Bay Area Hiker: Hunting Hollow Trailhead, Henry Coe State Park

Hunting Hollow Trailhead, Henry W. Coe State Park, California State Parks, Santa Clara County

In brief:
7.2 mile out and back at the Hunting Hollow section of the park. Very good wildflower displays in spring.

Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 7.2 mile out and back hike is one of the park's easiest, with only about 300 feet in elevation change. Coe is a huge park with some very tough hikes. Beware of some exceptionally steep trails that depart from this trailhead: you really need a good map if you plan on setting off into unknown territory.

Exposure:
Mostly exposed.

Trail traffic:
Light.

Trail surface:
Dirt trails and fire roads.

Hiking time:
3.5 hours

Season:
Late winter and spring are pleasant; avoid the park during heat waves.

Getting there:
From US 101 in Santa Clara County, exit Leavesley. Drive east about 1.8 miles to the junction with New Avenue and turn left (you'll be following the brown parks signs for Coyote Lake County Park). Drive about 0.5 mile and turn right on Roop Road, then continue about 6.5 miles (past Coyote Lake) to the signed Hunting Hollow Trailhead on the right side of the road.

GPS Coordinates* for Trailhead:
Latitude 37° 4'33.51"N
Longitude 121°28'0.45"W
(* based on Google Earth data, shown as degrees, minutes, seconds)

Trailhead details:
Large dirt parking lot. Two pit toilets. No drinking water. $6 entrance fee per vehicle (there's a $8 day use fee at the park's main entrance). There are two good maps under glass at the information signboard, but on my visit there were no paper maps available. No designated handicapped parking, and trails are not wheelchair accessible. There is no direct public transportation to this trailhead.

Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, pay phone, stores, and restaurants back on Leavesley in Gilroy. The park has extensive backcountry camping options, and a small, developed campground at the park headquarters area.

Rules:
Most trails are multi-use. Some restrict bikes. Dogs are allowed in the Coe Ranch Campground, as well as the paved areas and 1/2-mile Live Oak Trail at the Coe Ranch Entrance. Dogs are NOT allowed anywhere else inside the park. Dogs must be kept on a leash and under control at all times. The dog leash must be no longer than 6 feet. Dogs cannot be left unattended and must be kept in your vehicle or tent with you at night. Dog owners/walkers are expected to immediately clean up after their animals (removing and properly disposing of excrement). Bring your own bags for waste disposal. Pet waste bags are NOT provided by the park. There is no fee for dogs at Coe Park.

The Official Story:
Coe Park website (don't even bother with CSP's page; this website is excellent).
Park office 408-779-2728

Map choices and info:
• Order the Pine Ridge Association's excellent trail map.

Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page

Do you know Coe? Serious bay area hikers and backpackers will listen carefully when this question is uttered in their presence. The uninitiated or indifferent might respond with an echoing question of "what," "where," or even "who?" Some non-hikers realize it's a park, but confuse it with one of the other south bay "name" parks such as Joseph Grant or Ed Levin. A former Coe employee and park volunteer says more common blunders are to confuse Henry Coe with Henry Cowell (although the parks are many miles apart, the names are similar), and to mistake Lake Anderson for Coe, as the road to Coe passes by that county park. Coe veterans will regale listeners with tales of frog and coyote serenades, star-filled night skies, and week long backpacking expeditions. Other outdoor fanatics just don't know about the toughest, largest park in the bay area. Coe, with 80,000 acres (the biggest state park in northern California), became part of the state park system in 1958. The park is former ranch land, and many trails are old ranch roads. Most people visit the park headquarters (about 8.5 miles north of the Hunting Hollow Trailhead), reached by East Dunne Avenue near Morgan Hill. The park headquarters trailhead offers a visitor center with bookstore and history exhibits, car camping, and access to the park's most popular dayhiking and backpacking trails.
      Numerous ponds, springs, creeks, and swimming holes throughout the park provide fishing opportunities and the chance to cool off on a hot day. China Hole, Coe's most popular swimming hole, is the halfway point on a 10-mile loop on Madrone Springs and China Hole Trails. Other day hikes beginning at headquarters feature views of the Santa Clara valley and the Santa Cruz Mountains, groves of ponderosa pines, Passing through a valley gigantic manzanitas, oak-studded hillsides, and Sada Coe's monument to her father. Hike possibilities are nearly limitless at Coe; there's a book's worth of material here, but lacking that your best bet is to obtain the park map and start exploring.
     The Hunting Hollow Trailhead has few amenities, but provides ample parking and 24 hour access. Hunting Hollow Road is almost perfectly flat and is a good, easy introduction to Coe. Since it's an out-and-back hike, it's suitable for kids or older folks: just turn around when you get tired. If you seek a long challenging hike, or a backpacking excursion, you can begin either at Hunting Hollow Trailhead as well. There's a 8-mile loop to Willson Peak that climbs from about 900 to 2651 feet, combining Lyman Willson Ridge Trail and Steer Ridge Road/Trail. Unless you plan the simplest hike (out and back on Hunting Hollow Road) make sure to bring plenty of water, and obtain a map in advance. When I visited there were no maps at the trailhead, and as many trails are unmarked, you risk the very real possibility of getting lost in this vast wilderness.
    Spring is the peak season to visit. If you like colorful landscapes, wildflowers are bountiful in late winter and spring, and in autumn the leaves of deciduous oaks are conspicuous. Coe gets pretty hot in the summer. If you visit Hunting Hollow in winter or spring, wear waterproof boots; Hunting Hollow Road crosses the creek every chance it gets (the park website says 18 times, but I didn't bother to count). At most crossings you'll can hop across on strategically placed rocks, but the water can be deep enough to reach your ankles if you must trudge through (and it's cold).
     Start at the east end of the parking lot. Walk around a gate onto Hunting Hollow Road, a broad, dirt trail open to hikers, equestrians, and cyclists. Right away you'll encounter your first creek crossing. An easy to miss junction with Steer Ridge Trail is on the left. Sycamore trees line the creek, and their leaves litter the ground at most crossings. Once on the other side of the creek, you'll pass through the first meadow, which in late winter may be dotted with popcorn flowers, baby blue eyes, and fiddlenecks. Rolling hills, dotted with coast live and deciduous oaks, creep uphill to the north. On the right side of the trail, you might see lots and lots of gooseberry, as well as California coffeeberry and snowberry. As you pass through this broad valley, Hunting Hollow Trail settles on a theme: cross a creek then bisect a meadow. Rinse and repeat. The grade remains almost completely flat. At about 0.76 mile, at a signed junction, a trail departs towards Camp Willson on the left side of the trail. Continue on Hunting Hollow Road.
     A windmill sits off to the right side of the trail just past the junction. This grassland has been infested with yellow star thistle, and the park seems to be combating the weed by mowing some meadows. Spring's fresh green grass is augmented by lots of wildflowers, including great patches of baby blue-eyes, creamcups, fiddlenecks, popcorn flowers, redmaids, johnny-jump-up, and johnnytuck. Squirrels have constructed elaborate burrows under oaks and across the meadows, so you will probably see plenty of the scampering bushy tailed animals near these colonies. Look in the dirt for deer, coyote, and bobcat tracks, and be aware that wild pigs are sometimes spotted as well. At about 1.8 miles (I'm guessing, because I didn't have a map and wasn't sure where I was), a well-worn path heads uphill to the left. The junction is unmarked, but the trail is a viable one, climbing to Phegley Ridge. If you happen to be hiking in spring, you might climb a few feet up the trail, and look to see what flowers are blooming. On my visit in late winter, there were lots of johnny-jump-ups, the first blue-eyed grasses of the year, and the tail end of the shooting stars' bloom. These shooting stars are Padre's shooting stars, different from the more common bay area mosquito bills. Padre's have light colored stems, while mosquito bills' are purplish. When ready, continue on Hunting Hollow Road.
     The hills begin to close in on the road, squeezing a broad valley into a canyon. In late winter, there are extravagant displays of shooting stars on the sides of the trail. Hunting Hollow Road begins a slight ascent. During the rainy season, look for a tiny waterfall and pool on the left side of the road. California bay trees mix in with oaks. At about 3.6 miles, Hunting Hollow meets Wagon Road at a signed junction. Hunting Hollow actually continues straight to the park boundary, but this is the turnaround point for this hike. (Option: take Wagon Road uphill to Phegley Ridge Road, and then descend to Hunting Hollow Road on Phegley Ridge Trail. This extension will add about 2.5 miles to your day, and involves an over 1000 foot ascent.)You're likely to hear frogs croaking melodically from the nearby creek, and as I sat and rested I repeatedly heard gobbling from wild turkeys in the surrounding hills. When you're ready, retrace your steps back to the trailhead.

Total distance: about 7.2 miles
Last hiked: Tuesday, March 13, 2001