Henry Coe State Park
Steer Ridge and Lyman Willson Trails
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 to the iron ranger
Henry Coe State Park website: http://www.coepark.org/
Gate at the Steer Ridge Trail trailhead
Steer Ridge Trail heading up the first switchback
Another steep section of the Steer Ridge Trail
Looking back down what I just hiked up
Moooo! Translation, None shall pass!
Another gate, this one to keep the cows in
Up on top, more or less anyway
Looking back on the Steer Ridge Road
Steer Ridge Road
A mud puddle along the road
A dead scraggly tree in black and white
Walking along the Steer Ridge Road in B&W
Willson Peak!
Marker on the pipe in the ground at Willson Peak
Altitude marker embedded in rock at Willson Peak
Equestrians on Steer Ridge Road
Here comes a mountain biker by the equestrians
Steer Ridge Road winds on along ...
That band of white on the horizon is the snow capped Sierras!
On the Lyman Willson trail
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That is Monterey Bay glistening in the distance
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Cows at the old watering hole
The old corral
Nearing the end of the Lyman Willson Trail
Back down by the windmill along Hunting Hollow Rd
On January 7, 2007 I hiked up the Steer Ridge Trail, across the Steer Ridge Road and down the Lyman Willson Trail back to the Hunting Hollow Road at Henry Coe State Park
GPS Stats
Distance hiked: 7.45 miles
Total ascent: 2134 ft
Trailhead Elevation: ~860 ft
Max Elevation: 2651 ft
Moving time: 4 hrs
Moving Average: 1.9 mph
Overall average: 1.5 mph
Time stopped: 1 hr
Personal stats
Dates Hiked:
January 7, 2007
Start time: 11:00 AM
Weather: Sunny. High 63F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Water consumed: 1.5 liters
Finish time: 4:00 PM
Total time: 5 hrs
Beauty: The hike on this day with the unusually clear air made for simply awesome views up on the ridges.
Wildlife seen: 2 deer in the distance, assorted birds, heard a frog, lots of cows, 2 equestrians, 2 mountain bikers, and 2 other hikers. Well, maybe the hikers aren’t really wildlife.
Difficulty: The hike up the Steer Ridge Trail is a steep one that continues up for over a mile. The Steer Ridge Road is an easy walk and the descent down the Lyman Willson Trail is, well, down.
I have heard from some different sources that the Steer Ridge Trail in Henry Coe State Park is a pretty steep one to climb, perhaps among the steepest in the park. Call me crazy, call me irresponsible but I got it into my fool head that I was going to hike up it. I’m sure Henry Coe can be a killer if you hike its steep trails in the dead of summer but on the sane side at least, I did this hike on a cool, comfortable, and beautiful day.
The Steer Ridge Trail starts off near the Hunting Hollow entrance parking lot. The trailhead is right across the creek crossing and through the gate. After you go through the gate, the trail wastes no time and starts to climb. It makes a left turn to take you back over the parking area and does a really steep switch back there. And it is steep, no question. You gain altitude fast and then the trail turns right and heads on up the ridge.
I think all my steep hill climbing is starting to pay off a little bit though. If I had tackled this trail at the start of my hiking, I never would have made it. I’m not fast and I may not look pretty doing it but I was able to walk on up the Steer Ridge Trail taking short steps and using my trekking poles to help pull myself up. I don’t know, but the Steer Ridge Tail was steep but didn’t seem any worse to me than hiking up the Phegley Trail.
Eventually I came upon some cows and their calves that were right smack on the trail and they seemed to take exception to my presence. They wouldn’t budge as I approached and they looked rather alarmed and threatening. I don’t know if they would have charged me but I took it slow and talked to them and gave them a wide berth and continued on up without any problem.
When I got to the top onto the Steer Ridge Road, the clear air made for incredible views. Looking south I could see to Monterey and looking the other way I could see what I’m sure was the snow capped Sierras!
As I walked along, I didn’t see much in the way of wildlife on this day. If you don’t count the cows, or the equestrians, or the mountain bikers or the two other hikers I ran into, than the only wildlife I saw was an occasional bird and a couple of deer in the distance.
When I came to the trail junction for Willson Peak, I took it to go on up to the top. It really isn’t much of a climb though. It’s just a short walk up from Steer Ridge Road. When you get there, you can see the USGS markers for the peak.
From there I continued on Steer Ridge Road and then took the Lyman Willson Trail back down to Hunting Hollow.
Some of the sections of the Lyman Willson Trail were pretty steep though and at times were a little bit of a toe-jammer. My bum knee didn’t bother me so much but I was still glad to get down the hill. I think when you come to it, I would rather hike up steep hills than down them.
Also, while I have only hiked up the Steer Ridge Trail and the Phegley Trail, from hiking down the Middle Steer Ridge Trail and the Lyman Willson Trail, I am coming to feel that those trails are probably all pretty equivalent in terms of the difficulty of hiking up them. I think they are all likely to pose a similar challenge for the average hiker like me and I am not sure if any one would be that much easier to hike up than the others. I will have to try them and see.
National Geographic TOPO! software website:
