Hiking Around Gilroy
By Larry J . Mickartz
Gilroy is unique in that it is surrounded by green space , wondrous hills and forests . And springtime is a great time to enjoy the abundance of opportunities to view the beauty of nature that our county , state and national parks afford — all within a relatively short distance .
To get a good feel for the breadth of the areas offerings , we contacted two veteran hikers . Our first contact was with Ron Erskine , hiker extraordinaire and author of many articles ( featured in the Gilroy Dispatch , Morgan Hill Times and Hollister Freelance ) about hiking locally as well as throughout California . Ron also offers corporate team building and adventure hikes . Visit him on line at RonErskine . com or his blog at WeeklyTramp . com . Always a lover of the outdoors , Ron has hiked and backpacked all his life . He qualifies his “ local favorites ” by the convenience of being able to get to them and if they have what he calls “ spectator value .” While the micro world may be fascinating , Ron prefers the macro world of big views and sweeping panoramas .
Ron has been involved with the Pine Ridge Association for some 22 years . The association is made up of volunteers who contribute about 20,000 hours of support annually to Henry W . Coe State Park . Ron notes that he became fascinated with the expanse and beauty of Coe Park soon after his move to this area from Mill Valley .
So , Coe Park seems like a good place then to start our journey through some of his favorite trails .
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