henry w. coe state park

Down Morgan Hill way is a hidden gem that those of us commuting to work on over crowded freeways, or feeling a little claustrophobic hemmed in by neighbors or just trying to find a parking place within 3 miles of the new 49'ers Levi stadium should all take a Saturday or Sunday off and discover 87,000 thousand acres of peace and beauty right here in Silicon Valley. Take the Dunne Avenue exit off of 101 in Morgan Hill and drive 13 miles East to a magical, wilderness where iPhones don't work and Ajax is still a cleaning powder. There are miles and miles of trails from easy 1-2 mile strolls to multiple day wilderness camping expedition trails. Learn the history of the Coe Family who homesteaded where the visitor's center is located (The original ranch house is still there!) and Sada Coe Robinson, who made this park possible by donating the ranch to Santa Clara County, who later turned it over to the state to manage. Also plan to visit the Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs, located on the Park Grounds during one of the Docent Guided tours of what was at one time a 150 person Grand Hotel where people came to "Take in the waters" and later served as a refuge for Japanese Americans to try to rebuild their lives after the WWII Japanese internment.The very fact that Henry Coe Park exists as a pristine wilderness in Santa Clara County is a true miracle. Forget the crowds at Yosemite and $45.00 lunches at the Ahwahnee Hotel (Yes, they are great) and get back to real nature, right here in our own backyard. For more information to help you plan a visit to the park and/or the Hot Springs, please go here:http://coepark.net/pineridgeassociation/ And, if you loved your experience, please join the Pine Ridge Association to get on the park mailing list and help save this jewel for our children and their children forever.

This park was started with the cattle ranch developed by Henry Coe in the 1800's. Much land has been added and this is now one of the larger state parks. It consists of rolling hills in a fairly arid area, There are several hiking trails and a few inholdings. Creeks, usually dry, flow after rains. There are some campsites. It is for those who prefer very uncrowned wilderness explored on foot.The main entry is reached by following E. Dunne Avenue in Morgan Hill (it has an exit on the US 101 freeway) to its eastern end, which is just inside the park. There one will find Henry Coe's old home (which is used for meetings), a fairly modern building with restrooms, a small gift shop, and a small visitor center. A campground is located nearby. There are some short trails starting at this road head, good for a variety of day hikes, especially in the spring. Exploring the back country will require backpacking. There are at least two other road heads into the park, and I believe at least one of them allows horses. This park does not have spectacular scenery, but it can be quite pleasant and is definitely not urban even though it is close to an urban area.

Fun place to visit and hike. Just take plenty of water and watch out for the snakes. Had a great time.

I stopped to see what or who it was named after only to find what should be a county park named after the family that donated the land. No historical significance, nothing really to see (it is in the hills and the scenery is nice, but you can see this without paying to get into a state park).

I spent an enjoyable day hiking. The weather was warm but a breeze kept things bearable. I loved the golden, rolling hills dotted with huge old oak trees. From the park headquarters you can see forever!

We're day hikers, not backpackers, so we could only go so far into the park, but what we saw on our first day, a 6-mile loop from the main entrance to Frog Lake and Middle Ridge, was beautiful - wildflowers, birds, mountain vistas, and not at all crowded. The second day we hiked along Hunting Hollow Road, which was pleasant but nothing special. We saw some people riding horses, and I think for that purpose Hunting Hollow Road would be just about perfect. However, we were there in late May, and it was already very hot. I would think the park would be more enjoyable for casual day hiking earlier in the spring, or during a dry spell after the first rains in the fall.

If you like hiking or bike riding this is the place to visit. Mountain fresh air far away from the crowds. Try it you will like it!

Well mapped trails in a high meadow overlooking the entire valley floor. Moderate to difficult hikes with caves, lakes and nature surrounding you.

I live close to Henry Coe so it's pretty easy to get to. It has miles and miles of trails. Most can be challenging to say the least....but there are 'easy' trails in Henry Coe too: out of the HQ area and Hunting Hollow. I take my mountain bike into Coe all the time so I can get further in. I pretty much walk the bike up the hills....and have a blast coming down. I've seen coyotes, golden and bald eagles, horned toads, bobcats, tarantulas, countless birds, and even the dreaded rattlesnake!! It's all luck of the draw as to what you'll see. But one thing for sure is you'll have excellent views all around. Just make sure you bring lots of water and snacks. At dry times of the year many of the springs dry up and so if you don't bring water with you you could be in trouble. They now have some big water tanks available: at Manzanita Point and at the top of Poverty Flat Road. They replace the water every couple weeks so it's nice and fresh....and even COLD. Very welcome on a hot day. I'm hoping that they'll put one of these further out to extend my range!Henry Coe is an awesome park and it has something for everyone.

Worth the drive up the hill. When the air is clear there are amazing views of the valleys, and sometimes you can see beyond. It is rarely crowded in this park and it is a terrific hike.

fantastic hiking park. Lots of different trails and great wildlife. There are bathroom facilites and they also offer camping.

Yes, ChirsandJess2006, the outdoors is windy, dusty, hard to reach and there even may be certain regulations to keep it safe from wildfires... We loved Henry Coe! Very helpful and friendly volunteers at the visitor center. Beautiful trails, that are obviously maintained well. A lot of wildlife including deer and turkeys passing by our campsite and coyotes howling during the night. We had a backcountry campsite for 2 nights near Frog Lake. (With an outhouse = vault toilet; very luxurious in our opinion.) It was really hot, so we were happy that it was only 75 minutes walking from our car. On our whole day there we hiked Frog Lake Trail - Middle Ridge Trail - Fish Trail - Corral Trail (stayed out of the sun and the heat at the visitor center for quite a while) - Monument Trail - Hobbs Road. 6.3 miles, total elevation gain/loss appr. 1600 feet. Beautiful, not difficult, just hot on that day. Take plenty of water. Watch out for poison oak.When you are new to the park come on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, as the visitor center is open only then.

I just completed this hike on 03/26/2013 which was a Tuesday; I encountered only 5 people on the trail all 7 hours of the hike. If you like difficult hikes this is the one you must do because of the famous "Short Cut" trail. The grade on this trail really is 21% percent for 1.4 miles. Throw in the distance, no water on the trail, the lack of shade, and the heat, you will find out real quick why this hike is so difficult. It is important to have Gatorade because you will sweat quite a bit from going up hills. There is a real sense of accomplishment if you do make the entire Mt. Sizer Loop.Good luck...you will need it!!!

Henry Coe is a very versatile and wonderful state park offering all kinds of activities from hiking, to mountain biking to horseback riding. There are several entrances to the park and you quickly feel embraced by nature leaving the hectic Silicon Valley Life behind you. Check out the website:www.coepark.org. They also have an annual backcountry weekend the last weekend in April where you can apply to drive by car into the wilderness and there is also a volunteer program people can sign up for. It's worth it!

We went a couple years ago after a wet winter and the scenery was great. Lots of rolling hills covered in a vibrant green. Lots of nice ridge tops with live oaks and open meadows. We saw lots of large grasshoppers too. The park is huge and we only saw a small bit, but what we saw was nice. I suspect the park would be unpleasantly hot and brown in the summer so plan on going after lots of rain. The drive from Morgan Hill is not so short, and is curvy but scenic.