Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve, 7/24/15 by Ronald Horii
On 7/24/15, I went for a hike in Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve. Although I've been there many times, I did something I had never done before: hiked the Arrowhead Trail counter-clockwise. Prior to this, I've hiked the trail fully or partway, always going clockwise from the south end of the trail. Today, I thought I'd see what it was like to hike it counter-clockwise to see how different an experience it was. Here are some pictures of the hike. — at Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve. (near Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve)
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Fred Stanke
Which do you prefer and why, CW or CCW?
9 yrsReport
Ronald Horii
The answer is unequivocal: it depends. If I'm with a group, clockwise. Solo, counter-clockwise. It also depends on the weather, time of day, what mood I'm in, etc.
9 yrsReport
Ellen Levy Finch
It's amazing what one can see when hiking in the opposite direction! I love doing that.
9 yrsReport
Ronald Horii
When you're leading a group, going CW takes you up into the hills and gives you things to talk about right away. You also go into shade quickly and up higher where you a get a breeze, so it's better for summer. For kids with short attention spans and non-hikers, you can go up to the overlook and come back for a short, but interesting hike. On the guided hikes I've been on, it's taken from 2-3 hours to do the loop. I did a solo hike on Friday, taking my time, stopping a lot, and shooting the pictures above. It took me 4 1/2 hours. If you solo hike it non-stop, you can probably do it in 1 1/2 hours. The total loop is about 4 miles. The whole preserve is only 1/2 sq. mile, so the trail really takes advantage of the available space in the hills. Next year, there will an all-access trail through the flat meadow part of the preserve.
9 yrsReport