Henry Coe State Park
Directions: From 101 at Morgan Hill, take the East Dunne Avenue exit going east. Eventually East Dunne will come to a fork at the Holiday Lake Estates. Take the right fork and follow it for about 10 miles into the hills and you will come to the park headquarters. The park is open 24/7.
Parking fee: $5.00
A glorious morning from the park headquarters
Wildflowers in bloom at the end of the Corral Trail
Hiking along Frog Flat Trail
View from along the Frog Flat Tail
Junction with Hobbs Road
Heading down Hobbs Road heading to the Short Cut
That should be the Short Cut heading up that hill
At the bottom of the Short Cut
More wildflowers in bloom
And more wildflowers!
Heading up the short cut
And more wildflowers!
A jeep heading down the Short Cut as I struggle up
Looking over to Mount Sizer
Still heading up the Short Cut
At the top! And I am the last one up as usual
And more wildflowers still!
Walking along Blue Ridge Road to the summit
A gopher snake crossing Blue Ridge Road
At the Mount Sizer summit
View across the park from Blue Ridge Road
Blue Ridge Road
An old snag along Blue Ridge Road
“V” leads the way ...
A coyote paw print on Blue Ridge Road
Wildflower along Blue Ridge Road
Hiking down Jackass Trail
Further along the Jackass Trail
Looks like the China Hole Trail across on that hill
Mahoney Meadows Road down to Los Cruzeros
Still hiking down the Jackass Trail
Poverty Flat Road junction!
Mahoney Meadows Road
Down by Los Cruzeros
The Mahoney Meadows Road hits bottom
Hiking through the Narrows
Pausing for a moment in the Narrows
Late in the day, on Manzanita Point Road
5 deer seen along the Springs Trail
On Saturday, March 24, 2007, I joined in with the Stanford Outing Club for a hike up to Mount Sizer at Henry Coe State Park.
The route: Headquarters > Corral trail > Flat Frog trail > Frog lake trail > Middle ridge trail > Hobbs road > Blue ridge road > Mt. Sizer Summit (Lunch) > Jackass trail > Poverty flat road > Mahoney Meadows Road > The narrows > china hole trail > manzanita point road > springs trail > corral trail > End.
National Geographic TOPO! software website:
GPS Stats
Distance hiked: 19.49 miles
Total ascent: 4115 ft
Trailhead Elevation: 2662 ft
Max Elevation: 3216 ft
Moving time: 7 hrs 40 min
Moving Average: 2.4 mph
Overall average: 1.8 mph
Time stopped: 2 hrs 20 min
Personal stats
Dates Hiked:
24-Mar-2007
Start time: ~ 10 AM
Weather: Temperatures in the upper 60’s for the hike, clear and sunny with a light breeze. Simply beautiful!
Water consumed: 3.75 liters
plus 600 ml Gatorade
Finish time: ~ 8:00 PM
Total time: ~ 10 hours
Beauty: March is a great time of year at Henry Coe. The hills are green from the winter rains and the wildflowers are in bloom.
Wildlife seen: 5 deer, 1 snake, and a frog. Also saw a coyote footprint.
Difficulty: This hike was strenuous for the distance and also the climb up the Hobbs Road “Short Cut” to Mount Sizer which climbs about 1500 ft in 1.25 miles for an average 22% grade. The Narrows had tricky footing through rocky ground in spots with no clear trail. Except for some steep descents, the rest of the hike had easy ground for most people.
I have come to the realization that the hikes I have been doing on my own have been in many respects, baby hikes. That is at least in comparison to the hikes I have been doing lately with the Stanford Outing Club. I guess I shouldn’t minimize my past hikes that much since they at least gave me some experience and exercise, building up my fitness enough to tackle these longer hikes.
And so on Saturday, March 24, 2007 I joined another hike led by “V” into Henry Coe State Park. The weather for the hike was perfect, cool and clear with temperatures around 68F.
We met at the Henry Coe park headquarters and started the hike shortly after 10 AM. There were 14 of us for this hike and I suspect I was the oldest. Given the expected length of the hike, I went into it not sure if I could do it, especially since I was wearing new hiking boots for it. If I started noticing foot pain from my boots, I was prepared to break off and head back to my car. As it was, my boots felt good and I did the entire hike.
This hike was strenuous for two reasons, the distance and the brutal climb up the Short Cut. The rock scramble through the Narrows was not a piece of cake either but at least it was mostly flat. My overall description of the route:
Corral Trail and Frog Flat Trail: relatively flat, easy single-track
Frog Lake Trail: relatively easy 500 ft climb on a single-track trail
Middle Ridge Trail: short, easy single track hop left to Hobbs Road
Hobbs Road: 1500 ft descent, steep in parts
Hobbs Road (Short Cut): brutal, 1500 ft climb up a 22% average grade!
Blue Ridge Road: mostly easy road, rutted in parts but generally slow descent along the ridge
Jackass Trail: single track trail, somewhat grown over and not as heavily traveled, has ups and downs, mostly down
Poverty Flat Road: easy section of the road down to the Mahoney Meadows Rd junction,
Mahoney Meadows Road: though not steep as Coe goes, this descent made my shins hurt, perhaps because of the distance I had hiked by that point
The Narrows: flat but uneven and rocky ground, no clear trail. At one point we had to hug on to the side of a rock to get around it. If you don’t mind getting wet, you could probably wade through the water though the moss covered rocks in the water were slippery!
China Hole Trail: maybe a 900 ft, comparatively easy, single-track climb with lots of switch backs
Manzanita Point Road: easy, mostly flat road with some small hills to climb
Springs Trail: easy, mostly flat or easy slopes on a single-track trail
All in all, I would certainly recommend this route for anyone prepared to do the distance and providing the weather is cool enough. I suppose you could do it in warm weather if you are fit and have plenty of water and a way to carry it. In 90F weather, I bet 6 liters would not be enough. Without enough water, you will overheat, especially on the short cut. I did a lot of sweating in cool weather to get up that hill.
Otherwise, this was just a great hike with a fun group of people! Now lets look at some pictures...
