By Bryan Beck
Earth Day is this Sunday! And the best way to spend it, is seeing the beautiful piece of Earth we have right here in Coyote Valley.
If you are traveling by car, Coyote Valley is really quite small. On 101, if traffic is moving well, you’ll pass through it in about 9 minutes. To see the valley better, take Santa Teresa Boulevard and Hale Avenue. They’re the same road –Santa Teresa north of Scheller Avenue, and Hale south of it. From there, you can easily reach many of the sites on the map.
If you enjoy bicycling, the 19-mile Coyote Creek Trail from Hellyer County Park south to the Anderson Lake Visitor Center is one of the Bay Area’s best cycling trails. It’s paved, flat, and scenic as you pass through much of Coyote Valley. You can also take side trips from it to many of the locations on the map. Most of the Coyote Valley roads are rural with light traffic. Exceptions are Monterey Road and Santa Teresa/Hale in commute hours.
To the west, the Sierra Azul open space preserve and surrounding areas have several popular (and challenging) roads for cycling. If you’re looking for a maximum challenge, there’s the 7.1 mile climb of Hicks and Mt. Umunhum roads to the summit, with an average slope of 7.7% and one stretch of 18%.
Some places to stop:
- Spina Farm Stand, at Bailey and Santa Teresa — by bike, a great rest stop with food and drinks available. By car, a great place to buy fresh farm products.
- Ogier Ponds — in the right season, can have great bird watching. The bike path goes right by it. Access by car may be restricted, depending on the state of repairs following the 2017 storms.
- Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve, at the western end of Palm Avenue — trails are open to hikers, equestrians, and bicycles. You’ll need a mountain bike here, as the steep unpaved trails are not suited to road bikes.
- Coyote Ranch — on Coyote Ranch Road, a little south of Metcalf. The bike path goes right by it. An old ranch, it is now used as an event venue. The Committee for Green Foothills had our 2017 Nature’s Inspiration event here.
If you want to see more of Coyote Valley, make sure to visit our Interactive Map!
Make a difference.
Teach your kids that they can make a difference. We’ve got plenty of opportunities for families to spread the wordabout the importance of protecting Coyote Valley. All volunteers receive a free t-shirt and hat!
We invite you to explore everything Coyote Valley has to offer to people of all ages. Enjoy this regional treasure — it’s your open space!