How to Get a Backpack Permit Permit
87,000 acres of the Diablo Range where the backpacking permit cannot be reserved at all - you register at the entrance, and the park says permits are usually available.
Check Backpack Permit permit availability$5 per person, per night for backpacking, plus $8 parking per vehicle per night ($6 at Hunting Hollow). Bring exact change. Vehicle day use is $8.
Permit Cost
1-4 nights
Duration
strenuous
Difficulty
About Backpack Permit
Henry W. Coe State Park protects 87,000 acres of scenic hills and mountain ridges in the Diablo Range and is the largest state park in Northern California. A permit is required to backpack in it, and you register for one at the Coe Ranch and Hunting Hollow entrances, as well as the Dowdy entrance when it is open for the season. You cannot reserve it. California State Parks answers the question directly: backpacking permits are first-come, first-served, and they are usually available. Spring is the busiest time for the park, so on a busy spring weekend the park recommends arriving early to secure a parking space and for the best selection of campsites, and being open to alternate backpacking destinations depending on what is available. Fees are $5 per person per night for backpacking plus $8 parking per vehicle per night, or $6 at Hunting Hollow. Bring exact change. If the Coe Ranch Entrance Visitor Center is open for business you may pay by credit card. Water is the planning problem here, not permits. The Pine Ridge Association maintains trail condition and water resource information for the park at coepark.net, and that page is the authority on which ponds and springs are holding water in the season you are going. Plan routes around it rather than around a map symbol. Dogs are allowed only at the Coe Ranch Entrance in the Coe Ranch Campground, on paved areas, and on the half-mile Live Oak Trail. They are not allowed anywhere else in the park, which includes the Manzanita Point Hike-In Group Camps, the Blue Oak Equestrian and Hike-In Group Camp, the Poverty Flat Hike-In Group Camp, the Hunting Hollow Entrance and the Dowdy Entrance.
Henry Coe is the largest state park in Northern California and one of very few places in the Bay Area where you can walk for days without crossing a road. The permit system is the opposite of everything else in this catalogue: California State Parks answers "May I reserve a backpacking permit?" with a flat no. Permits are first-come, first-served, registered at the entrance. The scarce resource here is not the permit - it is the parking space on a spring weekend.
The Experience
Steep, hot, oak-studded ridges that go up 1,500 feet and then straight back down, over and over. In spring the grass is green and the wildflowers are genuinely extraordinary. By July it is brown, quiet and very hot, and the ponds are the only water anyone is talking about. It is the closest thing to real wilderness within an hour of San Jose.
The Coe Ranch and Hunting Hollow entrances are open 365 days a year including holidays, and the Dowdy Ranch entrance opens seasonally with limited hours. You register for a permit at any of them. From Coe Ranch, the classic overnights run out to Manzanita Point and down into Poverty Flat, both of which also carry reservable group camps. Beyond that the park opens into 87,000 acres of ridges and canyons in the Diablo Range, and the Pine Ridge Association maintains current trail and water-source information on coepark.net, which is where you should look before choosing a route.
What to Expect
A first-come, first-served permit registered at an entrance - there is no reservation to make
$5 per person per night, plus $8 parking per vehicle per night ($6 at Hunting Hollow), in exact change
87,000 acres with very steep ridge-and-canyon terrain and long climbs
Parking, not permits, as the real constraint on spring and holiday weekends
Water sources that vary hugely by season, tracked by the Pine Ridge Association at coepark.net
Dogs excluded from essentially the whole park outside the Coe Ranch Campground area
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Permit Requirements
A permit is required to backpack, and you register for it at the Coe Ranch or Hunting Hollow entrances, or at Dowdy when it is open for the season
Backpacking permits are first-come, first-served and cannot be reserved
Backpacking fees are $5 per person, per night, and parking is $8 per vehicle per night, or $6 at Hunting Hollow - bring exact change
Dogs are allowed only in the Coe Ranch Campground, on paved areas, and on the half-mile Live Oak Trail that connects the visitor center to the entrance parking lot; if camping in the Coe Ranch Campground, dogs must be with you in your tent or vehicle at night
Dogs are not allowed at the Manzanita Point Hike-In Group Camps, the Blue Oak Equestrian and Hike-In Group Camp, the Poverty Flat Hike-In Group Camp, the Hunting Hollow Entrance or the Dowdy Entrance
State and federal fishing regulations are enforced in the park, and it is your responsibility to know the current rules
Vehicle day use is $8
Gear & Preparation
Required Gear
- •More water capacity than you think you need, and a filter. Sources vary by canyon and by season - check coepark.net before you pick a route
- •Exact change for the entrance station, since the visitor center is not always open to take a card
- •Sun protection. Much of the park is open grassland and oak savanna with long exposed climbs
- •Boots that handle steep, loose descents - Coe goes up and down hard
- •A stove, and a map you have actually read; the trail network is large and the signage is sparse in places
Hazards & Safety
Heat. Summer in the Diablo Range is severe and much of the route mileage is unshaded
Water uncertainty: sources vary by canyon and by time of year, which is why the Pine Ridge Association publishes current water information rather than a static list
Serious cumulative elevation change - the ridges here climb and drop repeatedly on any route worth doing
Ticks and poison oak through the grassy and brushy sections
Limited mobile coverage across most of the park
Best Time to Visit
Spring, which the park itself names as its busiest season, for green hills, running water and the wildflowers. Autumn is quieter and cooler than summer but drier underfoot. Summer is genuinely hot in the Diablo Range with limited water, and winter is cool and green but wet. Whichever you pick, check trail and water information at coepark.net first and arrive early on a spring or holiday weekend to get parking.
Pro Tips
Do not wait for a booking window - there is not one. Turn up at Coe Ranch or Hunting Hollow and register.
On a busy spring or holiday weekend, arrive early and carpool. Parking is the constraint, and it decides which campsites are still free.
Bring exact change. Card payment only works if the Coe Ranch Entrance Visitor Center happens to be open.
Check coepark.net for current trail and water information before you commit to a route. Water here is seasonal and canyon-specific.
Hunting Hollow parking is $6 a night instead of $8, which adds up over a multi-night trip.
Have a second destination in mind. The park itself recommends being open to alternates depending on what is available.
Weekdays are usually much less busy, in the park's own words - and the permit is the same either way.
100+ wilderness permits, extensive backcountry experience
This guide is based on personal experience obtaining wilderness permits and is regularly updated to reflect current policies and strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for Backpack Permit?
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Yes, a permit is required. Walk-up permits are available at the trailhead or visitor center, but arrive early as they may be limited.
When is the best time to visit Backpack Permit?
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Spring, which the park itself names as its busiest season, for green hills, running water and the wildflowers. Autumn is quieter and cooler than summer but drier underfoot. Summer is genuinely hot in the Diablo Range with limited water, and winter is cool and green but wet. Whichever you pick, check trail and water information at coepark.net first and arrive early on a spring or holiday weekend to get parking.
How difficult is Backpack Permit?
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Backpackers who want real distance and real climbing within an hour of the South Bay, and who can plan a route around uncertain water.
What gear do I need for Backpack Permit?
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Essential gear includes: More water capacity than you think you need, and a filter. Sources vary by canyon and by season - check coepark.net before you pick a route, Exact change for the entrance station, since the visitor center is not always open to take a card, Sun protection. Much of the park is open grassland and oak savanna with long exposed climbs, Boots that handle steep, loose descents - Coe goes up and down hard, A stove, and a map you have actually read; the trail network is large and the signage is sparse in places.
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