The creek takes its name from the land grant Rancho Rinconada de Los Gatos, the “corner of the cats,” named for the cougars and bobcats of the mountains above. It rises near Loma Prieta, passes through Lexington Reservoir, the town of Los Gatos and Campbell, and meets the Guadalupe River in downtown San Jose.
In 1866 a great flood cut the creek a new channel west of Willow Glen, leaving its old bed behind as the “Dry Creek.” Today the Los Gatos Creek Trail, part of San Jose’s trail network, follows much of its course.