Henry W. Coe State Park

Overview

"Henry W. Coe State Park (or Coe" for short) is a large and very rugged park, located in the remote southeastern corner of Santa Clara County, east of Morgan Hill and Gilroy. The good news about Coe is that it contains some of the best downhill singletrack in the southern Bay Area. The bad news is that it also contains some of the Bay Area's steepest fireroad climbs. To best enjoy this park, you should be in fairly good shape. The best time to visit Coe is during the spring or autumn. Summers can be very hot (90-100 degrees), and during the winter, the park's singletrack trails are closed for 48 hours after rain. Whenever you choose to go, be sure to carry plenty of water. The start This loop is best done in the clockwise direction. Begin by taking the dirt road ("Manzanita Point Road") that starts next to the park headquarters. (Don't be distracted by the singletrack that you'll see near the park headquarters; none of this is open to bikes.) Do not take the left turn onto "Hobbs Road" (unless you're a masochist). Instead, continue for roughly another mile, and watch for the "Flat Frog Lake Trail" on the left. (There are actually three trail entrances clustered together on the left of the fireroad. "Flat Frog Lake" is the leftmost of these; the other two are closed to bikes.) The "Flat Frog Lake" Trail This sweet and beautiful singletrack trail winds around the hill, eventually joining "Hobbs Road" (fireroad) near Frog Lake. There are no steep sections on this trail, but it's remarkably narrow for a legal trail, and this makes it a lot of fun. The "Frog Lake" Trail Continue to the right along "Hobbs Road", as it crosses an (often dried-up) creek (the Little Fork of Coyote Creek). Then, after a short climb, turn right onto the "Frog Lake" trail. This singletrack drops down beside a small lake, then climbs up the hillside towards Middle Ridge, at which point you turn right. The singletrack descent (Middle Ridge Trail) You now begin a more than 1700 ft singletrack descent over about three miles. Apart from o

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Henry W. Coe State Park

Henry W. Coe State Park

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