WEEKLY

WALKER

By Tom Davids

Hike to Manzanita Point

Henry W. Coe State Park

". . .it is far safer to wander in God's woods than to travel on black highways or to stay at home."

John Muir, 1898

Directions: South on Highway 101 to Morgan Hill. East on East Dunne Avenue for 13 miles to park headquarters.

Grade: Moderate.

Distance: Six miles round trip.

Time: Three hours.

Special Conditions: No water on the trail. Watch for poison oak at trailside. Check for ticks, especially in the winter and spring. Be alert for rattlesnakes on the trail. For park and trail information, call Henry W. Coe State Park (408) 779-2728.

The Henry W. Coe State Park includes nearly 81,000 acres, enough to rank as the largest state park in Northern California. It is also one of the least known. But for the committed hiker, this park has it all: more than 250 miles of trails and dirt ranch roads, deep wooded canyons, large lakes, rolling meadowlands, a car-camping area, a horse camp, backpacking, and historic ranch structures.

Exhibits around the park headquarters give you a glimpse of what ranching in southern Santa Clara County was all about in the early 1900s. In the park headquarters, you can view a re-created living room and dining room complete with Coe family heirlooms. An old barn gives a good look at early ranch architecture with old wagons and farm implements on display.

A booklet published by the Pine Ridge Association and available at the park headquarters gives a short history of this old ranch. Brothers Charles and Henry Coe began purchasing land in this area in 1880, and by 1895 they owned 6,000 acres. They purchased the Pine Ridge Ranch in 1900, and their holdings increased until they owned 12,500 acres. Henry married, moved to a new home in Pine Ridge, and operated the ranch until 1913, when he moved his family to his father's San Felipe ranch. The Pine Ridge property was leased out until 1932, when Henry's daughter Sada and her husband Charles returned to assume control of ranch operations. In 1953, Sada gave her 12,230-acre Pine Ridge Ranch "to the people" (Santa Clara County) as a memorial to her father and other early cattle pioneers. The county deeded the property to the state of California in 1958 for use as part of the State Park System. Since then, the state has gradually acquired adjacent land and expanded the park to its current 81,000 acres.

Spring is the best time of the year to visit Henry W. Coe State Park. The area is hot and dry in the summer with extreme temperatures over 100 degrees. Average precipitation for the park is about 25 inches, mostly between November and April.

I have visited this park twice before, both times backpacking to Frog Lake along the Flat Frog Trail. The first time was with my grandson Sam (see Weekly Walker of Sept. 23, 1998) and the second time with Sam and his brother Ben plus my friend Dick and his grandson Nick. We had a fine time on both overnight trips, but Frog Lake is only three miles from headquarters, and this park extends for many, many miles to the north, east, and south. So when Veralyn and I recently passed by on our way home from Monterey, we turned off on East Dunne Avenue and made a beeline for the park.

For this hike, we decided to check out Manzanita Point, located about three miles east of headquarters. The manzanita shrubs in this park are huge compared to what we normally see in the coastal range. The big berry manzanita shrub or tree often grows to 25 feet or more in Coe Park. In fact, there are several plants and trees in this park that are much different from the Peninsula norm, so I suggest that you pick up "A Guide to Flora of the Forest Trail" at headquarters. The Forest Trail includes 28 markers--keyed to the guide--that show outstanding examples of local plants, shrubs, and trees.

We started hiking at the Corral Trail across the road from the headquarters. In the next .6 mile, the trail crosses a drainage ravine, continues along a grassy hillside into a forest area over a seasonal stream, and climbs up a rolling grassland where views open up to the south and east. Next is a multiple trail junction with Springs Trail to the right, Manzanita Point Road straight ahead, and Forest Trail across the ridge line to the north. We took the Springs Trail that meanders along the hillside for 1.3 miles to the next junction with Manzanita Point Road. Along the way, we walked along the grassy hillside with occasional breaks of pine and oak forests. The wildflowers were in bloom, and we spotted many varieties including Pacific pea, scarlet pimpernel, Cleveland shooting star, Western hound's tongue, popcorn flower, and the beautiful blue and orange carpet-like combination of California poppy, ground iris, and blue-eyed grass.

At the junction with Manzanita Point Road, we turned left and hiked along the road one mile to the end. The road drops down, passing Blue Oak Horse Camp and the small, muddy Bass Lake before it regains altitude and passes through 10 group backpack camp sites. At the high point of the road is one of the largest big berry manzanitas in the park. This magnificent specimen is nearly 40 feet wide and some 25 feet high. Continuing along the road, we passed camps 8 and 9 to the road end at camp 10. This was a good spot to rest and enjoy the view before our hike back. Near camp 10, you will notice a sign to Rabbit Spring, only .1 mile away. We hiked down to the spring and found a trickle of water flowing into a small cistern. The water was a bit scummy, but with a filter you could make do.

We returned along Manzanita Point Road to the junction with Springs Trail and turned right on the Forest Trail. This is where the Flora Guide comes in handy, since you pass by the markers. The Forest Trail has good views of Middle Ridge and Blue Ridge to the north. Along this 1.1-mile trail, we also noticed long-needled gray-blue pine trees that were unfamiliar to us Peninsula hikers. This is the gray pine. It has a pale bluish gray-green color and produces a large and heavy cone. The Flora Guide tells us that these cones will remain on the tree for a number of years, slowly releasing seeds. Native Americans heated the cones and harvested the pine nuts as an important part of their diet.

The trail continues along the hillside in the shade until it rejoins the Manzanita Point Road. From this point, you could hike to Frog Lake via Flat Frog Trail or return to the headquarters via the service road or Corral Trail. We returned the way we came on the Corral Trail and were soon back at headquarters.

Plan a day or more (remember the camping opportunities) at the park this spring. It's hard to fathom this much wilderness within a few miles of Silicon Valley.