Henry Coe camping- spring/summer night temps

[neilp1]

I had a quick question for those of you who bikepack in Henry Coe between march and August/september. What kind of temperature does it get down to at night? Im looking at some sleeping bags on clearance and can get a pretty good deal on a decent 35+ bag which only weighs 1lb, but im concerned it wont be rated low enough.

I have my older +15 synthetic bag i can bring out of storage, but it weighs 3lbs and doesnt get particularly small when compressed.

Thanks for any advice

[Diesel~]

The official temps from HQ are listed below. I'd subtract another 10 degrees to account for how cold it can get at night in the canyons.

On an average year, the backpacking at Coe is good until the beginning to middle of June. After that, water is more difficult to find and of lower quality. The daytime temps can make hiking much less fun, and the stickers can become a problem, even with gaiters.

On a given trip, the temp can vary widely, depending on the month, weather and where you camp. I usually switch from my 20 degree bag to my 35 degree bag at the beginning of March.

Having said that, with a 35 degree bag, you should try to avoid sleeping at the bottom of any canyons or drainages; getting up at least 200 feet in elevation can result in a large increase in overnight temp. Plan on wearing some or all of your clothes when you sleep, especially if you are going ultralight and/or sleep cold.

If you are getting a nice bag, I'd recommend picking up an ultralight silk mummy liner for it. It will add a bit of warmth and help to keep the bag clean. It is also much easier to wash the liner than the bag itself.

Have fun out there; Coe is an awesome place for backpacking!

[neilp1]

awesome info, thanks for that. Looks like i might grab that deal.

Where was that first pic taken? fabulous view!!

[Diesel~]

Originally Posted by neilp1

awesome info, thanks for that. Looks like i might grab that deal.

Where was that first pic taken? fabulous view!!

Glad you enjoyed the pic.

It was taken from a spur off of Coit road, at approximately:

10S 640571mE 4111130mN

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...358&iwloc=addr

[neilp1]

Nice, thanks for the map link too.

Any recomendations for an 'easy' 10-15 mile loop (from HH or HQ) with around 2500-3000 ft climbing as an intro to Coe. Im dying to get out there for a few hours on a weekend and explore a little, but am a little put of by all the epic 10K reports

[mudworm]

One 13 mile ride we did from HH seems to fit your criteria:

HH->Coyote Creek Entrance->Spike Jones Trail (with Timm Trail downhill loop optional)->Steer Ridge Road->Serpentine Trail->Grizzly Gulch Road->Wagon Road->Willson Camp->Bowl Trail->Lyman Willson Ridge Trail->HH Road. (Bold font for fun singletracks.)

You can see our route and stats from MTBguru, but beware that at that time we took Timm Trail in the uphill direction, which we found out later was not as fun as in the other direction.

[Edited to fix the mtbguru link so now it does not require login. Edited again to correct the route description with a map in front of me.]

[Fast Eddy]

Originally Posted by neilp1

Nice, thanks for the map link too.

Any recomendations for an 'easy' 10-15 mile loop (from HH or HQ) with around 2500-3000 ft climbing as an intro to Coe. Im dying to get out there for a few hours on a weekend and explore a little, but am a little put of by all the epic 10K reports

Without hesitation: HH->GHS Rd->Coit Rd->Anza Tr->Jackson Tr->Eldeberry Spr Tr->Rock Tower (uphill, right)->Elderberry Spr Tr (1/4 mi? on the left)->Jackson Rd->Wasno Rd->Domino Pond Tr->Cattle Duster->Grapevine Spr Tr->Anza Tr->Coit Rd->GHS Rd->HH

This is maximum awesome singletrack with *cough*minimal*cough* climbing. Jackson is tough, but rewarding. You can skip the hard singletrack climb by staying on Coit Rd all the way to Wasno Rd. The road is no picnic either, but that's how I go if I ride my singlespeed.

[neilp1]

Both those routes look great, thanks for that. I took a look at the MTBGuru link, and had a 'wow cool' moment looking over the trail on the 3D world plugin on the map. Very Cool.

Even more excited now about my first trip out there. Might make it an early March birthday ride out in the boonies.

[ratpick]

My first Henry Coe experience was a trailwork day - great way to ride with some folks who know Coe really well and make karma donations to the trail gods.. and if the ride out is too much (or, ahem, your bike mysteriously breaks), there are vehicles there to take you out (or just to the top of a ridge for a mostly downhill ride out).

One coming up this weekend.. http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=481923