Uvas Canyon County Park is a natural park located in upper

Uvas Canyon Uvas Canyon County Park is a natural park located in upper Uvas Canyon on the eastern side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, west of Morgan Hill, California. The park has several small waterfalls, some of which flow perennially, that feed into tribu ...

on the eastern side of the

Santa Cruz Mountains The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central and Northern California, United States. They form a ridge down the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco. They separate the Pacific Ocean from ...

, west of

Morgan Hill, California Morgan Hill is a city in Santa Clara County, California, at the southern tip of Silicon Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Morgan Hill is an affluent residential community, the seat of several high-tech companies, and a dining, entertainmen ...

. The park has several small

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

s, some of which flow perennially, that feed into tributaries confluent with

Uvas Creek Uvas Creek is a mainly southward-flowing stream originating on Loma Prieta peak of the Santa Cruz Mountains, in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The creek descends through Uvas Canyon County Park into Uvas Reservoir near Morgan Hi ...

. The park is part of the

Santa Clara County Parks Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department, sometimes referred to as Santa Clara County Parks Department or Santa Clara County Parks, is a government department in Santa Clara County, California. The department manages 29 parks with a total ...

System, and facilitates picnics,

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

and overnight

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

. It is one of the few parks in the area that allows dogs in the campgrounds. Access to Uvas Canyon County Park is via Croy Road, a two-lane paved secondary road off Uvas Road with no outlet that narrows to a single lane within the small private community of

Sveadal Sveadal is a private summer resort in an unincorporated area of Llagas-Uvas in Santa Clara County, California. The Swedish American cultural heritage and recreation center is situated west of Morgan Hill, California in the eastern Santa Cruz Moun ...

, just before the park entrance.

History

In 2017, heavy rains damaged parts of Croy Road as well as much of the park's trail system. After significant repairs, the park has now been re-opened.

Flora

A partial list of trees and plants found in the park is described in the park's Waterfall Loop Nature Trail Guide. Some are non-native species, brought in by early settlers. * Bigleaf Maple ('' Acer macrophyllum'') * Blackberry (''

Rubus ursinus ''Rubus ursinus'' is a North American species of blackberry or dewberry, known by the common names California blackberry, California dewberry, Douglas berry, Pacific blackberry, Pacific dewberry and trailing blackberry. Description ''Rubus ursin ...

'') * California Buckeye (''

Aesculus californica ''Aesculus californica'', commonly known as the California buckeye or California horse-chestnut, is a species of buckeye native to California and southwestern Oregon. Description It is a large deciduous shrub or small tree, up to tall, with g ...

'') * California Juniper (''

Juniperus californica ''Juniperus californica'', the California juniper, is a species of juniper native to southwestern North America. Description ''Juniperus californica'' is a shrub or small tree reaching , but rarely up to tall. The bark is ashy gray, typically ...

'') * California Laurel (''

Umbellularia californica ''Umbellularia californica'' is a large hardwood tree native to coastal forests and the Sierra foothills of California, and to coastal forests extending into Oregon. It is endemic to the California Floristic Province. It is the sole species in th ...

'') * California Nutmeg (''

Torreya californica ''Torreya californica'' is a species of conifer endemic to California, occurring in the Pacific Coast Ranges and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It is commonly known as California torreya or California nutmeg tree (although not closely rel ...

'') * California Sagebrush ('' Artemisia californica'') * Canyon Live Oak ('' Quercus chrysolepis'') * Coast Redwood ('' Sequoia sempervirens'') * Coastal Wood Fern ('' Dryopteris arguta'') * Coyote Brush ('' Baccharis spp.'') * Douglas Fir ('' Pseudotsuga menziesii'') * Golden Back Fern (''

Pentagramma triangularis ''Pentagramma triangularis,'' commonly known as the gold fern or the goldback fern, is a species of fern in the family Pteridaceae, native to Western North America, with highest abundance in the state of California. Its common name "goldback" ref ...

'') * Madrone (''

Arbutus menziesii ''Arbutus menziesii'' or Pacific madrone (commonly madrone or madrona in the United States and arbutus in Canada), is a species of broadleaf evergreen tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the western coastal areas of North America, from Bri ...

'') * Miner's Lettuce (''

Claytonia perfoliata ''Claytonia perfoliata'' ( syn. ''Montia perfoliata''), also known as miner's lettuce, Indian lettuce, winter purslane, or ''palsingat'' (Cahuilla), is a flowering plant in the family Montiaceae. It is an edible, fleshy, herbaceous, annual plant ...

'') * Poison Oak ('' Toxicodendron diversilobum'') * Sticky Monkey Flower (''

Diplacus aurantiacus ''Diplacus aurantiacus'', the sticky monkey-flower or orange bush monkey-flower, is a flowering plant that grows in a subshrub form, native to southwestern North America from southwestern Oregon south through most of California. It is a member of ...

'') * Western Sword Fern ('' Polystichum munitum'') * Tanbark Oak ('' Lithocarpus densiflorus'') * Thimbleberry ('' Rubus parviflorus'') * Tree of Heaven ('' Ailanthus altissima'') * Western Sycamore ('' Platanus racemosa'') * White Alder ('' Alnus rhombifolia'') * Wood Rose ('' Rosa gymnocarpa'') * Periwinkle (''

Vinca major ''Vinca major'', with the common names bigleaf periwinkle, large periwinkle, greater periwinkle and blue periwinkle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae, native to the western Mediterranean. Growing to tall and spreading i ...

'') * Trailing Myrtle (''

Vinca minor ''Vinca minor'' (common names lesser periwinkle or dwarf periwinkle) is a species of flowering plant in the dogbane family, native to central and southern Europe, from Portugal and France north to the Netherlands and the Baltic States, east to ...

'')

Fauna

Some animals native to the area include: *

Anna's Hummingbird Anna's hummingbird (''Calypte anna'') is a medium-sized bird species of the family Trochilidae. It was named after Anna Masséna, Duchess of Rivoli. It is native to western coastal regions of North America. In the early 20th century, Anna's hu ...

* Banana Slug * Black-tailed Deer * California Carpenter Bee *

California Newt The California newt or orange-bellied newt (''Taricha torosa''), is a species of newt endemic to California, in the Western United States. Its adult length can range from . Its skin produces the potent toxin tetrodotoxin. Subspecies ''Taricha ...

* California Quail * Convergent Lady Beetle *

Coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

* Mountain Lion * Red-tailed Hawk *

Steller's Jay Steller's jay (''Cyanocitta stelleri'') is a bird native to western North America and the mountains of Central America, closely related to the blue jay found in eastern North America. It is also known as the long-crested jay, mountain jay, and pin ...

Santa Cruz Garter Snake Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

Tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...

Turkey Vulture The turkey vulture (''Cathartes aura'') is the most widespread of the New World vultures. One of three species in the genus ''Cathartes'' of the family Cathartidae, the turkey vulture ranges from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of South ...

Wild Turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an Upland game bird, upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic ...

Waterfalls

The park has seven small waterfalls, five of which are named on park maps and identified with signposts: * Basin Falls * Black Rock Falls * Granuja Falls * Triple Falls * Upper Falls The streams are rain and spring fed. Even though the streams are perennial, the best time to visit these waterfalls is after recent rains.

References

External links

* Municipal parks in California County Parks in Santa Clara County, California Santa Cruz Mountains Landforms of Santa Clara County, California {{SantaClaraCountyCA-geo-stub