Hunting Hollow at Henry Coe (Spring):
A Nature Lover’s Paradise
by Michael Hawk
Hunting Hollow is nature lover’s paradise. Located in the South County east of Morgan Hill, it is a perfect place to bird without the crowds. Even if the parking lot looks full, trail conditions should still be peaceful. The broad trail takes you along a riparian corridor among oak woodlands and meadows, complete with stream crossing and vernal pools. The route covered here ends at a pond that occasionally has Wood Ducks and other surprises.
Trip Covers: April - June
Key Birds: California Quail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Western Wood-Pewee, Warbling Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Black-headed Grosbeak
How to Bird
Henry Coe State Park is a huge 87,000 acre park that boasts many trails and an expansive backcountry, including 22,000 acres of true wilderness. The Hunting Hollow entrance is less visited and more isolated than the main entrance. This field trip takes you along the Hunting Hollow Road trail in a 3.35 mile round-trip, relatively flat out-and back route, taking you through oak savannah, oak woodland, small grassland meadows, and riparian habitats. The route ends at a small pond - but be sure to check the “Ready for More” section for options to explore further!
A typical creek crossing with strategically placed stones to keep your feet dry. Depending on how much winter rain we’ve had, these crossings will slowly dry up from April through June. Michael Hawk
I became enthralled with this area last year when many of our county parks and open spaces became exceptionally busy during the pandemic. I sought refuge and solitude, and Hunting Hollow delivers! It is a naturalist's dream, with vernal pools full of Sierran Tree Frog tadpoles, diving beetles and dragonfly larvae, amazing butterfly diversity, galls, lichen, and more!
The Hunting Hollow Road Trail follows Hunting Hollow creek, which is a seasonal tributary to Coyote Creek. In the spring, be prepared to cross the shallow creek multiple times, though usually there are stones strategically placed to aid you. Creek crossing may be more difficult following heavy rains, so be prepared and be careful. By summer, or earlier in dry years, the creek will no longer be flowing, but vernal ponds may remain.
Important: Large stretches of this route have no shade, so be sure to take plenty of water and sun protection.
NOTE: Due to the extreme rainfall deficit in 2020-2021, as of April 11 2021 many of the creek crossings are already dry. By comparison, these same crossings didn’t go dry until mid-June 2020.
From the parking area, be prepared for immediately birdy conditions, especially if you arrive early. The dense vegetation and confluence with Coyote Creek make for good habitat for Spotted Towhee, House Wren, and Bewick’s Wren. I often hear Northern Flickers vocalizing as well. Pacific-slope Flycatcher’s “Chew-eee” calls might greet you as well. And get used to the “Chi-ca-go, Chi-ca-go” calls from the California Quail! You’ll be hearing and seeing many quail throughout the hike - I’ve seen over 100 on multiple occasions.
California Quail. Michael Hawk
Next, head down the main Hunting Hollow trail. Along the trail there are several branching trails that take you into the oak-strewn hills. But we’ll be staying on Hunting Hollow for now.
As you proceed you’ll see giant Western Sycamores, indicative of the riparian corridor, as well as a few Gray Pines (aka California Foothill Pine) away from the water. Almost immediately you’ll have your first creek crossing, though this is usually the first to dry in the spring. Just past this crossing is another good spot for House Wren, as well as Oak Titmouse and Chestnut-backed Chickadee. California Towhee pairs will likely be contact calling with their single-note, high pitched “chip” call all along this initial stretch of trail.
House Wrens nest near the trail. Note that Bewick's Wrens are also in the area. The House Wren, as seen here, has much more color barring and doesn’t have the dramatic white supercilium that the Bewick’s has. Michael Hawk
Continuing along Hunting Hollow, just past the trail junction to Willson Camp on your left, there will be a windmill on your right. There is a picnic table under some trees near the windmill, making it a nice spot to sit and observe. If you haven’t noticed them already, you’ll probably hear the maniacal “laughter” call of the numerous Acorn Woodpeckers in the area. Scan dead limbs in the trees for Acorn Woodpeckers managing their granaries full of acorns. And take note - despite their name, they are also skilled flycatchers! You might see them sally out from a perch and catch an insect mid-flight!
As you continue down the trail there will be generally denser vegetation to your right, and hills with sparser oaks on your left. At times the vegetation will regress further from the trail, giving way to clearings where you might see White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows foraging on the ground, sneaking into the clearing a little. These sparrows migrate away in April, so don’t expect to see them later in spring. Western Bluebird frequent the clearings, and you’ll see and hear many California Scrub-Jay and occasional Steller’s Jay taking advantage of the transitional areas between meadow and woodland. In April you may spot a Hermit Thrush along the path next to the Gooseberry bushes. Red-shouldered Hawk frequent the trees on the hills, and don’t forget to look up for other soaring raptors!
California Scrub-Jays share this area with the sometimes louder Steller's Jays. Michael Hawk
With so much vegetation to the right, it’s likely you’ll hear occasional Pacific-slope Flycatchers with that “Chew-eee” call mentioned earlier. Black-headed Grosbeak and Orange-crowned Warbler may occasionally be seen in places where the vegetation is closer to the trail. Warbling Vireo may be occasional (listen for its rambling song), along with Hutton's Vireo, though both become more numerous if you follow “option 1” in the Ready for More section. And listen for the quiet nasally whining of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers.
