[mudworm]

I'm a little anxious about the ride because it'll be my first time there, but I am very excited too.

Does anyone have any suggestion for a 30mile (give or take) loop route that is not dangerously technical? Hmmm, what do I mean by that? Let's say, no more technical than Downieville?

I've heard rattle snake sightings at Coe. How do you watch out for them, and how do you go around them -- slowly or as fast as you can? Is there any firstaid light and small you can bring in case of a snake bite? Or, am I worrying too much? Please tell me I am worrying too much. :blush:

Anything else I should know about Coe?

 

[Old Dawg]

Endurolytes.....and lots of em.

At least I need em for long all day rides......They keep me from getting those horrible leg cramps later in the day (or at least at a manageable level).

OD

 

[mudworm]

Oh, right, that reminded me another question -- Is there any water, that does not need filtration, for refill en route?

 

[chucko58]

There are a handful of springs scattered around Coe but I suggest a filter or chemical purification just in case. You'll definitely need a filter or chemicals for the ponds.

 

[CHUM]

don't worry about rattlesnakes, pigs, cougers, rabid turkeys, etc......

do worry about bonkage, heat stroke, dehydration, getting lost........

some tips:
start early
bring a map (no schitt....bring a map)
filter or purification tablets
food....both real & yummy, and "riding" food
electrolytes....as stated before....take on schedule

30 miles at coe can be pretty harsh...the whole park is up or down.....but mostly up.....the only real technical riding is thru creek beds, some steepy sections, and a couple of areas on middle ridge.

there are some peeps here who basically live there every weekend...they're nutty....i'm sure they will chime in with a good loop......but from memory there's like a 26 miler from the Hunting Hollow that takes you out to Middleridge and back.....something like 6000 footies????? It's really a pretty nice ride

Have Fun....just go there prepared......once you're out on the trails you'll understand why.....no buildings.....roads.....power lines.....it's freakin' awesome

 

[singlespeed.org]

Most of Coe is not as technical as Downieville, but it has a lot more climbing. As such, 30 miles in Coe is a long ride. I think you may be able to do 10k feet of climbing in 30 something miles.

One way to do 30 miles and have potable water in the middle is start at the Gilroy end and ride up to the Park HQ (where there is water), then ride back. I've one this as a type of loop before. It is an all day epic for those who are in shape.

In my mind, Coe season is ending, not to restart until fall. It just gets too hot out there for me.

 

[Wideside66]

Like Chum said. Bring a map!
You can buy one at Coe head quarters or at Sunshine Bicycles in Morgan Hill off Monterey. The map also has suggested loops.
I usually ride about 10-15 miles out there. We can setup a ride and you can join. PM if interested

Rattle snakes usually wont bite people unless they are antagonized. First aid training says that snake bite kits don’t work. (I had first aid training last Monday) You have about an hour to get to a Hospital and you want to keep your heat rate as low as possible.

Definitely bring some tablets!

 

[Plim]

....but from memory there's like a 26 miler from the Hunting Hollow that takes you out to Middleridge and back.....something like 6000 footies????? It's really a pretty nice ride

Yup, HH-HQ and back is probably the best bang for your first-Coe-ride buck.

Start at Coyote Creek. This is two miles further down Gilroy Hot Springs Road past Hunting Hollow. No fee (nice), cuts out two road miles at beginning and end of the ride (good), but there is very limited parking (dang). If you don't get there early, you'll have to get creative with parking spots or just head back to Hunting Hollow.
Take Coit Road (fireroad). Starts just before and to the right of the bridge at the end of Gilroy Hot Springs Road.
Follow Coit Road until you hit Anza.
Right on Anza.
Right on Jackson.
Left on Elderberry Spring.
Left on Rock Tower.
Left on Domino Pond.
Straightish onto Cattle Duster.
Continue straightish/leftish on Coit Spring.
Right up a no-name trail (I think, might be Cross Canyon, don't remember if it's marked and if so what it's marked as) - the trail is very steep at first.
Right on whatever trail is there when the previous trail ends; you'll just have to ride slightly uphill 100 yards or so before you hit Coit Road.
Left on Coit Road to intersection with Mahoney Meadows.
Take Mahoney Meadows.
Left on China Hole Trail at the intersection of China Hole Trail, Lost Spring Trail, and Mahoney Meadows Road. China Hole is the leftmost trail - don't take Lost Spring.
China Hole Trail brings you down to China Hole.
Cross the stream and continue on China Hole Trail (up now, instead of down) on the other side. Climb a long time.
Eventually China Hole Trail hits Manzanita Point Road.
Go right on Manzanita Point Road. Stairstep up some short nasty climbs, then take a right on Flat Frog Trail.
Flat Frog hits Hobbs Road. Frog Lake trail would be a fun way to Middle Ridge, but is not bike legal, so go right on Hobbs Road and follow it until you hit Middle Ridge.
Right on Middle Ridge.
Follow Middle Ridge down. Say, "Wheeee!" at appropriate times.
Cross a stream or three at the bottom.
Turn left on Poverty Flat road.
Turn right on Creekside Trail. Hike-a-bike along the precarious "trail." It follows the creek, so you won't get lost. Watch for poison oak. This'll take you back to China Hole. Look for a trail to the left going uphill just before you get to China Hole. This'll cut out some crappy boulder climbs at the end of Creekside and put you on China Hole Trail.
Retrace your steps up the East side of China Hole Trail.
Turn right on Mahoney Meadows Road.
Left (uphill) on Coit Road when you hit it.
Turn right at Cross Canyon Trail. In about a hundred yards, turn left on a trail without a name or sign. The left turn is just after the first tree (or maybe second tree, but if it's second tree, both the trees are close together), and the tree used to have a streamer (and still might). You came up this way, so should be able to recognize it.
Turn left at the end of this trail onto Coit Spring Trail.
Turn right on Grapevine and follow it down until it hits Coit Road.
Left on Coit back to the cars (or for even more singletrack + climbing, take a left on Anza from Grapevine just before Coit Road).

