Los Gatos Driving School

Driving in Los Gatos: What New Drivers Should Know

Highway 17 splits the town in two, and Highway 85 roughly marks its northern edge. The town sits in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Highway 9 runs through downtown and ends at 17. East of 17, a multilane boulevard is more suburban than downtown. Summer beach traffic backs up Highway 17. To avoid the jam, map apps send drivers onto local streets.

• Highway 17 and the South Santa Cruz Avenue exit

  Northbound, a left exit becomes South Santa Cruz Avenue and leads downtown. The freeway ends just south of it. Beyond it, 17 winds into the Santa Cruz Mountains with sharp turns and blind curves. The stretch to Scotts Valley is a designated safety corridor.

• Highway 17 and Highway 85 interchange

  This three-level interchange keeps 17 at ground level with the other levels below it. Southbound 17 to southbound 85 runs through a tunnel. Northbound 17 to northbound 85 uses a loop ramp. North of the interchange, 17 widens to six lanes.

• Highway 9 through downtown

  Highway 9 narrows to two lanes as it enters Monte Sereno. It runs four lanes for about four blocks through downtown and ends at Highway 17. Its bike lanes connect by ramp to the Los Gatos Creek Trail, which passes under the highway.

• Los Gatos Boulevard and Lark Avenue

  The town classifies the boulevard as an arterial, typically two or more lanes each way. Shopping centers cluster at its major intersections. Lark Avenue leads to a Highway 17 interchange at the north end of town. The northbound on-ramp at Lark cannot reach Highway 85.

• College Avenue

  The town lists College Avenue, between Main Street and Prospect Avenue, as a hillside collector street. Grade and terrain set the shape of these streets. They generally have two lanes, with a sidewalk along one side or none.

The 17 and 85 interchange is good practice for freeway merging and lane changes. The South Santa Cruz Avenue left exit tests early lane choice. Enter a Highway 9 bike lane only when safe, and no more than 200 feet before a right turn. College Avenue is hill practice.