Henrey Coe CA Trip Report

[JamesM]

Henry Coe State Park, CA
Four Day Solo Bikepack

3/31/16, Day One

The Fargo is loaded with three days of food and shelter and I depart Berkeley CA for Henry Coe State Park on a four day hunt for single track. The park is about 35 miles southeast of San Jose, the main gate sits at about 2600'.

I'm stoked to explore the park's trails and rough terrain on my first visit. Bikes are allowed on most of the land except Orestimba Wilderness Zone. There is allot of acreage to choose from, and I can only see a slice of what the park has to offer. I do not own a car so I also have to think about getting there and back on a bike - 77mi one way.

Day One

My plan is to
 - take BART from Berkley to SF, then CalTrain to Jan Jose.
 - Ride 35 miles of long, straight pavement and one long paved climb to the park gate.
 - Make camp just inside the park gates, then hit trails by next morning.

SF
BART delivers me to Embarcadero, and a short ride south puts me at the SF CalTrain station. the CalTrain bike car headed South at 2PM on a Thursday is basically empty. I spread out the most excellent map of the park by Pine Ridge Association and absorb the map for the 90 minute ride.

San Jose
The planned route was Coyote Creek Trail from San Jose to Morgan Hill until I heard about Santa Teresa Blvd: 27ish miles of long, flat and straight with a tailwind into Morgan Hill. The route does not disappoint - it was great fun and some pretty scenery.

Morgan Hill
At the foothills of Coe park and Pine Ridge Mts - Morgan Hill is a cool little town with a good bike shop. I grab a burger, fries, pop and a shake to fuel my climb to Headquarters (2250' in about 13 miles).

I am fed, watered up and climbing to the park gate by 6PM. The 28-36 granny takes me up the whole thing. Rounding Anderson Lake the sun is setting and I am enjoying the setting. I break out my flashlight and attach it to the bars with a strip of inner tube tied there.

Im trying to keep my heart rate moderate. I've read allot about Coe being pretty rough terrain, and my plan for endurance is to keep effort as moderate as possible for a long as I can.

The climb goes on and on. It is around 8PM and dark by the time I finally reach Headquarters and pay the Iron Ranger for 3 days of backpacking. Once out of the park's Western Zone, back country camping is allowed anywhere in the park.

I'm feeling pretty good about making the climb with energy to spare, but I know I have three more days of riding. I eat something and then prowl around the campground looking for a spot. It is full. I get lucky and spot a guy pulling out of his site. He tells me his group is going home tonight, and I am welcome to take over his spot! This is a good start to the trip.

The temps are mild, hitting the low 40's. I'm toting a double wall tent (4lbs) and 29 degree down bag so I am cozy. I wanted to shave a pound and go fast fly on the shelter but I did not know if I would be dealing with mosquitoes or maybe some rain. I felt the weight of mostly mesh inner was cheap insurance for this trip. I'm bushed and sleep pretty well!


4/1/16, Day Two

Headquarters
Up early to a full and noisy campground. There are families, couples, and I spot a few bikes as well. I pack up camp, eat breakfast and visit the visitor center. I chat with the two volunteers there. I ask if they have been into the back country and they say no, they hardly ever go over. I ask the likelihood of seeing any rangers in the backcountry - not so much, they say.

The volunteers press me for a few details about my trip and my bike, and when they learn I have a backpacking stove, dehydrated food and GPS tracker they relent. One of them says: "I wish I could do what you are doing." I find that odd and think: It is easy - just ride a bike over that hill there, and you are doing it! They remind me that ranger rescue is free, and wish me luck.

Plan for the day:
 - strip the bike and stash food and gear in the woods.
 - spend the morning exploring area single track
 - return to eat lunch and load the bike
 - ride to the next spot to make camp
 - repeat the next day

I make my stash and head to the popular Flat Frog / Middle Ridge single track loop:

 - Flat Frog Trail Northbound: aptly named, the single track is flat and smooth across the mountainside. This a great first trail for the trip. 2.3 easy miles end at Hobbs Road.

