Everyone loves a mountain stream. There’s something about the
sight and sounds of fresh cool water bouncing over exposed earth
bones that seem to wash away the stress that builds up in our
hectic lives
Everyone loves a mountain stream. There’s something about the sight and sounds of fresh cool water bouncing over exposed earth bones that seem to wash away the stress that builds up in our hectic lives.
Last Saturday, as I sat waiting for my hiking companion next to Swanson Creek at Uvas County Park, I was surprised how strongly I felt emotions from its surging energy. After all, I have been to the park many times and seen the creek’s every mood. While I couldn’t put my finger on the nature of the therapy I was undergoing, the moment served to remind me of the restorative power of rushing water.
Whether for a hike or just a Sunday drive, Uvas County Park, tucked underneath Skyline Ridge, is well worth a visit this time of year. The park is located at the end of Croy road, four miles above the turn off of Uvas Road, east of Morgan Hill. As you near the park, the road follows Uvas Creek more closely and the forest closes in. You will see very little evidence of the destructive Croy Fire that burned over 3,000 acres and destroyed 31 residences in September 2002. Just before reaching the park, you will pass through Sveadal, a curious and quaint retreat built by the Swedish American Patriotic League. The Swedish Crown Prince and Princess attended the dedication ceremony in 1926.
Pay your fee ($6 for day use), park your car and walk along the road until it reaches Swanson Creek just above its junction with Uvas Creek. Here is where the show begins. The surrounding Santa Cruz Mountains wring most of the moisture from winter clouds here before they reach us further east. The rainfall collected in the park’s creases puts on a fine display of cascades and waterfalls within easy reach of the most casual walker.
The Waterfall Loop Trail leaves the road and climbs up Swanson Creek closely following the tumbling stream. Not far above the trail on Skyline Ridge, chaparral plants struggle to survive in a hot and dry environment, but you are shrouded in a cool moist forest of oaks, alders, maples and others. Don’t miss the short detours to Black Rock Falls and Basin Falls – both impressive little drops.
Casual walkers will be satisfied to turn back at Upper Falls, making for a loop of a little over a mile. But last Saturday, I chose to continue up and make a longer loop. The going gets a little steep until you cross Swanson Creek and pick up Contour Trail which traverses the slope (as the name implies) for one mile until you connect with Alec Canyon, an old logging road that drops a mile back to your car (about three miles in all). The Contour Trail is a somewhat monotonous tromp through arching bay and madrone trees, but it does give occasional views across the valley, revealing much of the damage done by the Croy fire.
For all of the beauty we enjoy in the south Santa Clara valley, there are precious few places to see a wild cascading stream. Our warm rainless summers dry up every watercourse where flow is not controlled and budgeted by a dam. By the time September rolls around, one’s very soul can feel parched.
If you long for a raucous stream with the power and energy of a high country cascade, Uvas County Park is the closest, most accessible antidote I know.
Grab a friend, lunch, a bottle of wine and go. You’ll come back refreshed.
