We love camping here, its my new fav spot and close to san jose. Many sites available, wirh water…read morebut little shade

I can't express just how much I adore this park; it's easily my favorite in the entire Bay Area…read more The vastness of this place is awe-inspiring, and it's brimming with an abundance of stunning vistas. As for wildlife sightings, I've had some remarkable encounters. From playful turkeys to elusive wild pigs, even a rather startled Rattle Snake (don't worry, we kept our distance!), a coyote that seemed to be exploring its own adventures, graceful deer, and a bobcat that simply left me in awe. I've hiked on nearly every trail this park has to offer, and I just can't seem to get enough of it. It's one of those places where you want to return time and time again. The park's diverse beauty and its resident wildlife create an irresistible pull that makes every visit a unique and memorable experience. If you're a nature enthusiast, this park is an absolute must-visit!

I'm posting my review here too since there seems to be two Gilroy Welcome Center Yelp pages and I…read morehighly recommend coming here. I can't believe I'm saying this but this is a must stop if you're visiting Gilroy! The people we met were phenomenal - some of the kindest and most helpful. They told us what we could do and put us on all their "trails" (garlic, taco, and beer) with maps included! They also had a great selection of souvenirs and a fun photo op! Definitely a must when I'm visiting

Stopped at the Gilroy Welcome Center while in town and looking for a souvenir magnet for my fridge…read more I found exactly what I was looking for and I am glad that I visited them.

I've always had a peripheral itch to try polo (current hunter/jumper rider), and recently got a…read morerecommendation for this club from a friend. Within the first five minutes, I was sold. It felt intuitive, invigorating, more exciting than any sport I've tried in a long time. Urging my indefatigable pony, Nala, onwards to score our first goal felt as if I had found myself on a ferocious, beige little Pegasus. I already signed up for Polo Academy this spring! So stoked. The instructors were awesome, and I enjoyed the mini drills and scrimmage that we did during the lesson. Totally recommend

Long overdue post on my new favorite hobby at my absolute favorite place, South Bay Polo! I started…read moreout super cautious and being absolutely TERRIFIED of hitting my horse instead of the ball. Fran was patient with me and very understanding and so was everyone else at the club! Polo is usually considered a sport with a very high barrier to entry: typically most people think you need to be an avid equestrian, you need to be super athletic, you need to be crazy rich, you need to own multiple horses, and thats definitely not the case. South Bay is an incredibly welcoming, safe place to learn how to play polo. Fran has an excellent program called "Academy" where you'll be placed in a group of your peers who are also new to polo and you all learn the basics at a comfortable, stress free pace. No one is ever pushed to go faster than they are comfortable going and emphasis is placed on accuracy with the ball and safety ALWAYS safety first! Some people may think of polo and think SPEED but...as one of the pros say "theres absolutely no point in being the fastest to get to the ball if you don't know what to do with it once you get there!" Club members are absolutely wonderful and kind, always super patient with all my questions and super eager to help out. Some of the members are really all-stars competing in tournaments at levels I could only dream of, but when you surround yourself with players at that level they help you improve simply by watching them and interacting and practicing around them! You can always try out a private lesson first to see if polo is for you- it is very different from any other style of riding Ive ever done, the reins are held in your left hand and mallet with the right hand. But I promise you, the second you hear that perfect THWACK sound when you have your first connection with the ball you'll be addicted to it! (for the record I whiffed the ball maybe 10-20 times before ever actually getting a solid hit lol) I still have a very long way to go in my polo journey and I am super excited to have found a place that nurtures my growth!

Gilroy hot springs will plan to open summer 2021, they are still looking for volunteers and…read moredonations. You can donate at: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/reopen-gilroy-hot-springs-in-2021 They are currently closed to the public. Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs has a tea house and cabins. This is the only hot spring/ onsen in the Bay Area! Excited for the restoration and reopening of this mineral rich, history rich state treasure!

Gilroy Hot Springs has a long history in the Japanese American community. Article from Watsonville…read moreRegister-Pajaronian. September 8, 1945: HOSTEL SLATED FOR RETURNING JAPANESE AT GILROY SPRINGS "Hostel accommodations for servicemen and ex-servicemen and women of Japanese ancestry and their families will be made available through arrangements completed this week between the Presbyterian Home Missions board and the War Relocation authority for joint sponsorship of Gilroy Hot Springs, owned by Frank Sakata, formerly of the Pajaro valley and now of Oregon. The hostel will be taken over Sept. 15. ...The hostel will be available to Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara county Japanese." Only 3 stars because most sources say it's not presently open to the public, it is, however, part of Henry W Coe State Park.

Lots of green grass and wide open field! Has a playground and other play areas. Palm tree along the…read moreperimeter of park gives an island feel.