 - Hobbs Rd Northbound: Fire road climb of 1 mile and about 500' gain. It's a nice walk but would be a nasty climb in the sun. I save my calories and enjoy the walk.

 - Middle Ridge Trail: At about 2850' Middle Ridge trailhead appears on the right. This is a long single track descent of about 1650' in just shy of 4 miles. Some of it is smooth and flowing, and some of it is pretty technical. I pause at the top more than a couple steep rocky sections to consider my chances, but I ride the whole thing and manage to not fall off the bike. The 2.35 Racing Ralph up front is a little balloony but fun. Maybe a little less air will calm it down.

Middle Ridge ends where Coyote Creek forks and meets Poverty Flat Camps, at 1200'. I am at the bottom of a long climb back up to my gear, and my food. I break to eat my last snack and check time: about 1PM. I relax and spend some time at the creek fork - it is a beautiful setting and from the trail is a great overlook of the area. The sun is shinning, the sky is blue. This Is Nice. Getting going again, I try to ride across Coyote Creek but spin out and end up with wet feet. Whatever.

 - Poverty Flat Rd. and I'm off the bike. Ridiculous 1200' climb in 1.7 miles. At the top is Manzanita Road and a few miles of rolling fire road back to Headquarters.

By the time I retrieve my gear, eat and get loaded up, it is somewhere between 4 and 5 PM. My options for getting to another camp today before dark are dwindling with the daylight:

 - option A: I can tackle China Hole descent and maybe climb out the other side in the dark

 - option B: I can take it easy on myself and camp close by at Manzanita Point, and tackle crossing China Hole in the morning.

I decide to take it easy on myself and keep my elevation for the night at Manzanita Point (2321'), a couple of miles from Headquarters at the China Hole trailhead. This gives me a couple hours of daylight to chill, dry out my shoes and socks, and fall asleep in the sun. Perfect.

4/2/16 Day Three

Manzanita Point
Up and loaded early. Breakfast is oatmeal and cured meat. My plan for the day:
 - cross China Hole and get to Coit Horse Camp to stash my gear. (6.7 miles)
 - ride as much single track as I can
 - loop back to my gear and camp there for the night

- China Hole Trail westbound descent is a smooth and non technical descent on a well designed trail. It drops nearly 1200' in 2.6 miles. A nice ride, but being Saturday morning the trail is full of hikers. The trail ends with a crossing of Coyote Creek at the bottom. This time I stick and roll right across the creek. My feet are dry!

 - China Hole up the East side: 690' in 2.1 miles. This is not a terrible climb, but I walk some anyway. At the top I join Mohoney Road for some rooling fire road, then Coit Road drops me at Coit Horse Camp (1600').

Coit Camp
The camp is a deserted horse corral with a couple of picnic tables and a pit toilet. The setting is gorgeous with a small lush meadow across the road and beautiful twisted deadwood giving perch to some big birds of prey. My arrival scares off two huge birds that were surveying the meadow for lunch. I also see a group of 4 or 5 deer in the meadow as well, started by my arrival but not running away. There is a spring tank nearby with some algae and tadpoles. I am suspect but not sure where I will be getting my next water so I filter a couple liters to cook with and fill my bladder. A strip of electrical tape around the threads of the one liter platy bladder tightens the seal with the sawyer mini filter.

It is another gorgeous day and I eat in the sun while looking over the map and today's single track ride: a loop through Grizzly Gulch via Dexter Trail. I've read about the Dexter descent and definitely want to make it a part of this trip. And Grizzly Gulch is another long single track descent that just makes sense. The gulch is bordered to the North by Wasno Ridge and Jackson Field (2675'), and to the South by Steer Ridge and Wilson Peak (2650').  The toughest segment looks to be the return along Anza trail, and up and down traverse of the Western drainages of Wasno Ridge.