Bring a map. Bring lots of food. Bring a water filter (or add a little out and back to HQ to refill your water supplies to the route above).

Another good ride that includes Middle Ridge but starts from HQ is this one: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/5199741
It's a little over 6000' of climbing, but not much more than 25 miles. Also has many "where the heck's the trail" moments. Write-up from when I last did it here: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=394016&highlight=coe+middle+ridge

 

[mudworm]

Thank y'all for the great information. I'll try to get hold of a map before the ride so I can study Plim's route suggestion. Man, I felt disoriented already just reading it. Maybe I should actually bring my cellphone, although it probably will turn out to be nothing more than dead weight out there.

 

[MtnBikerDan]

Go with a guide.

get a Map. Know how to read it. Bring a compass, and know how to use it with the map.

Water / hydration. Extra food 1-2 bars, extra handful of GORP etc....but don't overdo it.

Be prepared for Heat, SEVERE climbs and isolation. Limbo Spiders and Mtn Tamer quads were popular back in the day before compact mega range gearing for riding Coe.

bring typical epic gear. spare chain link, multi tool, spare tubes, bug juice. The ticks are rampant right now. a shell / space blanket just in case you get lost and benighted.

Coe is WILD and it's easy to get lost if you're not boonie savvy. The deep canyons can be disorienting. Map / Compass skills can save you.

Middle ridge to China hole and back out Manzanita - fairly straight forward and probably a good 1st ride. You'll be within 5 miles of HQ pretty much the entire time, though it won't feel like it.

Enjoy the experience, have fun, be safe.
Good luck

 

[BigLarry]

My Advice

In addition to what was said above:

Hang with Plim, Skyline35, or Plymmer or other Coe regulars on one of their rides out there. It'll be safer for you. Watch for a thread of a ride announcement.

Also, work your way up to a 30 mile ride, getting to know the park first. If you're intent on doing a long ride first time there, going from Hunting Hollow to HQ as suggested by Plim may be the best. Besides hitting nice singletrack, a second advantage of his route is that you can bail at HQ or HH if you run into trouble - you're going between two entrances and back.

You can purchase a map by mail at the address listed Henry Coe web site. They turn around your request in a day or two. And a GPS is useful if you know how to use it.

A cell phone will work on some mountain peaks. It's worth taking.

 

[Guest]

bring more water than you think you need , bring more food than you think you need, bring shoes you can hike in

be ready for a beautiful ride

 

[chudaman]

Bring Technu. Also, I would avoid Creekside if at all possible. It should serve as a warning anytime you see a route described as "precarious" and as as a "trail" (in quotation marks), or when it is shown on the map as a faint dotted line . The boulder climbing through poison oak while carrying my bike part was not what I considered to be "fun".

 

[d-bug]

Wow, if I was new to the area I'd be totally afraid of riding Coe after reading this thread. Maybe that's why no one ever goes there and we can have the park to ourselves. Good job guys :thumbsup: . Now I'll add my $.02.

