Coe Park is the largest state park in northern California
of wild open spaces. The terrain of the park is rugged, varied, and beautiful,
with lofty ridges and steep canyons.
Once the home of Ohlone Indians, the park is now home to a fascinating variety
of plants and animals, including the elusive mountain lion. Within Coe Park are
the headwaters of Coyote Creek, long stretches of the Pacheco and Orestimba
creeks, and a wilderness area.
The park is open year-round for hikers, mountain bikers, backpackers,
equestrians, car campers, picnickers, photographers, and people who simply like
to visit parks.
Fires: No ground fires allowed anywhere in the park. Fires in provided
fire-rings are permitted only at headquarters campground and at Manzanita Point
group camps. Backpackers are permitted only campstoves with bottled fuel. No
hibachis, barbecues, ground fires, or open wood/charcoal fires are permitted in
the backcountry.
Location/Directions
13-miles east of Morgan Hill on East Dunne Avenue. From
Highway 101 in Morgan Hill (1/2 hour south of San Jose), take the East Dunne
Avenue exit and go east past Anderson Lake to the end of the county road to the
park headquarters. The road to the park beyond Anderson Lake is 10 miles of
narrow winding road. The trip will take about 30 minutes.
Latitude/Longitude: 37.2110 / -121.5141
Seasons/Climate/Recommended clothing
Spring is the most temperate time to visit the park with
cool to warm days. Summers are hot and dry with the latter parts of summer
(August and September) being hottest. Fall starts out hot but cools quickly in
November and December. The winter can be variable with mild cool dry days
alternating with cold wet ones.
Activities
Hiking
The park has over 250 miles of hiking trails and old ranch roads that can be
traveled in all seasons. Hikes in the park range from leisurely loops of about a
mile and a half with little elevation variation to highly ambitious backpacking
loops of 50 miles or more with elevation gains and losses in thousands of feet.
On long hikes, be sure to take plenty of water and food. Some of the trails and
roads on the more strenuous hikes are incredibly steep, which can make for slow
going and trips that turn out to take longer than you thought they might. On
warm days, take more water than you think you'll need, and don't forget to carry
a map with you. Coe Park is a huge wilderness, and it's not that hard to take a
wrong turn and get lost.
Backpacking
You could easily plan a week-long trip, hiking 10 miles a day and camping at a
different site every night. The park has space for over 60 backpacking parties,
with a maximum of eight people per party. Sites range from less than a mile to
over 20 miles from park headquarters. The campsites are assigned on a
first-come, first-served basis, but you're almost always likely to get a good
campsite, even during the lovely, busy months of spring.
Camping
Car Camping in the Headquarters Campground The campground at park headquarters,
located on top of an open ridge at 2,600 feet, has views across the ridges and
canyons of the backcountry. The 20 drive-in sites in the campground can be
reserved.
Sites that haven't been reserved are available on a first-come, first-served
basis, but the campground seldom fills except on spring weekends and major
holiday weekends
Group Camping
Coe Park has ten hike-in group campsites at the southeast end of Pine Ridge in
an area called Manzanita Point. At the bottom of the ridge, in a shady little
valley called Poverty Flat, there's another area where groups can camp.
Mountain Biking
The park has 100 miles of roads and trails that are open to mountain bikes. The
rugged terrain offers a variety of riding options ranging from moderately
difficult to extremely difficult. There are practically no easy trails for
bikes.
Fishing
Coe Park has great fishing, with largemouth bass, green sunfish, crappie, and
bluegill in its lakes and ponds and elusive rainbow trout in the waters of its
creeks.
However, it's important for you to know that the park has no lakes or creeks you
can drive to. The park has very steep, rugged terrain and most fishing ventures
into Coe's backcountry require a considerable expenditure of time and energy. To
go beyond the relatively close-in lakes (Bass Pond and Frog Lake), you'll be
faced with elevation gains (and losses) in thousands of feet.
Horseback Riding
With over 80,000 acres of ridges and canyons and gorgeous views, Coe Park is a
wilderness paradise for equestrians. If you plan to venture more than a few
miles into the park, you and your horse should be in excellent physical shape
and you should be prepared for steep, rugged terrain.
There are eight designated horse camps in the park, and each of them has a set
of pipe corals that will hold at least two horses.
Telephone:
408-779-2728
Operating Hours:
Park entrances are open around the clock, every day of the year.
Hunting Hollow entrance is staffed on Spring and early Summer weekends.
Visitor Center is open on weekends from at least 8:00am to 4:00pm. During Spring
and Summer, hours are 8:00am to 8:00pm on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Address:
P. O. Box 846
Morgan Hill, CA 95038 |
