then plummets down shadier slopes. The lake itself remains hidden from view until the very end, when the trail deposits you on the dam enclosing the northern shore. Steep and brushy slopes make accessing the lake difficult; try the area above the lake’s south end.
Continuing on to Coit Lake, the route bears left at the northern end of the dam and then turns right on wide Coit Rd. by an outhouse (5.9/1,880'). Coit Rd. climbs through a lush environment of oaks, bay trees, and buckeye and then traverses across more open chaparral slopes. You crest Willow Ridge between Kelly and Coit Lakes at a four-way junction with Willow Ridge Rd. (6.7/2,240'). From this point, you can look east across land singed by the 2007 Lick Fire. Continue straight on Coit Rd. as it descends to Coit Lake’s reedy southern shore (7.0/2,080').
After savoring Coit Lake, retrace your steps back to Kelly Lake Trail and its junction with Wasno Rd. (9.1/2,420'). Bear left on Wasno Rd. and then quickly turn right on Dexter Trail (9.3/2,420'), which descends through open blue oak woodlands and then drops steeply to reach the unsigned junction with Grizzly Gulch Trail (9.9/1,940'). Turn right on Grizzly Gulch Trail, traversing a moist creek gully and contouring across shady slopes to pass Rock Tower Trail on the right (10.9/1,740').
From here, Grizzly Gulch Trail descends above a narrow creek gully, where the moist environment nourishes lush valley oak, buckeye, and madrone. As you approach the canyon bottom, you pass the junction for indistinct Cullen Trail on the right (11.4/1,270'). After crossing Grizzly Gulch Creek, the trail ascends and contours the slopes, passing Spike Jones Trail on the left (12.1/1,060') and returning to Coit Rd. (12.3/960'). Turn left to return to the trailhead (12.4/940').
Contemplate Coe.
Nearest Visitor Center A self-service station at Hunting Hollow Trailhead is occasionally staffed on weekends. The main visitor center, 408-779-2728, is located at the park entrance at the end of East Dunne Ave. in Morgan Hill, a long drive from this trailhead. It is open Friday–Sunday 8 a.m.–4 p.m. year-round, with later hours during busy periods in spring and summer, and is open sporadically Monday–Thursday.
Backpacking Information A backcountry permit is required and can be obtained at the Hunting Hollow Trailhead. There is a permit fee of $5 per person per night and a parking fee of $8 per vehicle per night. Camping is prohibited within a half mile of the trailhead but is permitted everywhere else along this hike. Campfires are prohibited. A few established sites and outhouses can be found around Coit and Kelly Lakes. The park recommends leaving your vehicle at Hunting Hollow Trailhead; vandalism and theft have been reported at Coyote Creek.
Nearest Campground Coyote Lake–Harvey Bear Ranch County Park (73 sites, $24) is 5 miles from the trailhead on Gilroy Hot Springs Rd.; call 408-355-4201 for reservations or visit parkhere.org.
Additional Information www.parks.ca.gov, coepark.net
HIKE 10 Coyote Creek
Highlights Deep canyons and oak woodlands in Northern California’s largest state park
Distance 12.1 miles
Total Elevation Gain/Loss 2,500'/2,500'
Hiking Time 6–10 hours
Agency Henry W. Coe State Park
Recommended Maps Henry W. Coe State Park Trail and Camping Map by Pine Ridge Association, USGS 7.5-min. Mount Sizer, Mississippi Creek
Best Times February–May
Difficulty
HERE ARE GENTLE RIDGETOPS, steep canyons, gurgling creeks, 700 different plants, 137 species of birds, a radiant profusion of spring wildflowers, and immortal words etched on the monument to Henry W. Coe—“May these quiet hills bring peace to the souls of those who are seeking.”
The largest state park in Northern California, Henry W. Coe State Park encompasses 85,000 acres (more than 130 square miles) and protects a diversity of plant and animal life, including coyotes, bobcats, foxes, black-tailed deer, feral pigs, mountain lions, and abundant birdlife. Complete checklists are available at the visitor center.
In September 2007, a large wildfire scorched 40,000 acres within Henry Coe, including most of the park’s eastern half. Known as the Lick Fire, the conflagration reached the northern edge of this hike; evidence of the blaze is readily apparent today in several spots. The damage was not cataclysmic—most of the park’s oak trees survived the blaze—but trails and large swaths of the landscape were significantly affected in the burned areas. Wildfires are a natural part of the park’s ecosystem, and the backcountry is rapidly recovering, a process on full display in the areas north of Poverty Flat and Los Cruzeros Trail Camps.
The Hike begins from the main park entrance, cruises along diverse Pine Ridge, and then plummets more than a thousand feet to a year-round swimming hole in Coyote Creek. After winding through the Narrows, a thin creek-carved gap, the hike reaches idyllic Los Cruzeros Trail Camp along the babbling creekside. The journey returns via Poverty Flat Road, winding over the open hillsides of Jackass Peak, passing Middle Fork Coyote Creek, and then climbing steeply back up Pine Ridge. The hike can be shortened by more than 2 miles by using Creekside Trail between Poverty Flat and China Hole on Creekside Trail.
To Reach the Trailhead Take Hwy. 101 to Morgan Hill and take the East Dunne Ave. exit. Follow East Dunne Ave. east for 11 miles to the visitor center parking lot at the road’s end. After leaving the residential area of Morgan Hill, the road is a narrow twisting ascent—RVs and trailers are not recommended. There is an $8 day-use fee.
Description The hike begins across from the visitor center on singletrack Corral Trail (0.0/2,650'). After crossing a small bridge, the trail contours above precipitous slopes in a lush world of black oak, bay trees, buckeye, snowberry bushes, and coast live oak. Soon you encounter the first big-berry manzanita of the trip. Dozens of manzanita varieties exist, but few approach the massive size of these specimens; their twisting, blood-red trunks are almost treelike in girth. Chamise, toyon, and honeysuckle vines—common members of the park’s chaparral community—appear alongside.
The path emerges onto open hillsides graced with large valley oaks and reaches a six-way junction at Manzanita Point Rd. (0.6/2,510'). Cross the wide road, grab an interpretive brochure from the post, and continue on Forest Trail. Numbered markers line the path and correspond to the brochure’s descriptions of the park’s flora. After contouring through this shady educational world, you rejoin Manzanita Point Rd. (1.8/2,330') at its junction with Springs Trail and Poverty Flat Rd.
Bear left on wide Manzanita Point Rd. and undulate along the ridgetop past valley oak and ponderosa pine. The road tours the pleasant Manzanita Group Camps and reaches the junction for China Hole and Madrone Spring Trails just past Sites 6 and 7 (2.6/2,260'). Turn left on China Hole Trail to begin the descent.
China Hole Trail contours below the last group sites (a spur trail splits right to Site 9) and then dives through a corridor of massive big-berry manzanita. You next emerge in an area burned by prescribed fire (a posted sign tells the story) where thick chamise and buckbrush thrive on the regenerating
