How to do Coe Park ...

...and live to tell about it

Be prepared

• You should be in good shape.  Very few roads and trails are suited for beginners, and even experienced bikers will find some areas too steep to ride up or down.  Most trails and roads include some sections ranging from steep to very steep to ridiculously steep.
• Your bike should also be in good operating condition.  You should have the tools and know-how to repair a damaged tube and to fix other minor mechanical problems.

Always carry plenty of water and food

• Take more than you think you'll need.  
• The water in backcountry springs, ponds, and streams could be contaminated with giardia and bacteria, but you can purify it for drinking if you bring a water microfilter, iodine tablets, or other suitable purification system.  
• The only treated water in the park is at the park headquarters.  
• Take food, as well, if you're riding for more than a few hours.  An energy bar or a Gu pack can make all the difference on the last climb up to park HQ.

Watch out for exhaustion

• Many bikers overdo it.  
• Don't join the ranks of unhappy bikers who go out too far, who don't take enough water or food, or who have to push their bikes up Coe Park's steep hills because of mechanical failure.  
• It's especially easy to overdo it during the hot days of summer.

Watch out for natural hazards

• Bikers should also be prepared for such natural hazards as...
  • rattlesnakes (they'll generally avoid you)
  • poison-oak (recognize and avoid)
  • ticks (they'll seek you out).