bret Harte named the hill when he climbed it and discovered two bulls fighting near the summit (they subsequently chased him back down). Hiking Although a portion of the hill is on public land, access to the summit is through privately owned surrounding lands. Since 2008, the Morgan Hill Historical Society had sponsored annual spring hikes up to the summit. However, due to increased contention over property rights, no public hikes to the summit have been permitted since 2011.