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California State Parks

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California
San Francisco Bay Area Region
Henry Willard Coe State Park
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Henry Willard Coe State Park © Saurabh Das
Henry Willard Coe State Park © Saurabh Das
Henry Willard Coe State Park © Saurabh Das
Henry Willard Coe State Park © Gary OToole
Henry Willard Coe State Park © Saurabh Das
Henry Willard Coe State Park © Saurabh Das
Henry Willard Coe State Park © Saurabh Das
Henry Willard Coe State Park © Saurabh Das
Henry Willard Coe State Park © Saurabh Das
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HENRY WILLARD COE STATE PARK
HENRY WILLARD COE STATE PARK
9000 E. Dunne Ave.
Morgan Hill, California   95037

Phone: 408-779-2728
Reservations: 408-779-2728
Coe Park is the largest state park in northern California, with over 80,000 acres of wild open spaces. The terrain of the park is rugged, varied, and beautiful, with lofty ridges and steep canyons.

Once the home of Ohlone Indians, the park is now home to a fascinating variety of plants and animals, including the elusive mountain lion. Within Coe Park are the headwaters of Coyote Creek, long stretches of the Pacheco and Orestimba creeks, and a 23,300-acre wilderness area.

The park is open year-round for hikers, mountain bikers, backpackers, equestrians, car campers, picnickers, photographers, and people who simply like to visit parks.

Fires: No ground fires allowed anywhere in the park. Fires in provided fire-rings are permitted only at headquarters campground and at Manzanita Point group camps. Backpackers are permitted only campstoves with bottled fuel. No hibachis, barbecues, ground fires, or open wood/charcoal fires are permitted in the backcountry.
History of the Area
Located in Santa Clara and Stanislaus counties, the park was established in 1953. It is named after Henry W. Coe Jr., a rancher who owned the land that now constitutes most of this vast wilderness area.

In his will, he left it to be used as a public space for outdoor recreation purposes. The Pine Ridge Association has been instrumental since its inception in providing volunteer support and funding for various projects within the park's boundaries.

The terrain includes rolling hills, steep canyons with running streams during wet seasons, grasslands interspersed with oak trees and higher elevations covered by coniferous forests.

FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES OVERVIEW
Day-UseHiking Trailyes
 Bridle Trailsyes
CampingPrimitiveyes
Camping
Camping:

Car Camping in the Headquarters Campground The campground at park headquarters, located on top of an open ridge at 2,600 feet, has views across the ridges and canyons of the backcountry. The 20 drive-in sites in the campground can be reserved.

Sites that haven't been reserved are available on a first-come, first-served basis, but the campground seldom fills except on spring weekends and major holiday weekends

Group Camping:

Coe Park has ten hike-in group campsites at the southeast end of Pine Ridge in an area called Manzanita Point. At the bottom of the ridge, in a shady little valley called Poverty Flat, there's another area where groups can camp.
Fishing
Fishing:

Coe Park has great fishing, with largemouth bass, green sunfish, crappie, and bluegill in its lakes and ponds and elusive rainbow trout in the waters of its creeks.

However, it's important for you to know that the park has no lakes or creeks you can drive to. The park has very steep, rugged terrain and most fishing ventures into Coe's backcountry require a considerable expenditure of time and energy. To go beyond the relatively close-in lakes (Bass Pond and Frog Lake), you'll be faced with elevation gains (and losses) in thousands of feet.


Location
Henry Willard Coe State Park is located near Gilroy, Milpitas and Morgan Hill
Nearby Parks

Trails
Hiking:

The park has over 250 miles of hiking trails and old ranch roads that can be traveled in all seasons. Hikes in the park range from leisurely loops of about a mile and a half with little elevation variation to highly ambitious backpacking loops of 50 miles or more with elevation gains and losses in thousands of feet.

On long hikes, be sure to take plenty of water and food. Some of the trails and roads on the more strenuous hikes are incredibly steep, which can make for slow going and trips that turn out to take longer than you thought they might. On warm days, take more water than you think you'll need, and don't forget to carry a map with you. Coe Park is a huge wilderness, and it's not that hard to take a wrong turn and get lost.

Backpacking:

You could easily plan a week-long trip, hiking 10 miles a day and camping at a different site every night. The park has space for over 60 backpacking parties, with a maximum of eight people per party. Sites range from less than a mile to over 20 miles from park headquarters. The campsites are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, but you're almost always likely to get a good campsite, even during the lovely, busy months of spring.

Mountain Biking:

The park has 100 miles of roads and trails that are open to mountain bikes. The rugged terrain offers a variety of riding options ranging from moderately difficult to extremely difficult. There are practically no easy trails for bikes.

Horseback Riding:

With over 80,000 acres of ridges and canyons and gorgeous views, Coe Park is a wilderness paradise for equestrians. If you plan to venture more than a few miles into the park, you and your horse should be in excellent physical shape and you should be prepared for steep, rugged terrain.

There are eight designated horse camps in the park, and each of them has a set of pipe corals that will hold at least two horses.

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Area Campgrounds
Coyote Valley RV Resort
9750 Monterey Road
San Jose, CA
408-463-8400
Maple Leaf RV Park
15200 Monterey Road
Morgan Hill, CA
408-776-1818
Parkway Lakes RV
100 Ogier Avenue
Morgan Hill, CA
408-779-0244
Uvas Pines RV Park
13210 Uvas Road
Morgan Hill, CA
Gilroy Garlic USA RV Park
650 Holloway Road
Gilroy, CA
408-848-8081
Morgan Hill RV Resort
12895 Uvas Road
Morgan Hill, CA
408-779-6396
Nearby Hotels
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Directions
13-miles east of Morgan Hill on East Dunne Avenue. From Highway 101 in Morgan Hill (1/2 hour south of San Jose), take the East Dunne Avenue exit and go east past Anderson Lake to the end of the county road to the park headquarters. The road to the park beyond Anderson Lake is 10 miles of narrow winding road. The trip will take about 30 minutes.
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