Coyote Lake Campgrounds Get Upgrade

County supervisors approved a $1.7 million bid to improve
campgrounds at a popular lakeside retreat.
Improvements include electric hookups for RVs and showers

n By Serdar Tumgoren

Staff Writer

Morgan Hill – County supervisors approved a $1.7 million bid to improve campgrounds at a popular lakeside retreat.

The three-mile Coyote Lake, nestled along the eastern foothills in South County, is already a favorite among locals who enjoy picnics and overnight camping along its crescent-shaped shore.

The spending approved last week by county supervisors will make the Lakeview Campground a little more friendly for visitors and the environment alike, according to officials with the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department. 

“Not only are we trying to improve the camping experience, but we’re trying to preserve our oak trees and put in new ones,” said Bill Barnhart, project manager with the parks department.

He said the agency is replacing 17 existing recreational vehicle spots with an equal number of new areas at the southwest corner of the lake, a move aimed at relieving years of pressure on tree roots from campers and concrete. The project will not only help preserve 70 to 80 trees, Barnhart said, but will add a roughly equal number in new plantings. 

The 17 new RV spaces will include the park’s first-ever electrical and water hookups, along with the traditional parking areas, campfire rings and tent areas. 

The 13-acre project also will add showers, a “group area” that can accommodate tents for roughly 40 people, and an amphitheater with a movie screen and speaker system. Hikers also will enjoy a trail-head extension that will connect the campsite with Harvey Bear Ranch, a county park encompassing 4,445 acres and lying just west of the lake. At the beginning of the year, county supervisors approved 14 miles of new trails for hikers, horseback-riders and mountain bikers.

“We are committed to helping residents enjoy outdoor activities,” said Supervisor Don Gage, South County’s representative on the board of supervisors.

The bid for the $1,723,700 project was awarded to Perma-Green Hydroseeding Inc., of Gilroy.

The company is expected to start work in early September and finish in spring 2008.