Santa Teresa County Park



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Coyote Peak


Rainbows & Waterfalls 2000
 


Introduction
 


Location
 


Features
 


Wildlife
 


Trails 1
 


Trails 2
 


Future
Hopes


The Hidden Springs Trail at the Pueblo Area, leading up to Coyote Peak in the background

Coyote Peak, the high point of Santa Teresa Park, provides the best view of the park and the southern Silicon Valley. There are several trails up to Coyote Peak. The most popular way up is to park at the Pueblo day use area, at 600 feet, then hike the remaining 500 feet up the Hidden Springs Trail to the Coyote Peak Trail. The most challenging way is from the valley floor entrance to the narrow winding Ohlone Trail, the moderately steep Coyote Peak Trail, and the very steep Boundary Trail, with a total altitude gain of 900 feet. The peak can also be reached by the longer, but more gradually ascending Rocky Ridge Trail.
 

Spring View from Coyote Peak, looking south, with the IBM Silicon Valley Lab property in the foreground, Coyote Valley, Morgan Hill in the distance

Near the top of the peak is a huge antenna tower with maintenance buildings and a water storage tank, both fenced off from public access. At the very top is a gravel path circling the summit, with benches for resting and taking in the incredible 360-degree view. Most of the park, the Blossom Valley, IBM's Almaden Research Center, the hills of Almaden Quicksilver County Park, and parts of the Almaden Valley are easily seen nearby. If you live, work, or go to school in the area, there's a good chance you can see your house, job, or school from here. On very clear days, you can see Mt. Tamalpais in Marin and the skyscrapers of downtown San Franciso and Oakland. Usually you can see downtown San Jose, the Pruneyard Towers, the hangars at Moffett Field, and the Coyote Hills near Fremont. To the east, observatory dome-topped Mount Hamilton towers above the wall of the Diablo Range. Even though it's 3 times higher than Coyote Peak, it seems like you're looking straight at it. You can also see other peaks to the north on the Diablo Range, such as Monument Peak and Mission Peak. Looking south, you look down the narrow, mostly undeveloped Coyote Valley, all the way to Morgan Hill and Gilroy. Tree-lined Coyote Creek, with its many percolation ponds, flows along the east side of the valley. The Coyote Creek Golf Club, along Coyote Creek, remains green while the rest of the valley dries up in the summer. To the west,. Mt. Umhunhum, with its stovepipe hat, and Mt. Loma Prieta, bristling with antennas, dominate the steep, dark green ridge of the Sierra Azuls. The hills just to the south across the park boundary line are the undeveloped lands belonging to IBM surrounding their Silicon Valley Lab on Bailey Avenue. The hills, which block the view of the lab, are leased out for ranching, and cattle can often be seen grazing on the slopes. Other lands in this area are used for ranching, farming, or are reserved for future development. The hills surrounding Calero Reservoir County Park, though not the reservoir itself, are visible to the southwest. Green strips along the hills there belong to Cinnabar Hills Golf Course across from the south end of Calero Reservoir.
 
Here are links to webpages with more pictures of Coyote Peak:

Spring View from Coyote Peak, looking northwest, view of the park and the Santa Teresa Hills

Created 9/17/99, updated 10/22/14 by Ronald Horii