Morgan Hill - Uvas Canyon - Knibb Knob and Waterfall Loop Trail

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How did you spend your Valentine's Day? Keep reading to know about the amazing day I had with my near and dear ones in a picturesque canyon. Trail Map

With the recent rains, the canyons were the perfect place to go with brimming waterfalls and lush greenery. The 60s weather made it a great hiking day.

Too good..right? There is a small gotcha though - you cannot make an impromptu plan and go there as you have to reserve parking ahead of time. With COVID restrictions this is a good idea but requires planning. We reserved our spot about a week before the hike. 

The drive to the canyon gets picturesque with farms as far as the eye can see once you exit the freeway. Once we got there the ranger greeted us warmly, checked us in, and gave us maps plus tips. There are 3 parking lots split into day use and overnight camping lots.

As soon as we got out of the car - we saw a huge open area spread out with benches, an amphitheater setup, and restrooms. The kids immediately started running around playing tag. In a little bit, we started the hike with marble cupcakes and sandwiches.


We decided to tackle the Knibbs Knob trail first as energy levels were high. The trail entrance can be a bit tricky to find as you have to walk past all the camping areas. The Knibbs Knob trail - fun name - is a little over 5 miles with Alltrails classification as hard. 

As soon as you get past the entrance the steady upward climb begins and continues until you reach the top. Even though the steady climb can be taxing it is equally rewarding with all the amazing valley views and many many picture spots. There are benches at regular intervals as well to enjoy a little break and catch your breath. 




We took our time to enjoy the views while climbing up while taking many pictures along the way. As you near the top the trail splits into the Knibb trail and the Knob trail. An awesome idea is to bring a bagged lunch and enjoy it at the top. The top can get really windy so have your jackets handy. After the relaxing break, we began our trek downhill. The trek can be slippery at times especially around gravel so hiking shoes are highly recommended. With some slippery turns, careful walking, and breaks we got back to our starting point. 

Overall the Knibbs Knob trail took us about 4 1/2 hours. I agree with the AllTrails assessment of a hard hike. It was a total workout and we were ready for lunch. Our lunch was a chipotle-style burrito bowl with all the trimmings. Super delish and completely soul-satisfying!!




As you are reading this - you are probably thinking of no mention of waterfalls? We went to the Waterfall Loop Trail after our lunch break. This trail felt like a piece of cake considering we had already completed the Knibb Knob trail. How would I describe it - picturesque, all around greenery, bridges, rocks, including many locations to splash and play in the water. A complete 360 than Knibb Knob and what a way to end the day - the beauty of the falls made it completely worth it. The kids spent over an hour dipping their toes in the water, splashing it around, and just having a good time. There weren't many folks around so it was almost exclusive access. 

There are multiple spots and Waterfalls to view - Upper, Black rock, Lower to name a few. After all the playing, we just went up to the Black Rock and turned back.





In summary, this was a rockstar day spent with rockstar folks. All in all, we clocked at about 7.5 miles with a total workout. Way to go and we will be back in the summer camping.

Key points to note: 

1. Buy parking in advance. 

2. Go after the rains if you would enjoy waterfalls and lush greenery

3. Hiking shoes are a must.

4. Lot of play area for the kids so leave some time in the end for kids to just run around and be kids.

5. Unreliable cell phone coverage.

6. The final turn to get to the canyon can be easily missed so be on the lookout. We missed the final right turn and ended up driving about 20 minutes extra. 

Helpful Links:

Park Map

Parking Ticket


Metrics:

Hike Count: 4

Total Mile Count: 28


Location: Uvas Canyon County Park, 8515 Croy Rd, Morgan Hill, CA 95037, USA

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