-Plim's route is the BEST at Coe. Just over 34 miles in length.
-You should probably start by doing two small loops to see what Coe is like. Do the Anza>Jackson>Domino>Grapevine loop from HH first, then do the Flat Frog>Middle Ridge>China Hole loop from HQ. Once those have both been completed, you will have ridden about 80% of Plim's route. At which point you'll just need to ride the trails connecting the two loops.
-I have never seen a rattle snake at Coe in the 4 years I've been riding there, but apparently I almost ran one over a few weeks ago.
-As mentioned above, it's getting close to the end of Coe season for me, due to heat.
-Coe is not technical. There may be a few spots, and some tight switchbacks, but it's pretty much smooth.
-Lots of Poison Oak
-Lots of ticks
-Only clean water is at HQ, the rest should be treated/filtered.
-Bring gears, granny gear will become your best friend if it isn't already.
-You're gonna get wet crossing creeks.
-Spend many hours looking over the Coe map before you go, and bring one with you. Not every junction is signed.
-Have fun

 

[addictionms]

when are you planning to ride Coe, I might be talked into the flat frog, middle ridge, china hole loop on Saturday morning. I've done it a bunch of times, even once in the dark, so we will not get lost....

Jim

 

[Plim]

Bring Technu. Also, I would avoid Creekside if at all possible. It should serve as a warning anytime you see a route described as "precarious" and as as a "trail" (in quotation marks), or when it is shown on the map as a faint dotted line . The boulder climbing through poison oak while carrying my bike part was not what I considered to be "fun".

Heehee. That "trail" really made an impression on you. There are other "trails" out there that are even less like a trail, and I guess would need more quotation marks around them. Let me know if you want some tips on how to get to 'em.

I do try to be honest about what is more like a normal trail and what is a "trail" in my descriptions, and I don't recommend anything I wouldn't do myself, but there are definitely some, um, "interesting" experiences to be had at Coe. Nothing beats firsthand knowledge in determining whether a trail is acceptable to you.

If you want more detailed info on any trails, mudworm, ask away. If you're not set on a longer ride for your first Coe experience, you may want to take addictionms up on his guide offer. If you like all day epics that get close to 10k' of climbing, PM skyline35 and/or plymmer.

 

[ElHombre]

Like the others said. But don't get too intimidated. Coe is great, the perfect antidote for ATV-groomed trails everywhere. Even the rangers here are great. If you don't like ticks, snakes, creek crossings, hike-a-bikes, risk of dehydration, there are always spin classes .

As for these guys,

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you're more likely to get hurt in a freeway drive-by-shooting on your way to the trailhead etc.
They generally only give you grieve when you start poking them; and if you accidentally run over them you won't even notice (unless he'sd really fast and/or you're really slow).

 

[addictionms]

So, all this talk about Coe has convinced me I need to ride there, so Saturday, 7:30 am I am meeting a buddy at the Startbucks off East Dunne in Morgan Hill, we are going to do the middle ridge loop, figure 2.5 hours of ride time.

Everyone is welcome.....

Jim

 

[Doesn't Matter]

I think Coe should be its own sub-thread under NorCal.

It's that awesome, and inspires the longest threads I have ever read. It deserves its own space.

Can I get an "Amen!"

Side note: I swapped out chainrings here at work last night, then headed to HH for a ride with two others. We planned a short loop since we were short on light and nobody brought any. From Coyote Creek, we did Coit Rd > Spike Jones > Steer Ridge Road > Serpentine > Grizzly Gulch > Coit Rd and back. 1.5 hours, very quick, very nice.

Moral of the story: When re-attaching your rings, make sure they're on right. Halfway up Spike Jones, I kept dropping the small chainring. After the third drop, I got off and upon closer examination found out I put the small ring on backwards. I don't know about the rest of you, but doing Spike WITHOUT the small ring is not usually an option. Boy, was it pain. But I made it...

To quote Al Gore (internet inventor): "That which does not kill you only makes you stronger, and a better biker."

 

[psmithm]

Plim's ride is great -- and I think its under 30

Plim's ride described above IS great! Its the only Coe ride I've done so I can't compare it to other Coe rides. It kicked my ass up and down all day but I'd do it again in a second. We saw way more backpackers than bikers that day, which was different. A lot of day-hikers too (though Plim says that was an unusually high amount)

It took us about 8 hours but man, we are slow, except for Plim, who patiently waited for us at every turn (man he was well-rested that day). It was that unseasonably hot weekend in mid April (you know the one, right before the temperature dropped twenty degrees). Mid-upper 80's I believe. Wouldn't ever want to do that ride if it was hotter (though we started late, like about 10:00am).

Oh yeah, the point of this post, I think it was about 26 miles and about 5000 (or maybe 6000) feet of vertical. More than my sorry ass is used to riding but it was doable. :thumbsup: