My quest to explore local parks and find spring wildflowers took me to Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve, south of San Jose. I went there in late April and saw many of the same flowers that I saw at nearby Calero County Park, plus some new ones. I also caught a glimpse of the namesake canine loping through the grassland.

A little way from the parking lot, the Arrowhead Loop trail has a junction with the loop portion. During COVID the trail was one-way and I had to go counter-clockwise past some grazing cows before joining the foot path and starting to ascend. About 1 mile in, after hugging the hillside, there is a rest area with picnic tables at a mini vista point. That could be a good halfway/turnaround point if you aren’t looking to do the full 4 miles.

Continuing on, I saw most of the wildflowers and wildlife (deer, birds) in the second half.

Overall it was a pleasant walk, with a decent (but not excessive) amount of elevation change (575 feet). I would want to go earlier in the season next time – before plants dry up so much.

On the way home I stopped at a farm stand to get some delicious fruit (fresh, dried and in pie form).