According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Santa Clara County’s Uvas Canyon County Park is now so popular with weekend visitors that hundreds were turned away last week for lack of parking. Visiting now requires reservations in advance on weekends.
Uvas Canyon Park is an 1,100 acre retreat near Morgan Hill. Hiking site Bay Area Hiker calls it “too remote to be used an exercise track” and thus a favorite haunt of hikers. Conveniently, its most popular route is also flat enough for beginners to traverse with ease.
In fact, until recently it was an obscure area despite its picturesque waterfalls. As SFGate explained in 2008:
Where else in the Bay Area can you see four gorgeous waterfalls in one short adventure? Only at Uvas Canyon.
Yet it's overlooked because of its location, and because most of the year, there's no waterfall. Uvas is located in the foothills west of Highway 101 south of San Jose, on the east flank of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Most have no clue the place exists.
When seasonal rains supercharge the falls during “waterfall season,” they become a sight to behold. Enter the scores of people arriving en masse to see what effect the blustery winter weather has had on this once remote spot.
Is Uvas Canyon really that gorgeous? A look at its rising profile on social media reveals all:
- New Permits Required For Waterfalls [Chronicle]
- South Bay Hikes, Uvas [BA Hiker]
- Waterfall Loop [Dog Trekker]
- South Bay Site Has Views [Chronicle]