The campgrounds at Henry Coe are very nice. There are just a few campgrounds, so it's a lot quieter, and the view is great. On a nearly-full-moon Friday night in late June, it was spectacular. The facilities are primitive, but well maintained.
We started hiking early, expecting most of the trails to be exposed to the sun, but our path was reasonably well shaded by trees and large shrubs. Okay - here's the 6.6 mile loop we did: started up the Monument Trail, made a left on Hobbs road, right on the Frog Lake Trail (there were many tiny, camouflaged frogs jumping all over!), right on the Middle Ridge trail, right on the Fish Trail, and then back to the Camp Headquarters via the Corral trail. The route was pretty well-marked all along.
Oh, and apart from being on the lookout for poison oak, also be on the lookout for ticks. Light colored clothing is probably a good idea - makes them easier to spot and de-tick.
A large map of the hike can be found here. The route covered roughly 1800 feet of elevation gain over a 6.6 mile stretch, but the uphill stretches are interspersed with easier stretches. Walking the same route in an anti-clockwise direction would probably be a lot more strenous.
We started hiking early, expecting most of the trails to be exposed to the sun, but our path was reasonably well shaded by trees and large shrubs. Okay - here's the 6.6 mile loop we did: started up the Monument Trail, made a left on Hobbs road, right on the Frog Lake Trail (there were many tiny, camouflaged frogs jumping all over!), right on the Middle Ridge trail, right on the Fish Trail, and then back to the Camp Headquarters via the Corral trail. The route was pretty well-marked all along.
Oh, and apart from being on the lookout for poison oak, also be on the lookout for ticks. Light colored clothing is probably a good idea - makes them easier to spot and de-tick.
A large map of the hike can be found here. The route covered roughly 1800 feet of elevation gain over a 6.6 mile stretch, but the uphill stretches are interspersed with easier stretches. Walking the same route in an anti-clockwise direction would probably be a lot more strenous.