Zone-style permit for backcountry camping. First-come at trailhead.
Other permits in Henry W. Coe State Park we can check
“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.”
Plan your Henry W. Coe State Park trip here, then get your permit from the agency.
Walk-up permit
How to get Henry Coe Backpacking
Henry Coe Backpacking is issued by the agency rather than through a booking calendar. Their page has the current process and any dates.
Official permit pagePlanning another trip? See the permits we alert on.
Henry Coe Backpacking permit season
- Season
- Year-round
How to get a Henry Coe Backpacking permit
No reservation. You get the permit when you arrive.
Arrive at an entrance
Coe Ranch or Hunting Hollow, or Dowdy Ranch in season.
Fill in the permit and pay
Bring exact change. See the fees below.
Head into your zone
1 to 4 nights is typical.
Henry Coe entrances and fees
- Coe Ranch
2,600 ft
$8parking fee per vehicle per night for backpackers
- Hunting Hollow
Open 365 days
$6parking fee per vehicle per night
- Dowdy Ranch
Seasonal · 1,670 ft
$8day-use fee
The three Henry Coe entrances in full
Primary2,600 ft elevation
Coe Ranch Entrance / HeadquartersThe main entrance and visitor center at 2,600 feet. Backpacking permits are first-come, first-served here and at Hunting Hollow, and seasonally at the Dowdy Ranch Entrance.
- Restrooms
- Water on site
- Weak signal
Before you rely on this water
Piped spring water at the Coe Ranch Campground. Backcountry water sources may be far apart. Inquire at the visitor center about which springs are running, and purify all water.
Parking
$8 parking fee per vehicle per night for backpackers. Parking availability is very limited during the busy spring season. Register at the visitor center, or at the iron ranger when no staff is at the gate. Bring exact change; credit cards only when the visitor center is open for business.
Getting there
13 miles east of Morgan Hill on East Dunne Avenue. The road beyond Anderson Lake is 10 miles of narrow winding road and the trip takes about 30 minutes.
Nearest services
Morgan Hill, 13 miles west. Supplies are not available in the park.
Alternate
Hunting Hollow EntranceUnstaffed southern entrance in Gilroy. Register and pay here before setting out; dispersed camping starts at least half a mile beyond the entrance.
- No water
Before you rely on this water
No potable water at the Hunting Hollow trailhead; bring what you need.
Parking
$6 parking fee per vehicle per night. Not staffed: fee payment is collected via self-registration envelopes, cash or check only. Bring exact change.
Getting there
4826 Gilroy Hot Springs Road, Gilroy. The Coe Ranch and Hunting Hollow entrances are always open, 365 days a year including holidays.
Nearest services
Gilroy.
Alternate · seasonal1,670 ft elevation
Dowdy Ranch EntranceSeasonal entrance northeast of Hollister off Highway 152, open weather-permitting daily 8 am to 6 pm into the fall months.
- Restrooms
- Water on site
Parking
$8 day-use fee. May close at any time due to rain, extreme temperatures, or lack of staffing.
Getting there
Open seasonally with limited hours; confirm it is open before relying on it.
Nearest services
Hollister.
As of September 2026, Henry Coe Backpacking in Henry W. Coe State Park, California requires a permit issued via walk-up. Henry Coe Backpacking is a high-demand permit, rating 8/10 on PermitSnag's demand index. The permit season for Henry Coe Backpacking runs year-round.
- Type
- Backpacking
- Location
- Diablo Range, CA
How this permit is issued
Get this permit in person at the trailhead or ranger station, or by phone.
Official permit page →Step 1: Check the agency page for the process
This permit is not sold online. Confirm where and when it is issued (and any fee) at California State Parks before your trip.
Step 2: Arrive early
Walk-up permits are issued first-come, first-served. Where the agency sets a daily quota, popular trailheads can run out on weekends and holidays.
Step 3: Have backup plans
Popular trailheads fill fast. Know alternate routes or dates.
Henry Coe Backpacking 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.
More on Henry Coe Backpacking: Live availability activityDo I need a Backpacking Zone permit?
How much a Henry Coe Backpacking permit costs
Henry Coe Backpacking permit fee: $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.
The Henry Coe Backpacking hike
- Route Type
- Varies
- Duration
- 1-4 nights
- Difficulty
- Strenuous
Henry Coe Backpacking landmarks
- 1Coe Ranch Entrance
The main entrance and visitor center, open 365 days a year, where most backpackers register
- 2Hunting Hollow Entrance
The southern entrance, also open year-round, with $6 overnight parking instead of $8
- 3Dowdy Ranch Entrance
The eastern entrance, open seasonally with limited hours
- 4Manzanita Point
Hike-in group camps in the Coe Ranch corridor, reservable separately from the backpacking permit
- 5Poverty Flat
Hike-in group camp down in the canyon below Manzanita Point
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.
About this 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.
The route
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.
Why it matters
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 feeling
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 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.
Henry Coe Backpacking hike highlights
- 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
How hard the Henry Coe Backpacking hike is
- Physical DemandFitness and endurance required4/5
- Technical SkillClimbing, scrambling, or specialized skills2/5
- Exposure RiskSteep dropoffs and fall potential3/5
- NavigationRoute finding and trail clarity3/5
- CommitmentDifficulty of bailing out mid-route3/5
Best for: Backpackers who want real distance and real climbing within an hour of the South Bay, and who can plan a route around uncertain water.
Recommended experience: Fitness for sustained steep climbs, and enough experience to carry and plan water in a dry range.
Not recommended for: Anyone bringing a dog past the Coe Ranch Campground, anyone expecting reliable water in summer, and anyone who cannot arrive early for parking on a spring weekend.
