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Trails - Part 1
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Santa Teresa is a popular park, but
many people
who visit it miss the best parts of it. I've lived near the park for
many
years, but I usually just drove up to the picnic area and drove down.
The
drive-up areas cover only a small part of the park and though they are
the most popular, they are not the most interesting parts. It wasn't
until
I started hiking on the park trails that I discovered the many hidden
treats
and treasures in the park. There are miles of trails through the park. See
the official
park Web site to get a map of the park. The distances cited below
are
from the park map.
Trails on this page:
(Go to Trails - Part 2 for the rest of the park traails) The main entrance to the park begins at Bernal Road and Heaton
Moor.
A few parking slots are at the intersection. Bernal Road continues into
the park, climbing up the hills. A short walk from the entrance, just
before
the Coyote Alamitos Canal, on the left side of the road is a gate. Past
the gate is the start of the Laurel
Canyon
Nature Trail. The .3-mile nature trail goes into narrow, shady
Laurel Canyon, with interpretive signs marking some of the trees and
bushes.
The path parallels the creek. At the end of the trail is a cool, rocky
nook, with a lovely seasonal waterfall splashing and cascading down the
rocks. There's also a redwood tree here, possibly the only one in the
park. It sits next to small cave.
The Ohlone Trail is a narrow footpath (no bikes allowed) that runs along the lower and middle slopes of the east faces of the hills for 1.5 miles. It winds in and out of shady ravines and across grass-covered hillsides. The easiest way to access it is to take the path to the Laurel Canyon Nature Trail. The Nature Trail crosses the Ohlone Trail. At the junction, you can take the Ohlone Trail up the hill to the right to its end near the beginning of the Hidden Springs Trail. Or you can take it to the left, where it passes above the cool green lawns and placid lakes of the Santa Teresa Golf Course. It then crosses the beginning of the Coyote Peak Trail in an oak woodland. The Ohlone Trail curves to the left and becomes a bicycle-accessible service road. After .1 miles, a branch to the left leads to the end of the parking lot at the Santa Teresa Golf Course, which is the only way bicycles can enter this part of the Ohlone Trail to go up the Coyote Peak and connecting trails. After .3 miles, the Ohlone Trail drops down off the service road to the left, becoming a narrow footpath again. The service road continues on and climbs up the hills above the archery range, dead-ending at a storage building. The Ohlone Trail continues to wind along the hillsides for another .4 miles, above the southern part of the golf course, ending up near the entrance to the archery range at Bayliss Drive. Before then, it crosses over the Coyote Alamitos Canal on a sturdy bridge. Don't take the canal road to the right, or else you may find arrows whizzing by you at the archery range.
The Coyote Peak Trail
has some
of the most incredible views in the Bay Area. It starts off in a lush,
shady oak woodland, just above the largest pond in the golf course. It
climbs up the hill, alongside a valley strewn with moss-covered
boulders.
After .2 miles, the Ridge Trail branches off to the right, while the
Coyote
Peak Trail climbs steeply upward in a big loop to the right. After .2
miles,
the Boundary Trail branches off to the left. After another .3 miles,
the Coyote Peak Trail joins the end of the Hidden Springs Trail.
Antenna-topped
Coyote Peak looms above you. It's pretty obvious which way to go. The
trail
sweeps up and around Coyote Peak, with the unfolding views becoming
increasingly
more awesome with every step. You begin to see the surrounding South
San
Jose suburbs, then more of San Jose, then all of Silicon Valley, then
all
of the Bay Area to the mountains in Marin County on clear days. The
trail
rounds a hill, with a service road (no public access) leading to the
private inholding
on rocky ridge. The Almaden Valley and the IBM Almaden Research Center
come into view. Beyond that is the ridge of Almaden Quicksilver County
Park, topped by the Sierra Azuls in back. Continuing on as the trail
rounds
Coyote Peak, there are gorgeous views of the nearly untouched
western
hills in the park. Finally .4 miles from the Hidden Springs Trail
junction,
it reaches the top of the peak. A gravel-paved loop leads to the
benches
on 3 sides of the peak. The trail continues down along the ridge to the
southwest, past an abandoned microwave station, heading into
the Almaden Valley. The Rocky Ridge Trail branches off to the north
just
before the abandoned microwave station. Technically, the trail ends
here. Beyond this point, it is a service road, not a trail. It
continues
south for .56 miles, then passes by a gate leading to paved Country
View
Drive. (This is not an official park entrance.)