After chow I give the bike a once over: strip the cages from the fork and down tube, strip the seat pack and the handle bar bag. I give the drive train a going over and fiddle with tire pressure. I load the frame bag with a tube, tools, pump, bladder, snacks and a map. I throw in the lights. I stash my camping gear and food in the woods nearby, and am ready to ride by about 1PM.

Grizzly Loop:
 - Starting at Coit Horse Camp on Coit Rd (1600'), head South .25 mi. to Coit Spring Trail. Start picking my way up Jackson Canyon via Coit Springs Trail and Cattle Duster Trail. The trail is fairly exposed and grassy along the western ridges of Wasno. I climb and push about 600ft in 1.5 mi.

 - At the top, dip into Domino Pond Trail for a nice mile long detour through a tight single track alongside a creak bed terminating at Domino Pond. A short steep climb up to Wasno Rd, and the top of Dexter Trail is just a mile down the road.

 - Pause to take in Grizzly Gulch to the South from the little perch at the top of Dexter Trail (2421')

 - Dexter Trail to Grizzly Gulch Trail: Steep and rocky double track descent of 460' in .5 miles. This trail did not disappoint - super fun and fast descent. So good I did most of it twice when I had to go back to search for an ejected water bottle. Found it!

 - Grizzly Gulch Trail to Cullen Trail: At the end of Dexter, Grizzly Gulch trail flattens out and begins the single track traverse along the Southern slopes of Wasno Ridge. The trail slowly descends Southwest into the Gulch for about a mile, and then drops sharply toward the bottom. About half way down (520' in .5 mi) Cullen Trail appears on the right.

 - Cullen Trail to Anza Trail, Anza to Grapevine Trail - This is the part I would pay for the great descents: 2.6 miles of steep up and down single track that works its way around the mountain, wrapping back around to the West. I am chasing the sunset over each crag and ravine. Pretty fun!

Crossed a good looking creek near the end of Anza Trail and spent some time hydrating and filling bladders.  The filter is a hassle and slows me down, but I use it anyways.

Anza Trail ends at an intersection with Grapevine Trail and Coit Road. They both lead back to camp. Grapevine is hard, Coit is easy. There is maybe 20 minutes of daylight left. The choice is clear. Grapevine must be had.

 - Grapevine climbs 640' in 1.2 miles. Details are a blur. I am tired and it is mostly pushing now. The reward is a chill descent back down Coit Springs Trail, and right into camp. Didn't need the lights after all.

By 9PM or so I am setting up back at Coit Camp, eating dinner and looking forward to my large ass neo air.

4/3/16 Day Four

Coit Camp
Temps are mild again, but apparently too cold for mosquitoes. The end of March is turning out to be a wise choice for Coe. I could have used a 40 degree bag instead of the 29. The dew is heavy through the night and morning. The taffeta fly is soaked by morning. I hang my tent and sleeping bag on the corral fence to dry out in the sunrise and start to boil breakfast.

I am feeling the effects of three days of dehydrated food and snacks. My appetite is fading a bit and my stomach seems to be tightening. My lungs and legs are good to go, and I know I am staying hydrated, so I'm not sweating it. I'll pay a small price over the next week for abusing my stomach but that 2lb per day pack weight is worth it.

I take my time to work into the day. I have allot of ground to cover to get home tonight. I need to plan. I know that Caltrain does not run on Sundays, today. That means my next nearest extraction point is the Fremont BART station by midnight. 54 miles of pavement from the park's gate. Which is about 10 dirt miles away on the other side of China Hole.

I eat as much food as I can, roll up my dried out gear, slather on the sunscreen and start climbing Coit Road toward China Hole at 11AM. I have enough water to reach Coyote Creek at the bottom of China Hole where I can hydrate and fill my frame bladder for the climb up the other side to Manzanita Peak and Headquarters after that.

