Things to do in the Bay Area: Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve Hike

The Coyote Space Open Preserve is a great place for hikers of all levels. The staging area is a good place to park your car, and there are several easy hikes you can take. Here are some tips for hiking Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve hike.

Staging Area

The Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve hike staging area is off of Palm and Santa Teresa Ave in Morgan Hill. It’s about 15 minutes from San Jose and just off the major 101 freeway. The Santa Clara Open Space Authority acquired the land which was just down the road from a proposed Cisco campus in the 1990s.  The Coyote Valley for the most part is undeveloped with lots of farmland and hills.

The staging area is at the very end of Palm Ave. On this road, I swerved to avoid hitting a squirrel. Watch out for little critters scampering around on the roads, they are everywhere.  Anyway, the staging area has parking, bathrooms, and a sign that maps out the trail.  We were met by a park ranger who explained that you can start at either end of the trail and end back up at the staging area.  She was one of two park rangers on site that day which was nice as they answered our questions.

Trail Details

We found the trail to be moderate with two separate steep climbs. There are a few benches sprinkled throughout and you might share the trail with horses (watch out for the piles!) Our brisk pace meant that we did the entire trail in about 2 hours, starting off with overcast skies but ending in bright sunshine. Bring water and a hat, once the sun starts blazing, many parts of the trail are in direct heat.

The Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve hike is a gorgeous space and a nice respite from the bustling Silicon Valley and I’m excited to take the girls out to explore it.