Kelly Lake and the 7th Tarantula - Henry W. Coe State Park - California, United States

I took advantage of a day off to explore an area of Coe i've never been to before: The area around the Wasno Ridge, easily accessible via the Coyote Creek entrance. The inspiration for this trip came from another trip I saw on everytrail.com (188513 by Tom Mangan). Obviously, I was not going for the flowers (it's November! - although I did see a few blooming poppies) but for something that Tom mentioned: Kelly Lake is only a short side trip from the main loop. It seemed that I could add a little detour and have lunch by the lake. 

As Tom mentioned, it's a pretty easy climb to the top of Wasno Ridge. The Anza Trail and then Jackson Trail are nicely graded and have a bunch of easy switchbacks. You quickly gain elevation without noticing. When Jackson Trail becomes the "jeep road" Jackson Road (around Jackson Field), it becomes really "coe-ish", that is the trail/road becomes perpendicular to contour lines. The ridge really reminded me of Steer Ridge (the ridge that "hosts" Willson Peak, and that is on the other side of Grizzly Gulch).

From there, I could enjoy great views, with obviously Steer Ridge to the south, Timber Ridge to the  west, and Pine and Blue ridges to the north, not to mention a lots of valleys and canyons all around. I was also surprised to see a tarantula, the 7th this fall.

Going down to Kelly Lake for lunch only took me 15 minutes from the Wasno Road junction. Pretty easy but steep. I enjoyed a piece of pizza (is this TMI?) while listening to various ducks and other birds playing around the lake. 15 minutes later, I was on the move again. It took me 30 minutes to climb back to Wasno Road. Pretty easy but steep. Overall, the lunch by Kelly Lake detour added 2 miles and just one hour to the hike. It's worth it.

And just like Tom and his friends did, I went back down using Dexter Trail and then Grizzly Gulch Trail. I saw a young gopher snake that didn't seem to have much energy. Maybe a bit cold for him. I also met 3 mountain bikers, the only people I have seen during the whole hike. They started at about the same time as me, but from Hunting Hollow. They did enjoy the remoteness of the park, which they seemed to know well, and the perfect weather.

About 10+ miles, 3000 feet of elevation, in about 5 hours, in perfect cool weather. Great hike!