A sunny hike for winter or spring
Santa Teresa County Park
Neil Wiley
Here is a good place to hike, ride, bike, or picnic on a sunny
winter or spring day. Located near the IBM Almaden Research Center
and the end of Bernal Road, the park offers over 14 miles of unpaved
multi-use trails for hikers, equestrians, and bicyclists through
almost 1,700 acres of hilly and open grassland. Altitude ranges from
500 feet elevation at the Pueblo Group Picnic Area to 1155 feet at
the top of Coyote Peak.
The park has excellent equestrian facilities,
including easy trailer access, a large staging area for trailers,
water troughs, a corral, and trail loops offering a range of
difficulty from flat, open, and wide to steep, rocky, and narrow.
All trails are open to horses and bikes except for the short Ohlone
Trail located in one corner of the park. Leashed dogs are permitted
on all trails.
Facilities are well developed. Parking is ample
with paved parking for more than 170 vehicles in the day-use area. A
reservable, covered area serves up to 100 people with a large
barbecue pit, restrooms, and potable water. A volleyball court and
horseshoe pits are nearby. A picnic table is also available at
Laurel Springs.
On a sunny day, you’ll enjoy the open meadows and
great views, but there is little shade on any of the trails. The
trail up to Coyote Peak is wide but relatively steep. The Rocky
Ridge Trail lives up to its name. It is very rocky, with lots of
ankle-twisters, but the fields of multi-colored serpentine rock are
worth seeing. The Stile Ranch Trail is recommended for spring
wildflowers, including goldfields, tidy tips, jewelflower, montia,
columbine, and gilia.
My hike
I followed a 3.8-mile loop recommended by several
hiking books that starts near restrooms across from the Pueblo Group
Picnic Area. At the trail head, an interpretive sign gave
information about mountain lions. I got a map at a nearby signboard.
I hiked uphill and to the left on Mine Trail, now part of the Bay
Area Ridge Trail. As I walked along the trail, I saw a shy deer and
large flocks of wild turkeys.
When I reached a junction, I turned right on
Hidden Spring Trail, a wide uphill road alongside a small creek
hidden in riparian brush and small trees. I spooked a family of
deer. They crashed through the brush to the other side of the
ravine, and then returned to feast on the creek-side grass.
I passed a small trail leading to the left, and
continued on uphill to the next junction. I stayed to the right on
Coyote Peak Trail. After a short walk, I saw a sign indicating a
trail left and up to Coyote Peak. Rather than a peak, the top of the
little mountain was a large tabletop plateau hosting a tall
microwave tower and a service building. Located at strategic
intervals around the periphery of the mountain top, three wooden
benches provided comfortable viewing sites. The bench that I
occupied for a well-deserved lunch gave me a view of Mt. Umunhum and
Loma Prieta.
I walked back down to the first junction, then
turned west on the Coyote Peak Trail. I had only walked a few steps
when I met an Asian man coming up the steep Boundary Trail. He
smiled through wide-spread teeth, and offered his hand. We shook
hands. He pointed at his chest, and said, "Vietnam." I pointed to my
chest, and replied, "U.S.A." Although that about exhausted our talk,
we smiled and pointed at the warm sun and the view of rolling hills,
then waved goodbye. It was only a chance meeting on a trail, but I
felt good about it. We shared the experience of beauty in nature,
mutual forgiveness, and the comfort of human contact. That night, I
heard that Intel received permission to increase their investment in
Vietnam from $300 million to $1 billion. Perhaps today’s enemies may
someday become our partners.
I continued on Coyote Peak Trail until just
before reaching a small microwave tower where I discovered Rocky
Ridge Trail, a narrow path to the right that looped downhill through
Big Oak Valley. I saw few oaks but many, many rocks, both on and off
the trail. Large fields of serpentine rocks dominated the
surrounding hills. (They made such an impression that I dreamed they
covered Summit Road at Highway 17.)
After resting under a lonely tree for a few
minutes, I continued downhill into the canyon, over a small
footbridge, and to the left. When I reached Mine Trail, I turned
right. When I reached the parking area, I walked through the corral
on Mine Trail back to my starting point and the parking lot.
A few suggestions
Although this hike is relatively short, be sure
to carry a map and water. Some of the trail junctions are not well
signed so it’s good to know where you are. Even on a cool day,
climbing the unshaded hills in bright sun will make you thirsty. And
even when you feel warm on the climb, you may want a light jacket to
block the frequently strong breezes on the ridge tops. Good views
encourage the use of binoculars and a camera. Also, bring money or a
credit card. Near the park entrance, an automated ticket seller
accepts five dollars or your credit card as an entry/parking fee.
How to get there
Santa Teresa County Park is about 25 miles away
from Summit and Highway 17. Take Highway 17 to Highway 85 south
toward Gilroy. Drive past the Santa Teresa exit to the Bernal
Road/Highway 101 exit. Turn right on Bernal, past Santa Teresa
Boulevard into the park. Continue uphill into the park area. Turn
left into the Pueblo Group Picnic Area. (If you go too far, you’ll
end up at IBM.) Stop at the first parking lot to pay your entry fee,
then continue on to the Pueblo Group Parking Area parking lot. Get
out of your car, and on to the trail. For more information and a
map, visit www.parkhere.org, then select "Find a Park," or call
408-225-0225. Happy trails.
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