Posted on 07/23/2015 10:59:47 PM PDT by nickcarraway
What you’ll see: An early spring has transformed Henry W. Coe State Park into one of the best parks for mountain biking anywhere in America. At 87,000 acres, it’s the largest state park in Northern California. A 250-mile network of ranch roads and trails — including my favorite, the ride from Hunting Hollow to Kelly Lake — makes it a cyclist’s paradise.
Location: Henry Coe is in remote Santa Clara County, surrounded by Morgan Hill (access to park headquarters), Gilroy (access to Hunting Hollow) and Bell Station (during special events, access to Dowdy Creek entrance and Orestimba Wilderness).
Bike to Kelly Lake: From the parking lot at Hunting Hollow (elevation 850 feet), ride out Hunting Hollow Road 3.2 miles (past the cutoff for Gibson Pond) to Wagon Road (elevation about 1,000 feet). It’s easy, pretty and beautiful, a riparian zone in oak woodlands (if you’re not in shape, turn back at Gibson Pond). Then turn left on Wagon Road and you will climb into remote backcountry, traversing for 6.5 miles (past the cutoff for Willson Camp at 2,200 feet) to Wasno Ridge. Turn left and ride 1.8 miles (undulates on ridge) to the cutoff trail on the right for Kelly Lake. Turn right and descend 1 mile to Kelly Lake (1,900 feet). It’s 25 miles round trip.
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Anyone hike/bike/equestrian at this place?
I have walked a bunch of it.
Best in the spring, its dry country.
It is an old ranch...lonely & peaceful.
Lots of critters.
Which entrance do you use? Have you ever made it to the Orestimba Wilderness area?
Heck yeah and the Vistas are amazing.
We should go sometime.
Sounds good to me.
Got a bike?
Took my son a few times when he was a teen. Spectacular place. If you go July to Sept, try to pick a cool day and get a sunup start if you can and take twice the water you think you’ll need. I’m sure you know how hot the Diablo Range is in peak summer. It wasn’t named “Diablo” for no reason.
Have only accessed it from the Anderson lake entrance.
Mississippi lake is the farthest I have been.
Never got to the north/east end where the wilderness area is, it gets really steep back in there.
We did do the Arroyo Hondo from Isabel creek down to Calaveras resivour one time, back during my resist authority days. That canyon is just lovely and rugged.
Just beautiful up there. Amazing to be so close to the valley yet still in the wild.
I’ll have to check my storage.
Mississippi Lake takes a pretty significant hike to get to. or so I’ve heard.
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