Photo Tour: Henry W. Coe State Park
Presented by Mindbird Maps & Books | Coe HomeLos Cruzeros · Eagle Pines & Northern Willow Ridge · Miller Field · Poverty Flat & Jackass Peak · Manzanita Point · Western Poverty Flat Road · Corral, Forest & Springs Trails, Arnold Field · Middle Ridge & Little Fork Coyote Creek · Middle Fork Coyote Creek · Southern Blue Ridge · Hat Rock & Rock House Ridge · Mt. Sizer & Black Oak Spring · Thomas Addition · Northern Blue Ridge · Upper Camp & Mexican Flat · The Short Cut · Skeels' Meadow · Deer Horn Spring · Frog Lake · Summit of Pine Ridge · Coe Headquarters · East Dunne Avenue
Coe Headquarters
Coe headquarters barn and garage.
11 September 2005.
Photograph copyright © Gena Zolotar.
Used with permission.
Coe Headquarters with light snow.
The barn in the center of the photo dates back to the late 1800s,
before the Coe family bought the property.
before the Coe family bought the property.
Ca. late winter, 1990.
Photograph copyright © by Lee Dittmann.
Fog spilling over Cordoza Ridge into Soda Springs Canyon.
Viewed from behind the visitor center.
28 December 1996. 7:41 am.
Photograph copyright © by Lee Dittmann.
The campground at Coe Headquarters. There are 19 drive-in sites here. The image shows part of campsite 19 (in foreground), and campsite 18 (with table under ramada in back). The sites are considered primitive, that is they have no hookups, but they do have piped water, fire-rings and picnic tables. Most sites are not shaded by trees. Young trees and shrubs were planted beginning in the fall of 1992 and some of them now exceed 20 feet in height—but they provide more screening than shade. It could take until 2015-2020 before much of the campground would be considered shady. Restrooms with flush toilets and showers have been recently constructed.
Visible in the background are ponderosa and gray pines, canyon live, coast live, and valley oaks, and California laurel. The very round oak in the middle of the picture at the edge of the campground is a particularly fine specimen of canyon live oak.
2 July 2004.
Photograph copyright © by Dave Hildebrand. Used with permission.
Coe Headquarters campground from Manzanita Point Road.
Santa Cruz Mountains on the horizon.
This more recent image shows the aforementioned planted trees and shrubs having grown much larger, and providing more screening between campsites. The prior image was taken from a point about 5 degrees to the left of the red vehicle seen in this picture, looking in the opposite direction.
9 May 2004.
Photograph copyright © Gena Zolotar.
Used with permission.
Campground viewed from Hobbs Road.
12 March 2005.
Photograph copyright © Gena Zolotar.
Used with permission.
The view north from the campground.
1 May 1978.
Photograph copyright © by Lee Dittmann.
Coe Headquarters campsite 5; fog spilling over from Santa Clara Valley.
21 March 2004.
Photograph copyright © by Gena Zolotar.
Used with permission.
Campsites 4-7 on a late winter day.
Site 4 is at foreground right, 5 in the center, 7 below and to the right, and the table
for campsite 6 down the hill by 7 is partly hidden behind the trunk of camp 5's oak.
for campsite 6 down the hill by 7 is partly hidden behind the trunk of camp 5's oak.
These are the only sites in this campground that you can not drive close to; the parking
area is above campsite 4. They are also the most isolated of the 19 sites.
area is above campsite 4. They are also the most isolated of the 19 sites.
Photograph copyright © by Gena Zolotar.
Used with permission.
The new restroom-shower units, with black vents looking like little
factory smokestacks.
factory smokestacks.
Campsite 8 at right. Perhaps in the future, the park will get some shrubs
planted to screen the restrooms better; or enough coyote brush will sprout and be
allowed to flourish that the visual impact is reduced.
planted to screen the restrooms better; or enough coyote brush will sprout and be
allowed to flourish that the visual impact is reduced.
19 December 2007.
Photograph copyright © by Gena Zolotar.
Used with permission.
Used with permission.
Lower middle portion of the campground, driveway of site 8 in the foreground,
site 9 in the middle, site 14 at middle left.
site 9 in the middle, site 14 at middle left.
