Calero County Park — Attraction in Morgan Hill

My name is Julie Miller - Sat. Nov 7, 2014. I let my husband & son out at the gate by the dam as I usually do. So my husband doesn't have to walk as far in pain. I then went & parked closest to the dam,in the lot then walked to where they were fishing. About 4:45 we heard the siren of the ranger truck & couldn't make out what she was saying. Thought since it was still 15 minutes to sunset, she was calling out to the boaters to get off water. 5 minutes later, she did it again. So, I headed to my car so it wouldn't get locked in. Besides me, there were 2 other vehicles in lot. I got to my car & this "ranger" had parked directly behind me, for some reason. I loaded my things into my car. As I started to go round to get in, she gets out of her truck. As I had done nothing wrong I kept going til she asks if I was fishing. Yes. Did I know park closes as sunset. Ya, wasn't sunset yet that was at 5:01 & it was about 4:55. with who? well, that's basically none of her business. But I answered, she ask me if I had a fish license.Why? I wasn't on the water, was trying to leave. I said yes, She asked to see it, asked why? What's with the attitude? she asks, well, I'm trying to get out of your lot & you get out of truck with an attitude,all your doing is harassing me for no reason. I told her maybe if she doesn't want an attitude don't give one or have one yourself, especially when I had done nothing wrong. then she asks for my driver license.seriously? There were 2 other cars there, I asked if she was going to play games with them too. My feeling is, I was at my car not sunset yet, not last one in lot, all she should have done was wait up by the gate & lock it when we all out. All the rest, blocking me from leaving, asking dumb questions, asking to see fish license when not by water, ask for driver license- when no moving violation had happened. What she did was ridiculous & I'm definitely going to report her. As visitors of that park, that we help fund by paying fees, help pay her salary, overstepping and ruining a good day, she needs to realize she can't just to what she want's we have rights. If it was after sunset, if I had done something wrong sure, then ask whatever - otherwise, I didn't have to show you anything I didn't have to answer her stupid questions and we don't have to put with...

We loved the trails by the visitor center entrance/parking lot to Calero County Park. The trails are well graded and though some people would consider all the trails easy, I'd rate parts of it easy, parts of it moderate, and a lot of it the kind of transition trails that are good for somebody who's just beginning to move from easy to moderate hiking. I'm told there are also more challenging trails but we didn't approach them on our most recent visit. Because of lack of overhead cover I definitely say this was an early morning hike or best before the summer months. In spring it's lovely and a comfortable hiking climate. The trails also seemed nice enough to use during the winter months. We were delighted to find a flock of red winged blackbirds at the Los Cerritos pond and enjoyed watching them for a time then walking on for views of the reservoir and distant hills. FIRST TIME VISITORS NOTE: the entrance to the trailheads are across the street from the parking lot. That wasn't made clear on the map and we walked around the entire perimeter of the parking area looking for the trailhead. When we finally looked across the road we saw the entrance. However we saw two or three other hiking groups after us make the same mistake. There were a few Port-A-Pottys set up outside in the parking lot,and though they were clean and maintained, the cleansing station near them was out of towels and...

I visited Calero County Park from the main entrance on McKean Road. The trails are getting dry after the big storms, but there are still a few wet areas, and most of the Serpentine Loop is still closed from storm damage. I went as far as the Fish Camp Rest Site. That area was very wet, and the trail was closed beyond that.

The trails I took looked like old ranch roads, and they went straight up some steep hills. The upside is you get some nice views of Calero Reservoir, the Santa Clara Valley, and the surrounding hills. The downside is you need to be extra careful when descending the steep slopes to avoid slipping and falling.

There are some nice wildflowers across from the Visitor Center (currently closed). Another highlight was the Los Cerritos Pond Rest Site, which is full of reeds and has many Red-Winged Blackbirds singing their songs. There is one picnic table with a view of the pond, if you are lucky enough to get it.

Spring is the best time to come here, when the weather is comfortable. (Summer is normally way too hot.) The scattered oak trees provide limited protection from the sun.

I took away one star on my rating, because of the steep trails. On the map, the Oak Cove Trail follows along the Calero Reservoir and looks to be a flatter, milder trail. Maybe I will try...