We are located at 12250 Alba Road in Ben Lomond, CA, in the mountains between Santa Cruz and San Jose.
Approximate Driving Times:
- 15 minutes from Scotts Valley or Davenport
- 20 minutes from Santa Cruz
- 45 minutes from San Jose
- 60 minutes from Monterey / Carmel
- 90 minutes from San Francisco
If you have any questions about directions before you leave or en route, just give us a call at (831) 272-ALBA (2522). You’ll find good cell coverage on most networks in Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, Felton, Ben Lomond, and Boulder Creek. There’s no cell coverage on Hwy 1 between Half Moon Bay and Davenport, but there’s only one road so how lost can you get? ;>
From Santa Cruz (east side) / Soquel / Aptos / Capitola / Watsonville / Monterey / Carmel:
Take Highway 1 north to Santa Cruz. Exit onto Highway 9 north towards Boulder Creek. After you pass through Ben Lomond (about 9 miles), past the Tyrolean Inn (on right), past Quality Suites hotel (on left), past “Quaker Center” / Hubbard Gulch Road (on left), turn left onto Alba Road. We are 2 miles up Alba from Hwy 9, second right after the little red Alba Schoolhouse.
From Santa Cruz (west side) / UCSC campus:
From west side Santa Cruz, take High Street, Bay Street, or Western Avenue uphill to Empire Grade. From the UCSC campus, exit the campus from the west gate or main gate and turn right onto Empire Grade. Continue north/uphill on Empire Grade about 12 miles. Look for Alba Road on your right. We are 2 miles down Alba from Empire Grade, on your left after the white fence at the orchard.
From Davenport / Pescadero / Half Moon Bay / San Francisco via Pacifica:
Take Highway 1 south through Davenport. About half a mile south of Davenport, turn left onto Bonny Doon Road. When Bonny Doon / Pine Flat Road ends at Empire Grade, turn left onto Empire Grade. After about 1 mile, turn right onto Alba Road. We are 2 miles down Alba from Empire Grade, on your left after the white fence at the orchard.
From Saratoga / Los Gatos / San Jose / San Francisco Bay Area:
Take I-880 / Hwy 17 south to Scotts Valley. Exit onto Mt Herman Road at Scotts Valley, turn right onto Mount Herman Road. Stay on Mt Herman Road through Scotts Valley to Felton. In Felton, turn right onto Graham Hill Road, then right onto Highway 9 towards Ben Lomond/Boulder Creek. After you pass through Ben Lomond (Ben Lomond Market, Ben Lomond Fire Station, etc), past the Tyrolean Inn (on right), past Quality Suites hotel (on left), past “Quaker Center” / Hubbard Gulch Road, turn left onto Alba Road. We are 2 miles up Alba from Hwy 9, second right after the little red Alba Schoolhouse.
Alba Road vs Hubbard Gulch
When looking for your left turn onto Alba Road from Hwy 9 just after passing through Ben Lomond, pay close attention to the street signs. There is a Hubbard Gulch Road on your left (“Quaker Center”) just a few yards before you reach Alba Road. You don’t want Hubbard Gulch. Look for the blue circular “Evacuation Route” sign on the Alba Road street sign. If after making your left turn off of Hwy 9 you notice your road has no center stripe, you’re on Hubbard Gulch Road. Alba Road has a double yellow center line with reflector dots all the way up. Hubbard Gulch Road does not.
Traffic Advisory
Warm sunny weekends bring out the beach lovers, and with them comes the beach traffic. Expect heavier traffic and congestion in the late morning (10am-noon) on Hwy 17 south from Los Gatos to Santa Cruz. The going home surge on Hwy 17 north is typically 5-7pm. Beach traffic on Hwy 17 usually flows smoothly unless there is an accident.
GPS Advisory
When traveling from the SF Bay area using GPS calculated routes, note that some GPS systems (including Google Maps, sometimes) will route you through Saratoga and Boulder Creek on Highway 35 / Highway 9, or through Los Gatos and Boulder Creek on Bear Creek Road. These roads are in good repair and are beautiful scenic routes, but are lower speed (35mph tops) and very curvy. If you’re not in the mood for a leisurely road trip through the mountains, tell your GPS who’s boss and take the I-880/Hwy 17 route through Scotts Valley. It’s a faster, easier drive for most people, but not as much to look at. You’ll also have cell coverage for most of Hwy 17. You’ll have no cell coverage for most of the route on Hwy 35, Hwy 9, or Bear Creek Road.
Winter Weather Advisories
We are located at about 1600 feet above sea level in a dense redwood and hardwood forest. Winter storms occasionally “bless” us with a few inches of snow or pull down a tree across the road. Once or twice a year this can close one of the routes to reach us for a few hours. When a storm is raging or recently passed, please check this web site or give us a call to confirm that the roads are open or to get directions for an alternate route. We’ll be open regardless of weather. We live here!
