View of Calero County Park over the Reservoir on a dreary day .
Reservoir , about 19 miles out of Morgan Hill .
Another interesting trail close to town is the Coyote Creek Parkway , which starts at Cochrane Road and wanders all the way to Halyard Avenue in San Jose . The Parkway is distinctive for several reasons . One , it wanders through a variety of creek environments . Two , it is close and easily accessible from several spots along the way . Three , it can accommodate walkers , people on bikes and even horses . If one does not want to hike the Parkway up and back , drop one car at one of the northern parking lots and go back to Cochrane with the second car and start there . To start at Cochrane follow the signs at the far eastern end of Cochrane .
Coyote Lake / Harvey Bear Ranch County Park south-east of Morgan Hill covers 4,595 acres with a 635-acre lake . It offers a variety of outdoor activities including boating , tent and RV camping , picnicking , hiking , off-road biking and horseback riding . There are some 30 miles of marked trails . Two of Ron ’ s favorite hiking trails :
Mummy Mountain Trail near the south end of Coyote Lake offers spectacular views close to a high Sierra experience . Entrance : Mendoza Ranch Entrance off of Roop Road . And , Ed Willson Trail near the north end of Coyote Lake presents more tremendous views and a perch overlooking Coyote Dam . Entrance : Off Roop Road . Pay the day use fee for Coyote Lake and go to the last parking area at the north end of the lake near the spillway .
A new place worth checking out is Rancho Cañada del Oro in the County Open Space Authority just southwest of Calero County Park . This area was added in 2003 . Calero has two distinct areas , the reservoir for water-related activities and the back country for hiking and horse riding . Including the Rancho Cañada del Oro area , there are over 20 miles of hiking trails . The area offers some spectacular vistas up the Bald Peaks
Trail and as a new area , is more pristine . Entrance : West of Highway 101 Bailey to McKean to Casa Loma Road .
Speaking of new places , the new
348- acre Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve will open sometime in 2013 . The launching point is at the far western end of Palm Avenue north of Cochrane Road . Not long ago this property was slated for medium density homes . Now , it will become another open space area for hiking , biking and horseback riding right in Morgan Hill ’ s backyard . Long-term plans call for connecting trails to Calero County Park and the Rancho Canada del Oro Open Space Preserve .
For people looking for an ambitious hike , check out the combination of the Sprig , Rock Springs and Merry Go Round
Trails from Sprig Lake , a long , challenging and ever-changing trail . Both trails are in Mount Madonna County Park , which covers over 3,200 acres overlooking Gilroy on the east and Watsonville and Monterey Bay on the west . The park has camping , horse trails , and hiking . There also are many stunning coastal redwood groves throughout the park . Entrance : The east side of Sprig Lake is off Hecker Pass Highway , west of Gilroy and 11 miles from Morgan Hill .
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