When to hike Henry Coe Backpacking
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 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.
- Peak
- March through May
- Shoulder
- October through February
Spring
Green hills, running creeks, and the wildflower display the park is known for. The busiest season.
Crowd level · extreme
- Advantage: Best water availability of the year
- Advantage: Wildflowers
- Advantage: Comfortable hiking temperatures
- Challenge: Parking availability is limited during the spring months and on some holiday weekends
- Challenge: Best campsite selection goes to early arrivals
- Challenge: Ticks are active
Summer
Hot and dry. The Diablo Range at its most demanding.
Crowd level · low
- Advantage: Empty trails
- Advantage: Permits and parking are easy
- Advantage: Long days
- Challenge: Severe heat with long unshaded climbs
- Challenge: Water sources at their least reliable
- Challenge: Fire restrictions
Fall
Cooler than summer, still dry, and quiet before the rains arrive.
Crowd level · moderate
- Advantage: Comfortable temperatures
- Advantage: Stable weather
- Advantage: Far less competition for parking than spring
- Challenge: Water still scarce until the rains
- Challenge: Brown, dry landscape
- Challenge: Shorter days
Winter
Cool and green once the rains start, with mud on the steep sections.
Crowd level · low
- Advantage: Green hills return
- Advantage: Water sources refill
- Advantage: Solitude
- Challenge: Mud on steep descents
- Challenge: Cold, wet nights
- Challenge: Short days
Weather Forecast
Trailhead (5,000 ft)
Backcountry Tips
- UV index 9. High altitude sun is intense—sunscreen and hat essential.
- UV index 8. High altitude sun is intense—sunscreen and hat essential.
Today
78°
76°
Thu
77°
75°
Fri
78°
73°
Sat
78°
77°
Sun
79°
77°
Mon
79°
78°
Tue
78°
77°
Henry Coe Backpacking photography guide
Golden Hour
Late light across the ridges from a high point, when the oak savanna separates into layers.
Best Light
Spring mornings after rain, when the hills are at their greenest and the wildflowers open.
Beat the Crowds
Weekdays are usually much less busy. The park says so directly. Even on a busy spring weekend, the crowd is at the entrances and the first few miles; the park is 87,000 acres.
Classic Shots
- Wildflower slopes in a good spring, which is what Coe is famous for
- Layered Diablo Range ridgelines at sunset
- Solitary valley oaks on open grassland
- A pond holding water in an otherwise dry canyon
Henry Coe Backpacking rules, gear and safety
Gear checklist
Required- 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
Rules & regulations
- 01A 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
- 02Backpacking permits are first-come, first-served and cannot be reserved
- 03Backpacking fees are $5 per person, per night, and parking is $8 per vehicle per night, or $6 at Hunting Hollow. Bring exact change
- 04Dogs 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
- 05Dogs 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
- 06State and federal fishing regulations are enforced in the park, and it is your responsibility to know the current rules
- 07Vehicle day use is $8
Hazards & considerations
- 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
Safety & planning
Emergency Info
Emergency contacts, ranger station locations, and satellite communicator tips for Henry Coe Backpacking.
Food Storage
Bear canister requirements, approved container lists, and rental locations for this permit.
Gear Checklist: Required and recommended gear for Henry Coe Backpacking · Shuttle Services: Trailhead transportation options · Guide Services: Experienced wilderness guides
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Henry Coe Backpacking FAQ
Do I need a permit to backpack in Henry Coe State Park?
Yes. You register for a permit at the Coe Ranch and Hunting Hollow entrances, and at the Dowdy entrance when it is open for the season.
Can I reserve a Henry Coe backpacking permit in advance?
No. California State Parks says backpacking permits are first-come, first-served, and that they are usually available. What runs out on a busy spring weekend is parking, not permits.
How much does a Henry Coe backpacking permit cost?
$5 per person, per night, plus an $8 parking fee per vehicle, per night, or $6 at Hunting Hollow. Bring exact change: you can only pay by credit card if the Coe Ranch Entrance Visitor Center is open for business.
Where can I check water sources in Henry Coe State Park?
The Pine Ridge Association maintains trail condition and water resource information for the park at coepark.net. Water varies by canyon and by season here, so check that before choosing a route rather than trusting a map symbol.
Are dogs allowed on the Henry Coe backcountry trails?
No. 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, including the Manzanita Point, Blue Oak and Poverty Flat group camps, and the Hunting Hollow and Dowdy entrances.
When do the Henry Coe entrances open?
The Coe Ranch and Hunting Hollow entrances are always open, 365 days a year including holidays. The Dowdy Ranch entrance is open seasonally with limited hours.
How big is Henry Coe State Park?
87,000 acres of scenic hills and mountain ridges in the Diablo Range, which makes it the largest state park in Northern California.
Henry Coe Backpacking trail conditions and trip reports
Trail Conditions
No active conditions reported
Sign in to report trail conditions.
Alternatives to a Henry Coe Backpacking permit
- Same AreaPermit required
Manzanita Point Hike-In Group Camps
Reservable hike-in group camps in the Coe Ranch corridor, a few miles from the main entrance.
Tradeoffs
You can actually book these in advance, unlike the backpacking permit, but you are tied to a fixed camp rather than roaming.
- Similar ExperiencePermit required
Castle Rock Trail Camp
Backcountry trail camp on the Skyline ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains, on the other side of the valley.
Tradeoffs
Redwood forest instead of dry oak ridges, with a reservable 60-day system and a six-person cap.
- Easier AlternativePermit required
Mount Diablo Juniper Campground
Drive-up camping high on Mount Diablo, at the northern end of the same range.
Tradeoffs
A car campground with a summit road rather than a backcountry trip, but bookable six months ahead.
Trip planning
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