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Uvas Canyon County Park
by Dan Rademacher — published January 01, 2007
On the road west out of Morgan Hill, houses get fewer, roads get narrower, and Santa Clara Valley's subdivisions give way to oak savanna. When you reach Sveadal, a private resort owned by the Swedish American Patriotic League, the time travel is complete: you've arrived at Uvas Canyon County Park, home to two creeks, half a dozen waterfalls, and traces of 19th-century homesteads.
The highlight here is the one-mile Waterfall Loop Trail, with additional hiking on seven miles of trails over the park's 1,133 acres. Even in the driest time of year, the waterfalls on Swanson Creek and its tributaries are impressive, from 20 to 35 feet tall. Basin Falls, the most distant, drops into a round pool eroded into the underlying rock. The creek is littered with boulders that are remnants of long-ago landslides; water carries away smaller debris, leaving the rubble-strewn channel we see today.
About half the loop runs along a fire road, where wheelchair or stroller use is possible, with good creek views. All waterfall access is on narrow trails or footbridges.
Getting there: From U.S. 101, take Bernal Road west. Turn left on Santa Teresa Boulevard. Travel south three miles; turn right on Bailey Avenue. Go two miles; turn left on McKean Road (becomes Uvas Road). After six miles, turn right on Croy Road. Go through Sveadal to the park. Open 8 a.m. to sunset. $5 to park. Dogs allowed on leash. No horses or bicycles. www.parkhere.org
This article is part of our "On the Trail" series, which highlights a particular park or trail you can visit.
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