All is fine and well till my rear brake blows up on the China Hole descent. This is payment for not changing to new pads for this trip. I checked them before the trip and they had about 35% left. I knew I might need to change them in the field and packed extra pads. But when I pull the wasted pads out on the trail, the little retraction spring is mangled. Looks like it got caught between the worn pads and the rotor, shredding it. This is bad news because the pads I have do not include a retraction spring. Luckily I am able to Michelangelo the thing back into shape with a leatherman. But it takes me a long time. By the time a wrap up the whole operation and get moving again 2 more hours of daylight are gone.

I finish the descent to China Hole, water up at Coyote Creek, and begin the climb out. The west side of China Hole is a reasonable climb with smooth trail and well designed switchbacks. This is much nicer than pushing up Poverty Road yesterday. I try to keep the sun behind me as I head west out of the park.

Manzanita Point and Headquarters
I reach Manzanita Point hot and hungry.  There is a 500 gal water tank of potable water at the trailhead to water up. I look around and set up to fire up the last of my dehydrated food. I like this spot. Lovely place to take the family. In a car.

I realize I am basically done with the dirt at this point, and start to look forward to the paved ride home. After a short rest my legs and lungs feel great. My knees have not even flinched the whole trip. I think the squats are working. I am excited to ride home from a great trip.

I empty the trash. Each day's food pack contained 2800 cals and weighed two pounds. Including ditching 2 fuel canisters and other assorted crap, I am now about 8lbs lighter. Not counting any weight shed from my own ass on this trip. The revelate seat bag is scrunched up to a size so tiny that the straps are too long, and I use inner tube to compress it. I hang my blinky off the inner tube. Works great. I put a little air in the tires and check the bike over for the long ride home.

Pavement
I start the pavement descent into Morgan Hill at around 4PM. It's an unforgettable cruise 2200' down smooth pavement with minimal cars and great views. The heavy steel bike on big 29er tires rides great: fast and stable. I am digging riding the drop woodchopper bars all the way down.

Back in Morgan hill and it's chow time: burger, fries and a shake at my new favorite spot. I water up and look at the time: 6PM. Drat! - that brake really blew me up. My wife is gonna be Pissed! I text her the news. Radio Silence. Fuck. I pull out the Iphone and strap Gaia to my bars with an inner tube. I'm looking at this route and my time and starting to doubt myself here. If I don't make this train…what? Ride all night to work in SF? I don't think I packed a razor.

I decide I can make this bike do my bidding and find an easy rhythm right away. I'm ready for headwinds but there are none to speak of. My route initially uses Coyote Creek Trail northbound, a paved multi use trail connecting Morgan hill to Jan Jose, (about 18 miles I think?) 8 or 9 miles into a breezy hustle along the trail by bike light, Coyote Creek floods out the trail. I consider my chances crossing this thing: the other side looks about 25 feet away, and I can not see the bottom of the creek. In the dark. Alone. No thanks.

I turn around and find a spot to climb out onto a road that hooks up with the Monterey Highway. I head north on the smooth straight pavement, head down and hammer.  All the way to Fremont I ride straight pavement on a long gradual descent. I feel great with no pain and push hard. The bike hums and just sails along. I am loving this bike right now. I roll into BART station at 11:50 and buy my ticket home.

Conclusion
Late March is a great time to visit Coe.  The vegetation is lush but it is still early enough that the trails are not overgrown. I did see a fair bit of poison oak, but had no trouble with ticks or mosquitoes - probably because the nights were still chilly at around 40 degrees. The daytime temps were great around 70's, and it never got too hot in the open stretches.

The trails were great IMO, and the ability to camp anywhere with a $5.00 backpacking permit makes it easy to go deep with a lightweight camping set up. There was plenty of water available from moving creeks and springs. I am looking forward to my next trip to Coe - but I would not do it in the summer.