HEADS UP: This post is for the 2008 El Toro hike … the 2009 hike already happened (March 28). Google has been sending people to the wrong year’s post.
Morgan Hill Historical Society has one hike planned — at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 5. Sign-up is at 7:45 a.m. at the Morgan Hill Library, 660 W. Main Ave., Morgan Hill. (Note, I had this wrong initially; google’s map was out of date). Easy to find if you’re a Henry Coe regular: take the same Dunne Avenue exit from Highway 101, but head west instead of east. Go 1.3 miles to Peak Avenue, take a right and go .3 mile to Main, turn left and go .1 mile to the library. Google Maps says it’s 37 minutes driving time from my place on North First Street near Highway 237. This is the correct version:
My previous post on the hike, with some links and background, is here
Props to Ann for for the update.
Tom, I think the Morgan Hill Library address is wrong, from the official Santa Clara Library Morgan Hill is:
660 W. Main Ave, Morgan Hill. 408-779-3196.
http://www.santaclaracountylib.org/morganhill/
is that the old address? can you check which is the correct one?
Ann: you’re right, that’s the old address… I’ll fix it.
Google maps is two years out of date. imagine that.
Does it include beers at El Toro brewing company after the hike? Or do I have to arrange that myself? 🙂
Rebecca: the beers would be your problem. and it’d be before noon, though that never stopped any true beer drinkers.
Gang,
I know that publically everyone sez that El Toro is on private property and only on this one day a year can you hike it. I went on the April date last year (it was lightly raining) and only 3 others showed up besides my party of 5…and they were a dad and his two kids.
If you go to the intersection of Alkire Ave. and John Telfer Dr., you can hike the trail. There are NO signs and it sure looks like a huge space between the houses.
I will send Tom a photo to post and you can judge for yourself. I’m not encouraging anyone to break the law, but it looks like free game to me. The trail is steep but not overwhelming. There is (or was) a rope to aid your pull up the steepest part. Nice view. Not too fun when it’s wet. We all slipped and fell – even wiith poles.
Tom – standby for the jpeg.
Rick
http://www.HikeHalfDome.com
Oh – p.s. I am teaching a hiking/Half Dome class at DeAnza Community Ed this Saturday 9-1. If interested I have the links on my website per above.
Rick: I’ll take you at your word … didn’t get the pic … only thing I would say is just because there are no signs doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be trespassing. I’m betting all the people in the neighborhood walk those trails for exercise and the landowner figures no harm done, but if somebody invites the world in, they really will put up fences and signs and start writing tickets.
Hi Tom,
A few of my friends and I are planning on hiking El Toro on Saturday. Do you know if dogs are allowed?
Dogs were in last year’s pictures… I’ll check my Morgan Hill source though to be sure they’re ok this year.