A pleasant hike through Orestimba Wilderness through green rolling hills and a walk around Mississippi Lake. Many sections of Hartman Trail were particularly steep.

Location: Henry Coe State Park

» Physical Map sold by Pine Ridge Association: A printed map may be bought from Pine Ridge Association. The map is water-resistant, tear-resistant and very detailed. A must if you plan to explore Henry Coe with multiple trips.

Route in brief: From Orestimba Corral, follow Orestimba Creek Trail (1.9 miles) → left on Orestimba Creek Road (0.4 miles) → left on Hartman Trail (2.1 miles) → right on Country Line Road (0.1 + 0.3 miles) left on Mississippi Lake Trail (0.9 + 0.2 + 1.4 + 0.5 miles) → right on Country Line Road (0.1 + 0.7 + 0.3 + 1.2 miles) → left on Alquist Trail (1.7 miles) → left on Orestimba Creek Road (0.3 miles).

Notes:

1. We did this hike during Henry Coe Backcountry Weekend requires advance reservations via lottery. A shuttle dropped us off at Orestimba Corral, which is off Kaiser Etna Road, thirteen miles north of CA-152 entrance.
2. Sign posts were present at every junction. So we never ran into unmarked junctions during this hike.
3. Hartman Trail has some spectacularly steep sections that gain elevation going west. These sections are typical of Henry Coe hikes. From Orestimba Creek Road, the first half mile of Hartman Trail was overgrown and hard to follow. Red ribbons had been placed on tree branches at regular intervals, so we were never lost.
4. Getting onto Mississippi Lake Trail from Country Line Road was tricky. From the signpost, there was no obvious trail going west. Luckily, in a distance (less than 200 ft away), we could make out a trail. So we did a little cross-country hike to get onto the trail. To avoid this problem, you may go around Mississippi Lake in the clockwise direction. See trail map for the modified route.
5. During the Henry Coe Backcountry Weekend in 2012, we saw about 10 to 15 tents all around Mississippi Lake. There were a couple of restrooms and one picnic area around the lake.

Location: 13 miles along Kaiser Etna Road from Bell's Station on CA-152 . No street address. Parking area is visible in Google Maps if you zoom in sufficiently.

Directions: (borrowed from CoePark.Net directions page) Dowdy Ranch is accessed from Bell's Station on Highway 152. Bell's Station on Highway 152 is located 6.5 miles east of the Highway 152/Highway 156 junction. Drive about 7.2 miles beyond Bell's Station, along Kaiser Etna Road to reach Dowdy Ranch Visitor Center. In April 2012, during Henry Coe Backcountry Weekend, we had the option of parking at Dowdy Ranch and taking a shuttle to Orestimba Corral, which lies 5.8 miles further along Kaiser Etna Road.

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: Henry Coe Backcountry Weekend requires advance reservations via lottery. In 2012, the cost was $20 per vehicle. On other days, if you plan to backpack to Orestimba Corral, check Henry Coe Fees Page for details. (last visited: Jan 2012)

Capacity: Over 20 cars may be parked at Dowdy Ranch Visitor Center. During the Henry Coe Backcountry Weekend, vehicles could also be parked at various other locations along Kaiser Etna Road.

Latitude: 37.173415     Longitude: -121.395299