I am often surprised how many South County residents, even long
time residents, are either not aware of Henry W. Coe State Park or
just haven’t visited it
Editor’s Note: Ron Erskine will be writing a weekly outdoors column called “Getting Out.” It will be posted every weekend online.
I suppose you’ve heard that the country is throwing a recession party right now. It’s not an exclusive event. With the exception of a number of corporate CEO’s, nearly everyone is invited, and according to the papers, nearly everyone is also attending.
Attempts at glib humor about the current economic crisis may not go down well with those people facing the real pain it brings. For many, the need to ‘cut back’ or ‘tighten our belt’ has never been greater.
In the best of times, I would still sing the praises of a day in the open. But now, the low admission price of a walk along the beach or the psychological massage that comes from a tromp through the hills, is a perfect treatment for pinched wallets and troubled minds. So let’s go.
I am often surprised how many South County residents, even long time residents, are either not aware of Henry W. Coe State Park or just haven’t visited it. The ponderosa pine-topped ridge you see on the horizon east of Morgan Hill marks the western boundary of this 87,000-acre park, California’s second largest. It stretches north to the foot of Mt. Hamilton and south nearly to Pacheco Pass.
Amazingly, this massive, virtually untouched and remote space is just a short drive away from six million Bay Area residents. If you occasionally seek the therapy that only solitude and wide-open space can deliver, Coe Park delivers in spades.
It’s a windy, but beautiful 14-mile drive up East Dunne Avenue to the park’s Visitor Center on Pine Ridge. During the years I have been a volunteer at Coe, the most frequent visitor inquiry I’ve heard goes something like this: “We’re looking for a short hike, maybe a couple hours, fairly flat, with wildflowers and a view if possible.” The best fit for that request is the Forest Trail/Springs Trail Loop.
The outline of this walk looks like a corn dog. The stick is the Corral Trail that drops you down to the corn dog itself where the Forest Trail works up one side to the Springs Trail that comes down the other and back to the stick.
The walk begins across the street from the Visitor Center where the Corral Trail drops gently for a little more than half a mile through oak and bay trees. Look for white Milkmaids, the first flower of spring, along with Hound’s Tongue, and the elegant bobbing Fairy Lanterns along the wooded portion of the trail. Below, when you emerge into the open grassy fields, yellow violets take over and can be spectacular in wet years.
The Forest Trail traverses the north slope of Pine Ridge and the Springs Trail returns along the south side making for very different settings. As its name implies, the Forest Trail is shaded by Gray pines, Ponderosa pines, and a variety of oaks. Changing views across the Little Fork of Coyote Creek toward Middle Ridge and taller Blue Ridge are impressive. Simple pamphlets available in the Visitor Center will help you identify Shooting Stars, Buttercups, and tiny California Saxifrage. Look carefully along the first quarter mile of this trail for the elegant Mission Bells – exotic looking but easy to miss.
At the top of the corn dog, we head back on the Springs Trail. Its southern exposure creates a more open environment – grasslands and widely spaced Valley Oaks. The yellow violets dotting the meadows will keep you company.
At 3.6 miles, this is a pleasant walk for anyone – views, variety, and flowers over manageable terrain. If your weekend entertainment has traditionally relied heavily on a wallet that can’t take the abuse any longer, try this bunny-slope walk for starters. If I can get you to try it, I’m pretty sure you’ll be hooked.
