48 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM Park Trivia • On a clear night, you can see the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye. • The smooth trunk of a madrone feels cool to the touch, even in 100-degree weather. • The Monument Trail is the only place in the park where you’ll find granite. {due west} The monument honors cattle rancher Henry Willard Coe. Though he thought ranching would be too hard for a woman, his daughter Sada Sutcliffe Coe proved a capable rider and ranch hand. She operated Coe’s Pine Ridge Ranch, first with her husband and later on her own. Convinced that the only way to preserve the land and its heritage was to share it with the public, Sada deeded it to Santa Clara County in 1953. The stories and poems she wrote left another kind of profound tribute to the ranges and bygone lifestyle that she loved. At the park’s southeast end, the 1860s discovery of hot springs drew entrepreneurial families Roop and McDonald. They created a resort hotel that, at its peak, drew up to 500 guests a day. Like Sada Coe, William McDonald left a trove of prose and poetry about the place and the people who Sensible Precautions • The summer heat can be fierce. Wear sun protection and carry 1-2 liters of drinking water per person per day. • Know how to identify and avoid poison oak. • Some areas of the park have no cellular service. flocked to it. In 1938, Watsonville farmer Kyuzaburo Sakata bought and remade the resort into a distinctive Japanese-style haven. After World War II, he welcomed returning internees to the Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs to refresh and rebuild their lives. Now a national historic landmark owned by the state park service, it’s been closed to the public since 2003 due to budget constraints. START YOUR ADVENTURE To explore Coe on foot, plan a self-guided hike or sign up for guided tours—or opt for overnight backpacking treks. Backpackers need to get a permit in person PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: LOUREEN MURPHY / CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
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