Henry Coe State Park
Hunting Hollow
Directions: Going through Gilroy, CA on 101, take the Leavesley exit going east. Go 1.8 miles and turn left on New Avenue. After about half a mile, turn right onto Roop Road and follow for about 6.6 miles to the park entrance.
Parking fee: $4
Start time: 12:15 PM
Finish: 4:15 PM
Total time: 4 hrs
GPS stats
Distance: 7.28 miles (7.2 based on the trail marker signs)
Trailhead Elevation: About 860 feet
Max Elevation: 2119 feet (according to my GPS)
Total ascent: 1498 ft (1350 feet according to the map)
Max speed: 4.9 mph
Moving time: 3 hrs 12 min
Moving average: 2.3 mph
Stopped: 48 min
Overall average: 1.8 mph
Temperatures: 60’s, cool but comfortable for this hike.
Water consumed: 2 liters plus 600 ml of gatorade back at my car.
Difficulty: 7 (for me anyway, the Phegley Trail has some steep parts and I’m not as young as I use to be nor am I in the best of physical condition though I am getting better!
Beauty: Varies with some pretty moss filled tress and shady areas to open areas with expansive views
Wildlife seen: 2 bobcats.
I started this hike later then I intended too and if I had gotten out of the house earlier I would have extended it. As it was, I used this hike as a preview of the Hunting Hollow entrance to Henry Coe State Park. From what I saw, I will most definitely return to explore the area more in future hikes!
The parking area for the Hunting Hollow entrance is pretty large and even though, there were a fair number of cars, there was still room for more. There is a $4.00 fee for parking and you pay it by taking an envelope from the box at the bulletin board, filling it out, inserting your money, and then inserting the envelope in the green iron ranger next to the bulletin board. Be sure to detach the top and fill it out and place it on the dash board of your car.
The entrance also has three outhouses. I made use of one before the start of my hike and then after gearing up, I hit the trail. The day I hiked this was cool and sunny without hardly a cloud in the sky and it made for great hiking conditions. I took off on the Hunting Hollow Trail which is quite level and is mostly a dirt road with numerous creek crossings although the creek was completely dry.
As I hiked the Hunting Hollow Road, I ran into an equestrian and a few hikers returning from their morning hikes. They weren’t enough to account for the cars in the lot and I assume that other people were spread out on longer hikes or perhaps even backpacking.
Anyway, after 1.8 miles on the Hunting Hollow Road, I came to the Phegley Trail. The Phegley Trail signpost indicated that the Redfern Pond was 1.8 miles up the trail and so I took it. The Phegley Trail immediately starts climbing and goes from around 900 ft elevation to around 2100 feet elevation at Redfern Pond. The climb up the trail gave me a good workout and indeed, was just what I wanted to counter my otherwise sedentary lifestyle of working at a desk after a long commute from home. And the cooler air felt good from the sweat I worked up climbing that trail.
I finally made it up to Redfern Pond right around 2:20 PM and I spent a few minutes taking pictures, looking around, and using the outhouse up there before heading back. In fact one of the reasons i chose that hike was because I saw from the map beforehand that there was an outhouse there!
Anyway, after taking care of business, I headed on back and ate my sandwich as I walked. After a few minutes walking I reached the area where the trail heads back down and I began my descent. If you ask my opinion, I would rather walk up a steep trail than walk down one. Descending is harder on both my knees and my feet. I have a bit of a bum left knee and and this descent caused it to flare up a bit. And the descent really irritated the hotspots on my feet, especially on my little toe on my right foot. I had placed moleskin there though and I did not get a blister.
Beyond that, I made it back down to the Hunting Hollow Road without incident and headed on back to the parking lot. One impression of the area though is that it has a lot of potential for a talented photographer and I plan to return one day with my film camera and tripod to see what images I can capture. And I will definitely return for more hiking! Add this spot to your list!
Hunting Hollow Parking lot
Bulletin board and iron ranger
Further down the road ...
Can you find the bobcat?
View as I walked
Trail marker for the Phegley Trail
Looking back down the trail I just walked up
And the trail heads up!
In some trees now
Looking across to the next ridge
The Phegley Trail climbs higher still
Almost to the top
Looking back at the view
And another rise to climb
Another view looking South West
Yay! The outhouse by Redfern Pond
A corner of Redfern Pond
That should be Wilson’s Camp in the distance
Phegley Trail marker, distance to the entrance
Phegley Trail Marker, distance to Redfern Pond
Trees as I walked back on the Hunting Hollow Road
The old windmill
Part of an old gate I think
Dry Creek crossing Hunting Hollow Road
Another Creek Crossing
Walking on ...
Another view heading back
Trees by the parking lot
Back at the parking lot
View driving home.
On Saturday December 2, 2006, I hiked to the Redfern Pond and back via the Hunting Hollow Road to the Phegley Trail and back
