Santa Teresa County Park
Hike Review:
I hiked from the archery range to the Ohlone, Boundary Line, Coyote Peak, Ridge, Hidden Springs, and then back via the Ohlone Trail.
I attempted to hike the Rocky Ridge Trail, but it was closed due to a seasonal trail closure.
The Ohlone Trail was a single track trail that was incredibly photogenic. I had hiked a tiny part of this trail 10 years ago and was disgusted by the sheer amount of dog poop on the trail, but today, I didn’t see even one. Less than half the trail had trees, but the weather was pretty perfect for a hike, and the sunshine was nice.
Boundary Line, Coyote Peak, Ridge, and Hidden Springs Trail were all double track trails without much shade. Some of the parts of the trail were very steep and good for getting back into shape. I had to be careful on the way down to not slip and fall on these steep sections.
I spotted cows, turkeys, and condors on the trail. It was mating season for the ants, and there were tons of male ants flying around on the trail, and then landing on me as I passed by. None of them bit me, but I did brush them off me.
I didn’t see too many cow dung on the trails, which I found surprising, given how this park usually is.
Because I hiked in the middle of a working day for most people, I barely saw anyone hiking. Just a few couples on the Boundary Line trail. I even had Coyote Peak solely to myself.
Media Consumed
The Power of the Dog
What Happened?
6.9 miles, 2 hr 40 mins, 1501 ft of ascent
My wonderful employer gave everyone today off, so I decided to go for a little hike before I had to pick my girls up from school. While I had hiked parts of Santa Teresa County Park plenty of times, I had not completely hiked this section of the Ohlone and Coyote Peak Trail. I had also had never set foot on Boundary Line or Ridge Trail.
I found myself in a relaxed mood, which meant that I went slow and took a lot of pictures. I was in a good mood since the sun peeked through the clouds; I hadn’t seen the sun in a couple of days.
The first two miles up to the peak took my breath away, but once there, I found a nice breeze and just about the perfect view of San Jose proper. I then headed west to the Rocky Ridge Trail, but found it closed. I was bummed, but hiked back to the peak to find another way down that would maximize the number of new trails for me.
The way down was just as relaxing as the start of the hike. And I ended the hike excited about what I’m usually excited about—food!