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, like many of the birds at Hunting Hollow, are frequently heard before they are seen. They have a quiet variable call that I think sounds like nasally whining. Michael Hawk.
This Hutton’s Vireo found an insect meal. In spring, Hutton's Vireo shares this habitat with Warbling Vireos and Cassin’s Vireos. Michael Hawk
After several creek crossings the hollow widens and opens a little, and you’ll reach a trail heading to your right. The sign wording has largely torn away. Head to the right, and stay right when the trail branches again a few feet later to head up a short hill to the “Fish Pond”. Approach slowly because any ducks on the pond are often skittish. This is a good place to scan for Wood Ducks, which I see about ¼ of the time. It’s likely that there will be Black Phoebe hunting, and several other birds visiting the area. I’ve seen a Belted Kingfisher here on a few occasions as well.
This pond is also special because it houses Western Pond Turtle, a species considered vulnerable largely due to releases of pet turtles into natural ponds, which lead to disease transfer and excess competition. Luckily these non-native species have not made it to this pond yet. The Western Pond Turtles can also be skittish, so scan the far banks for sunning turtles, and look for their heads peeking out of the water. And watch your step! I often see tiny Sierran Tree Frogs in the vegetation. And if that wasn’t enough, there are a handful of May and June days where the dragonfly activity is spectacular!
From here, you will re-trace your steps back to the parking lot. But note that the trail does go much farther, and if you are up for it, I think it is worth the walk. See the Ready for More section for details!
Ready for More?
Option 1: Continue down Hunting Hollow
Rather than re-trace your steps back to the parking lot, you can return to Hunting Hollow Trail and continue about 1.6 miles beyond the fish pond junction. You’ll ultimately reach a junction with Wagon Road trail heading uphill to your left. Along this route the woodland becomes denser and closes in on both sides of the trail. This can give better opportunities for some of the vireos, among others. Keep in mind that at the junction with Wagon Road Trail you are about 3.4 miles from the parking lot. There is a shaded picnic table just a few dozen feet up Wagon Road Trail (it is visible from Hunting Hollow), so now might be a good time to relax and refuel before heading back.
Option 2: Combine with Coyote Lake County Park for a Multi-day Birding Extravaganza!
I can easily spend 6-7 hours on Hunting Hollow and the side-excursions, not because it is strenuous, but because there are so many things to see in addition to the birds. Given the proximity to Coyote Lake County Park, another option to consider is camping at Coyote Lake and making that a “home base” for a couple days of birding. This would allow thorough birding of both Coyote Lake, using those field trips, and Hunting Hollow.
Interactive Map
Directions: From US-101 in Gilroy, exit Masten Ave. Travel east for approximately 1 mile towards the foothills. Turn right onto Center Ave, travel 0.4 miles, then turn left onto Rucker Ave. In 0.8 miles, turn right onto New Ave. Travel 1.6 miles then turn left onto Roop Rd. In 1.9 miles, turn left at the T-intersection and continue on Roop Rd for 1.3 miles. You’ll pass Coyote Lake County Park main entrance on your left. From here the road becomes Gilroy Hot Springs, and you’ll continue for 3.3 miles. Note that the road becomes narrow in places, requiring caution. The Hunting Hollow entrance is well marked on the right side of the road. Parking Lot Latitude/Longitude: 37.075939, -121.466547
Parking: Large dirt parking lot, not ADA.
Hunting Hollow parking lot as seen from the trailhead on a frosty early spring morning. Michael Hawk
Fees: Day-use parking fees. See the park website for more information. There is a self-service kiosk in the parking lot.
Public Transportation: No
Park and/or Trail Hours: The Hunting Hollow gate and parking area is open 24 hours a day, year round. You can arrive at the entrance and park any time of day or night.
Facilities: Three porta-potties, no water, no cell service. Picnic tables near trailhead and a few along the trail, as mentioned in the write-up.
Heads-up! The area has limited to no cell phone service. To print or download this guide before you go, select the text you want (don’t include the banner photo), then print to PDF, or use a free service such as printfriendly.com, which lets you shrink or remove photos.
Trip Mileage: 3.35 miles round-trip
Trail Conditions: Dirt trail is generally flat and wide, but has several shallow stream crossings. In dry years or by summer, the stream may be dry, but the crossings are generally rock and stone covered. The trail to the Fish Pond is a moderate incline, but short. There is very little shade on this route, so wear sun protection and take plenty of water. This area can also be very cold in early spring days - often 5 degrees colder than nearby Morgan Hill.
Accessibility: This trail, despite being generally flat and wide, is not accessible for wheelchairs due to the stream crossings, which even when dry, are covered with rocks and stones and often have steep, but short, declines and inclines. The parking lot offers good birding, as described in the How To Bird section, but wheelchairs would not be able to proceed more than a couple dozen meters on the trail itself.
Bikes: Bikes are allowed on Hunting Hollow trail, but not the short trail up to Fish Pond.
Dogs: Dogs are not allowed in this part of Henry Coe State Park. See the Henry Coe Park Dog Policy for more information.
More Information
eBird hotspot: Henry Coe SP--Hunting Hollow entrance
More Resources
For more trips like this one, visit Self-Guided Field Trips.
Visit the SCVAS Birding Resources page for more information on where to bird, our birding community, bird identification resources and more.
Read “What to Look for Now” by SCVAS Executive Director Matthew Dodder.
Banner Photo Credit: California Quail by Michael Hawk
Last Updated: 3/23/2022
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