The Hidden Springs Trail starts off the Mine Trail above the Norred Ranch and crosses Bernal Road halfway up the hill. After .1 miles, the narrow footpath of the Ohlone Trail branches off to the left where the Hidden Springs Trail curves to the right. The latter passes through a shady woodland, past a densely-vegetated hillside. There must be a spring there to cause all this plant growth, but it's hidden, hence the name. The Hidden Springs trail climbs up the hill below the Muriel Wright Correctional Center for another .5 miles, crossing the remnants of what used to be Bernal Road. (This unmarked old road is still mostly paved and accessible, but it's not maintained as an official trail, so it's becoming overgrown and can be swampy near its terminus at new Bernal Road.) As the trail climbs up steeply, it rounds a hill, revealing steep Laurel Canyon. At the head of Laurel Canyon is a rare sight that only appears in very wet years. (The pictures below were taken during the wet El Nino rainy season of 1997-1998.) It is a beautiful waterfall that is only visible from one part of the Hidden Springs Trail below the Wright Center, just before it descends into the developed area of the park. The trail passes by the Pueblo Day Use Area and is easily accessible from here. The Mine Trail joins it here from the right. It then begins the climb up to Coyote Peak. It climbs steeply upward, passing by a creek in a shady, rocky ravine. After .2 miles, the Ridge Trail drops down to join it from the left. As you climb up, the wildflower-covered ridge to the left blocks your view of the suburbs below, so you can imagine what the area looked like during the Rancho days. The trail levels off at a seasonal frog pond that feeds the creek. It's the overflow from this pond that forms the waterfalls in Laurel Canyon below. The chaparral-covered slopes of Coyote Peak come into view, and after .4 miles, the trail ends where it meets the Coyote Peak Trail.
The short .6-mile Ridge Trail branches off the Coyote Peak Trail in the middle of one of the coolest and lushest parts of the park. The Laurel Springs Rest Area has picnic tables by a shady spring. The trail passes between huge moss-coated boulders draped with vegetation. It then emerges into sunlight and climbs steeply upward. The steepest part of the trail can turn into a muddy mess in the rainy season from heavy equestrian traffic. The trail peaks, with great views of the valley, then drops down to join the Hidden Springs Trail. Trees along here often serve as perches for hawks and other raptors.
The Boundary Trail
branches
off the Coyote Peak Trail about .2 miles from its start. It climbs 500
feet in .8 miles and is probably the steepest official trail in the
park.
It's the only trail marked "steep" on the park map. It's a killer of a
trail for those who want a real challenge. It's mostly open, with
little
shade on hot days. It starts by climbing steeply up to the southeast
from
an already steep part of the Coyote Peak Trail. It levels off somewhat
as it follows the hill contours and heads for the boundary line. It
then
turns up the hill to the right. The trail gets steeper and steeper from
there on. Switchbacks are few as the trail runs almost straight up the
hills, paralleling the fence along the southeastern border of the park,
with great views of the Coyote Valley. It finally crests a hill, drops
down, and comes back up to eventually rejoin the Coyote Peak Trail at
the
top of Coyote Peak. Going up is tough enough. Going down the steep,
gravelly
trail is a hair-raising experience, though plenty of suicidal mountain
bikers seem to take it. Fortunately, you can see most of the trail for
a long distance, so it's easy to watch out for bikers careening down
the
slopes. Going up the trail is not recommended for those who are not in
good physical shape. Going down is not recommended for those who are
afraid
of heights.
Created 9/17/99, updated 7/5/05 by Ronald Horii |