Coyote Peak Loop at Santa Teresa County Park

This hike marks my 100th park visited in Northern California! I'm glad it was a good one!

Santa Teresa County Park is about 10 miles south of San Jose. It's amazing how serene it feels in the park considering how close it is to a major urban center. The park is made up of lands that were once ranch lands and you can see both the vestiges of old ranches and the continuing work of ranching, especially because part of the park is still active grazing land.

The loop I did is about 4 miles with 500 feet in elevation gain. Start from the Pueblo Day Use area (parking fee of $6) and then take the Mine Trail west to get on the Rocky Ridge Trail.

The Rocky Ridge Trail was my favorite part of the loop. It's a single track trail that starts along a creek in Big Oak Valley. You'll see lots of gorgeous old oak trees here. Then it climbs gently up a ridge with lots and lots of outcroppings of lichen covered rocks. The lichen was bright orange when I visited in February--the exact same color as the poppies that were just starting to bloom. I loved the bright pops of orange against the vivid green of the grassy hills. I am re-reading Brontë's Wuthering Heights and I kept thinking of the moors while hiking this section of the loop.

At the intersection of the Rocky Ridge Trail and the Coyote Peak Trail there is a bench with amazing views of the valleys below. You can see north to San Jose and also south where 101 heads towards the Salinas River Valley. The trail climbs up towards Coyote Peak, where there is a radio tower and also another bench to take in the views. The climb down is along a wider road with continuous views of San Jose until you join the Hidden Springs Trail. From there, you will walk along a creek lined with fragrant Bay Laurel Trees until you make it back to the Pueblo Day Use Area. 

This was an amazing park that I plan to visit again when wildflower season really gets under way in March. Apparently, the best trail for seeing flowers is Stile Ranch Trail--so I already have my game plan for a return visit!