May 2, 2017
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Etymology Coyote Peak |
Story | Photos / Slideshow | Map | GPX | Profile | |
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Coyote Peak previously climbed Feb 1, 2009 Coyote Peak later climbed Jul 24, 2023 Trench Hill later climbed Jul 24, 2023 |
I parked my bike at the trailhead on San Vicente Ave in Almaden Valley and hiked about six miles over the course of several hours. Most of the trails are also open to mountain bikes which appear to be popular here. I was happy to find the hills are still mostly green in early May which is most unusual - much thanks to a drought-ending rainy season this year. The air was fairly clear as well, with fine views of the surrounding highpoints - Loma Prieta to the south, Mt. Umunhum to the southwest, Mt. Hamilton to the east. Only to the north overlooking the South Bay and the Santa Clara Valley could there be seen a thin layer of smog. Poppies and other flowers are still in bloom and there was water running in several small creeks that I passed over. The summit is located in the brush just off the small loop trail at the top, the radio and water tower installations nicely relegated to lower spots on the south side of the summit. There are a number of view benches placed along the trails including two near the summit, providing some nice opportunities to while away some time lost in thought with great views. On my way back I noted that the park map I carried showed a Trench Hill, so I made a short detour to visit its trailless summit. Unfortunately the grasses have started to seed heavily and my shoes picked up all sorts of stickers and such which took some time to remove later. Not really good views from the flat summit area which might have been better called Thistle Hill. With an hour of biking on either side of the hike, the whole outing came in at something over 4hrs, a most enjoyable way to spend a morning...
This page last updated: Tue May 2 17:48:27 2017
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