Planted in the campground for shade and screening are ponderosa pines; coast live, blue, canyon live, valley, and California black oaks; California buckeye, California laurel, chaparral coffeeberry, blue elderberry, holly-leaf redberry, and toyon. The native pioneer shrub coyote brush has also been allowed to grow, and serves along with the others to help screen the sites from one another. All of the plants used are from locally native stock, most sown from seed collected on or near Pine Ridge. Others were transplanted as seedlings from the path of trails or, in the case of all of the ponderosas, from the top of Pine Ridge where they would have been destroyed by a prescribed burn. The intent is that when these trees and shrubs mature, it will not be obvious at all that they had been planted.
Meanwhile, ramadas like the two seen in this image serve to provide shade over the tables at most of the sunnier sites.
2 July 2004.
Photograph copyright © by Dave Hildebrand. Used with permission.
Similar view to prior image, with campsite 14 at center and 9 at right, viewed from parking area of campsite 8. At left and right foreground are California buckeyes. Hobbs Road can be discerned ascending the hill in the right background.
20 February 2005.
Photograph copyright © Gena Zolotar.
Used with permission.
Campsites 10 (at right) and 11.
This is one of the few portions of the campground that had mature trees (blue oaks)
large enough that ramadas were not needed for shade—at least for sites 11 and 12.
Site 10 gets the direct sunlight during the warmer months when this is unwelcome.
large enough that ramadas were not needed for shade—at least for sites 11 and 12.
Site 10 gets the direct sunlight during the warmer months when this is unwelcome.
19 December 2007.
Photograph copyright © by Gena Zolotar.
Used with permission.
Used with permission.
Campsite 15.
An intimate site off to the side with mature trees on two sides, best for small
to medium-sized tents or small campers.
The trees with yellow leaves are California black oaks.
to medium-sized tents or small campers.
The trees with yellow leaves are California black oaks.
19 December 2007.
Photograph copyright © by Gena Zolotar.
Used with permission.
Used with permission.
View southeast from northwest end of Headquarters Campground.
Cordoza Ridge is in middle distance, the Santa Cruz Mountains beyond that,
and the Gabilan and Santa Lucia ranges on horizon.
The sign on fence is for visitor safety: The large old valley oak
(limbs upper left) dropped a major trunk ca. 2001, which might have killed a camper
had she been in her tent!
(limbs upper left) dropped a major trunk ca. 2001, which might have killed a camper
had she been in her tent!
25 January 2003.
Photograph copyright © by Teresa Miller.
Used with permission.
The upper end of the Headquarters campground, with ramadas visible for sites 19, 1, 2, and 8 (from left to right). Signs in middle foreground read "Vehicles stay on pavement", "no wood gathering", and "no fireworks".
2 July 2004.
Photograph copyright © by Dave Hildebrand. Used with permission.
Planted hedge-like strip between campground entrance and exit roads, below
the historic metal barn.
the historic metal barn.
This planting was something of an afterthought of the campground planting project.
Whether from salvaging young plants from the paths of trails or by seed propagation,
we had obtained more chaparral shrubs than was appropriate to plant in a campground
where there were fire rings. This median strip was chosen for their home since
a water line is located beneath and large trees and water lines can be incompatible;
and because the shrubby habitat would provide shelter for quail, rabbits, and other
small wildlife that campers would enjoy seeing.
Whether from salvaging young plants from the paths of trails or by seed propagation,
we had obtained more chaparral shrubs than was appropriate to plant in a campground
where there were fire rings. This median strip was chosen for their home since
a water line is located beneath and large trees and water lines can be incompatible;
and because the shrubby habitat would provide shelter for quail, rabbits, and other
small wildlife that campers would enjoy seeing.
The red-berried shrubs are toyon, the greyish-leaved ones are big-berry manzanita,
and the dark green shrubs are holly-leaved redberry. Self-sown coyote brush grows
at lower left and across the road at right. The huge specimen valley oak next to
campsite 1 is at right.
and the dark green shrubs are holly-leaved redberry. Self-sown coyote brush grows
at lower left and across the road at right. The huge specimen valley oak next to
campsite 1 is at right.
19 December 2007.
Photograph copyright © by Gena Zolotar.
Used with permission.
Used with permission.
This page last revised 3 August 2010.
Henry W. Coe State Park, California
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