Читать книгу 101 Hikes in Northern California. Exploring Mountains, Valleys, and Seashore онлайн

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In September 2007, a large wildfire scorched 40,000 acres within Henry Coe, including most of the park’s eastern half. Known as the Lick Fire, the conflagration reached the northern edge of this hike; evidence of the blaze is readily apparent today in several spots. The damage was not cataclysmic—most of the park’s oak trees survived the blaze—but trails and large swaths of the landscape were significantly affected in the burned areas. Wildfires are a natural part of the park’s ecosystem, and the backcountry is rapidly recovering, a process on full display in the areas north of Poverty Flat and Los Cruzeros Trail Camps.

The Hike begins from the main park entrance, cruises along diverse Pine Ridge, and then plummets more than a thousand feet to a year-round swimming hole in Coyote Creek. After winding through the Narrows, a thin creek-carved gap, the hike reaches idyllic Los Cruzeros Trail Camp along the babbling creekside. The journey returns via Poverty Flat Road, winding over the open hillsides of Jackass Peak, passing Middle Fork Coyote Creek, and then climbing steeply back up Pine Ridge. The hike can be shortened by more than 2 miles by using Creekside Trail between Poverty Flat and China Hole on Creekside Trail.