Henry Coe State Park

We've been wanting to do some lightweight backpacking this year, both because you can never do too much backpacking, but also because we feel like the boys are old enough to really enjoy it. We discovered that our friend Sebastien, father of one of Dahrius' kindergarten classmates, Aurelien, was thinking similarly, so we made plans for a late Spring trip somewhere in the Bay Area. First thought was Pt Reyes, but the campgrounds were full, so we decided to check out California's largest, yet little known, state park, called Henry Coe. It is just Southeast of San Jose, so 1.5 hours away without traffic; much farther with traffic.

It turned out to be a fantastic choice.



The park is rugged. The soft, rounded hilltops drop into sheer canyons, several thousand feet down in some places. The open grasslands are a reminder that this was all ranch land until it became a state park.



We awoke both mornings we were there to brilliant sunshine at our camp, and could see the dense fog filling in the valleys and coast below.



The legacy valley oaks are absolutely stunning, freshly leafed out for the Spring. It was warm but not hot - really, just about perfect.

The boys were great hikers. Even Ranier managed to do most of the hiking...

...most of the time.

The park, like many of the East Bay parklands, is famous for its wildflowers. We were there somewhat late in the season, but there were still flowers, and wildlife, in abundance.

Harvest Brodeia, a favorite native.

The manzanita in this park are freakishly large. Many of them were full-on trees. They are not a different species from the usual bush-like variety, so I guess the conditions here are perfect for them

This is a view from above our camp back down and to the south, looking toward Monterey Bay.

This Valley Oak was particularly impressive. These trees are hundreds of years old.

Ranier found a special perch.

The hilltops, even in the lower western part of the park (where we were) get high enough to support good-sized stands of Ponderosa Pines. The vegetation is an interesting mix of coastal and Sierran foothills species.

At the proverbial fork in the trail.

Another view of the fog below.

Aurelien and Dahrius were a good match as hikers.

Ranier was mostly just joyful.

Mule Ears, a flower I associate with lower alpine wilderness.

Wild California Irises.

Being silly.

Dahrius spotted a Gopher snake on the trail. Earlier, Aurelien had discovered a rattlesnake. It was nice for them to be able to get a good look at the differences.

So we picked it up. It was a juvenile, and quite calm.

I can safely recommend Henry Coe to anyone! We will certainly go back. It apparently gets brutally hot during the summer, but I'm willing to bet there are benefits of a visit any season.