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 one short (but steep) uphill section about 1/3 of the way through, the trail is almost all downhill, becoming progressively more technical as it gets lower. You'll also notice the countryside changing: from open grassland to forests of manzanitas and madrones. About halfway through you'll see a trail (the "Fish Trail") branching off to the right. Ignore this; it's closed to bikes. The trail ends beside a creek, in an area named "Poverty Flat". This is a good place to stop for lunch, before beginning the climb back out. The climb out (option 1: more direct, but painful Shortly after crossing the creek, you'll reach "Poverty Flat Road". For the most direct way back, turn right and take this road back to the park headquarters. The first section of this climb is brutal, climbing 1,400 feet in 2 miles. (I call it "the Hill from Hell".) The climb out (option 2: more hassle, but more singletrack & less pain) (This is the alternative I prefer.) Turn left on "Poverty Flat Road", then cross the creek and follow it downstream, along its right-hand bank (i.e., on the side closest to the park headquarters). There's a rough trail here that leads to the China Hole trail crossing. You will have to push or carry your bike most of the way; much of the trail is washed out (being so close to the creek) and almost none of it is rideable. In places you'll have to carry your bike over large boulders. This is a bit of a pain, but the resulting singletrack climb makes it worthwhile. Ride the China Hole Trail up to the Manzanita Point campground, and then back to the park headquarters. This whole trail is rideable, and is not excessively steep. On average, it's no steeper than the "914" trail in ECdM, although it is much longer.<BR>
Coe Park is located in the southern part of the Diablo range about 30 miles south of San Jose.
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