FINDING FLAT FROG TRAIL. My first visit ever to Henry Coe State Park was on my birthday, March…read more7th. My goal was to take the 6 1/2 mile loop trail, consisting of: (1) Flat Frog Trail, (2) Frog Lake Trail (a short connecting trail), (3) Middle Ridge Trail, and (4) Fish Trail. The parking lot is situated at the edge of Dunne Avenue. A one minute walk further along Dunne Ave. brings you to Coe Ranch Headquarters. About 50 feet east of Coe Ranch Headquarters is Corral Trail. Corral Trail takes you to Springs Trail, and Springs Trail takes you to a trail marker. The trail marker is at the branching point of three trails, Flat Frog Trail (to your left), Fish Trail (in the middle), and Forest Trail (to you right). The photo of me, with a tall dead tree behind me, was taken near this trail marker. Once you reach Middle Ridge Trail, you will find many bright red Indian Warrior plants. These plants are parasitic, and they acquire nutrients from roots of the bigberry manzanita. The only steep areas on the entire loop trail (described above) are on the parts of Fish Trail that descend into the valley to Coyote Creek, or that ascend out of this valley. FLAT FROG TRAIL and FROG LAKE. Flat Frog Trail follows the contour of the land, the trail loops out where a hillock of earth protrudes, and then loops back in, where there is a naturally occurring gulch. My photos show a manzanita where the outer covering of orange-colored bark includes areas of separation, where the orange bark separates from itself, and exposes the gray-colored wood under the orange bark. Where Flat Frog Trail meets Frog Lake Trail, you will encounter a trail sign (see, my photo) pointing to Frog Lake, to Middle Ridge Trail, and to Hobbs Road. Hobbs Road is named after Louis Hobbs and Estelle Hobbs, who were married in the year, 1904. Mr. Hobbs owned two saloons in San Jose. Eventually, in the year 1919, Estelle sold her homestead to Rhoda Coe. In 1953, the Coe family transferred their property to Santa Clara County, as a park to be used by the public and in 1958 the land was donated to the State of California. A dam resulted in the creation of Frog Lake. Before that, what was situated here was a spring called, "Boden's Spring," named after homesteader Henry Boden. The homestead claim was made in the year, 1886. PHOTOS ALONG FLAT FROG TRAIL & FROG LAKE TRAIL. (1) Tall gnarly tree near the trailhead to, Flat Frog Tr., Fish Tr, and Forest Tr.; (2) Me in front of the gnarly tree, holding a triangle rock with a white interior (resembling a Hostess Twinkie) surrounded by green mineral, probably serpentine; (3) Trailhead for the above three trails; (4) Grand vista of valley to east of Flat Frog Trail; (5) View from Flat Frog Trail of massive cliffs on Middle Ridge; (6) Huge manzanita near Flat Frog Tr.; (7) Tattered manzanita near Flat Frog Tr.; (8) Boulder next to Flat Frog Tr.; (9) Sign reading, CAUTION BICYCLE WALK on Flat Frog Tr.; (10) End of Flat Frog Tr. where sign points to Frog Lake Trail; (11) Orange lichen next to Frog Lake Trail; (12) Mossy stones by Frog Lake Trail; (13) Me standing next to Frog Lake, holding same triangle rock. REFERENCES ( 1 ) Teddy Goodrich (2005) Names on the Land. A History of Henry W. Coe State Park. ( 2 ) Robert J. Keiffer (2012) Indian Warriors Welcome Spring at HREC. University of California Hopland Research and Extension Center. ( 3 ) Michele Driggs (2013) The Record Searchlight. Redding, CA. ( 4 ) Toni Corelli (Botanist, Curator Emeritus of the Carl Sharsmith Herbarium) Plants That Like Hosts.

Beautiful scenery and very peaceful. This trail wasn't too busy on a Saturday afternoon. I would do…read morethis one again.

I brought my 10 year old twin grandson's to learn and ride. I highly recommend Jeanette because…read moreshe and her coworker were so patient with the boys and answered all their questions. Very professional.

Jeanette was amazing with my 5yr and 2yr. Wonderful experience, professional and so easy to work…read morewith. Everything we needed was provided and age appropriate.

This is the most thrilling attraction at Gilroy Gardens. We did have to wait almost an hour for it…read more(we went during holiday season), but since we're not locals it was a must to try at least once. It is themed after the mines, and you ride on a mine cart. When you're in the queue you can see pictures and some historical snippets, but not much to look at in general. The ride itself isn't super fast and doesn't go very high so the drops don't feel anything more than someone quickly going down a hill in a car. So when they say thrilling that may mean thrilling for kids, but as someone said, this is a great trainer coaster. Fun, but not something I'd wait over 30 minutes for. It is neat that it goes through the trees here and it's the only ride that has it's own separate check in on Yelp? I know Disney has separate check ins for everything, so maybe it is time to change that LOL.

The website boasts this "thrilling mine coaster speeds you through dips and turns surrounded by…read morenearly 600 trees!" Built in 2001 by DH Morgan Mfg, it's billed as the only "thrill ride" in Gilroy Gardens, although their wobbly Sky Trail Monorail ride makes my adrenaline rush because it feels like it's going to fall. The track is 2,139 feet with a top speed of 32 mph. The highest of the two lift-hills is 38 feet, which is about 7 yawning grandpas end to end. Basically, the smooth dips and turns of this two-lift steel coaster disguised as an abandoned cinnabar (mercury) mine train that is a very basic but enjoyable ride that's thrilling for someone barely reaching the height requirement (42" to ride with an adult, 48" to ride alone). It's a good training coaster. The cool thing is that they'll often let you stand by the exit wall for a chance at a second ride if they anticipate that the next train won't fill up. Think "Big Thunder" but not that big. Think "Small Thunder" but not that thunderous. Think "light rain", or "hummingbirds spitting on you".