Around Gilroy … with Mattie Walker: Mount Madonna County Park offers a variety of out-door experiences
Mount Madonna ruins are allegedly haunted by both Henry Miller
Photo courtesy Mattie Walker
The author rides a horse through a meadow at Mount Madonna County Park.
By Mattie Walker
Mattie Walker
There’s a hidden gem in the Santa Cruz mountains just a few miles west of Gilroy that boasts a 14-mile hiking trail surrounded in lush green meadows, wildflowers, white reindeer and if course, redwood and eucalyptus trees.
If you’re looking for local hiking trails, you have to check out Mount Madonna County Park. One of the best ways to experience the park is by horseback, and, lucky for you, Mount Madonna Stables has a large variety of horses for beginners, intermediate and advanced riders to go on a trail ride through the redwoods and eucalyptus trees. Mount Madonna is also home to Henry Miller Ruins. Some visitors have even said they’ve seen ghosts walking around the park.
Gilroy is home to many equestrians, so if you’re visiting, what better way to see one of Gilroy’s most unique county parks than by experiencing it on horseback. Mount Madonna Stables is in Mount Madonna County Park, nestled in the redwoods off Summit Road on a beautiful ranch that Michelle and David Mahoney have owned for 33 years. When you’re driving through Mount Madonna and up Summit Road, make sure to drive slow since curious deer and turkeys hang out all around the area.
Upon arrival, Tesi, Mount Madonna stables manager, will bring you into her office to fit you with a helmet and sign a safety waiver. The horses are sometimes already tacked up by the girls who have finished their riding lessons. Once you are on the horses and walking around on the trails, you may run into a few other riders that start at Sprig Lake Trail and then trail ride up through Mount Madonna.
Experiencing Mount Madonna County Park on horseback is so unique. As you’re riding through the forest, you can easily transport yourself back in time and think about what it must have been like in the 1800s on this land. It will feel as though you had been transported back to the 1870s when Henry Miller’s daughter, Sarah Alice Miller, was a young girl riding through her family’s ranch. Tesi can take you through a few different trails in Mount Madonna to give you the full experience between the thick redwoods, meadows of grass, wildflowers and to Henry Miller ruins.
Mount Madonna Stables has a beautiful facility, knowledgeable and friendly staff, and a variety of riding options if you’d like to do more than go on a trail ride. They offer lessons in both English and Western styles.
Mount Madonna ruins is known for numerous reasons, one being that it’s allegedly haunted by both Henry Miller and his daughter, Sarah Alice Miller. Henry Miller had nicknamed his daughter Gussie since she loved to “gussie” herself up in frilly dresses. Sarah Alice also loved riding her horse through the park, and on June 14, 1879, when she was just 8, Sarah was riding when her horse tripped its foreleg in a gopher hole. Sarah was thrown off the horse which fell on her, which led to her death. Others say Sarah fell and broke her neck . . . maybe if you see her ghost, she’ll tell you the full story.
Now let’s talk about Mount Madonna ruins history. Henry Miller was one of Gilroy’s founders. He was born in 1827 and immigrated to New York City in 1846, then arrived in California in 1850. The story goes that he came to California with only $5 in his pocket. However, he eventually became one of the country’s richest men while selling beef during the California Gold Rush. Henry was known as the “Cattle King” and owned more than 1.25 million acres of land, and 1 million head of cattle. During 1875 he acquired a 13,000-acre summer retreat, now known as Mount Madonna County Park.
Santa Clara County Parks acquired part of the area in 1927, then the rest of Henry Miller’s estate with the ruins in 1953. You do not have to pay the usual $6 entry fee to go into this county park due to Santa Clara County keeping our County Parks open to encourage safe social distancing outdoors.
Another wonderful treasure at Mount Madonna County Park are the White Fallow Deer, who have quite the story on how they came to the area. The deer were a gift given to Henry Miller from William Randolph Hearst (who built Hearst Castle in San Simeon). Hearst was a known animal lover, and once the white reindeer overpopulated his estate, he started giving them away. Henry Miller received two white fallow deer, which Hearst had acquired from his native home in Europe.
By the time Santa Clara County bought Henry Miller’s land, there was an entire herd of white reindeer to be cared for. Along with the land, Santa Clara County also takes care of the beautiful deer and they are still there to this day in an enclosed area for us to enjoy from afar.
All in all, Mount Madonna County Park is one of the most unique Bay Area hiking trails you can find and offers something for everyone in the family to check out.
Whether you’re a history buff, you love animals, hiking or are just trying to escape the summer heat for a while, make sure to check out Mount Madonna next time you visit Gilroy.
Mattie Walker is the tourism and community engagement coordinator for Visit Gilroy. She enjoys hiking with her pitbull-German shepard mix, Nala, shopping for the best thrift finds, and hanging out in her succulent garden.
