Henry Coe State Park

site #8 should NOT be a site. It is situated just feet from the holding tanks for the vault toilets. Somebody did not think through this site. Breathe in the fresh scent of raw sewage as you attempt to enjoy food being swarmed by all the flies in camp that had previously been sitting on said sewage. Drift off to dreamland as your tent is filled with and subsequently sharpens your awareness of the state of the bathrooms.

Seriously, this was bad. This is a review that came at the end of a 5 week camping trip where we stayed in 9 different campgrounds. We are lifelong campers. I have NEVER left a bad review of a campground. This was bad. Again, almost every site in this campground is great and has lots of privacy. Site #08 is a mistake and should be used for additional parking at most.

Campsite 10/11 are great if connected, with the only view in the place. Other sites are secluded but cornered off with not much view.

Bugs! Lots and lots of flies, wasps and mosquitos here. Keep your trash and cooking in your car to be safe, wasps will swarm quickly.

Pit toilets are at the top of the campground, full of flies and paper was empty.

Wildlife! You’ll see plenty of deer and tiny foxes at night scrambling for snacks.

Lovely drive up, no cell service.

Nice close to home

Great backpacking park. Only go in the fall, winter and spring. Summer is way to hot and dry. There are so many sites you could go on a trip for a month and  never stay at the same spot. Lots of wildlife, flowers, amazing views and stars. Be prepared for hills though. The saying goes, "you dont go to Henry Coe to train for the Sierras, you go to the Sierras to train for Henry Coe." I can personally say last trip we did over 1200ft of elevation in under 2 miles. But well worth it, just plan your trip carefully.

We had a great weekend camping trip at Coe Ranch - thanks to being at one of the sites with a bit of shelter and shade. Beware that many of the sites have neither of these things, and can be really exposed.

I’d recommend sites 10-12, 13 looked ok - and sounds like other folk recommend the ones down the hill a bit.

This is a primitive campground, no showers only vault toilets and restroom near visitor center ( 2 min walk from campground) both decently clean. Water for washing dishes is available. Spots are not close to each other so there is privacy. It is small, quiet, surrounded with beautiful views. Good hiking trails and good opportunity for bird watching, wild flowers viewing and plenty of deer around. From main road it takes about 35 min drive up the hill through narrow road which is paved but I don't think it is appropriate for RVs. It is a bit of hassle getting here but worth it! If you are car camping I advice NOT to choose drive in spots as it is not leveled but the parking where you have to walk to your camp spot is okay.

We were surprised when we made it to this campground- that it was built on the side of a hill. The walk-in sites may be different, but all of the pull in sites were extremely off-level (even with all our blocks we couldn’t get close) and the roads through the campground itself is so steep/narrow and windy that it would be extremely difficult to back in (we watched someone get stuck while trying). There wasn’t a flat tent spot at our campsite either. Finally, we arrived after dark (in November that was pretty early) and it was difficult to find your way into and out of the campground due to lack of signage. We were extremely disappointed with the quality of the sites here and would not recommend.

The campground is pretty remote and there are a good amount of sites with tree cover and shade. It’s a gigantic park with plenty of hiking trails. You can buy firewood on site but you might want to bring some. When I arrived store was closed but I found a ranger to open it and sell me some. There are signs warning of ticks in the area so be aware but I had no issues.

Came here from SF Bay for 2 nights on a weekend.  Obtained permit from the ranger station and had to pick a district I would camp in the first night (to limit amount of campers in a region per night).  Hiked about 8 miles southwest to a lake the first night and camped in my hammock by the lake.  Second day backpacked about 12 miles northeast to another lake and was able to grab a spot to set up my hammock next to some picnic tables and a restroom.  Saw plenty of wildlife (lizards, snakes, birds, fish).  It was fairly hot in mid-spring, and there is not much shade on the trails, especially the dirt roads.

Henry Coe State Park is easily accessible from the San Francisco Bay Area for a weekend getaway or short camping trip.

The Coe Ranch campground has several tent-only campsites that can be reserved online ($8 transaction fee, $20/night), and the campground has parking for vehicles in a small parking area ~20-100 feet from the campsites. Campsites at this campground are aesthetically pleasing, with oak and pine trees around the perimeter of the campground, and there are scenic views of oak woodlands and the valley below. The picnic benches are conveniently located and provide a nice space for eating while camping at the site. Toilets are easily accessed from the campsites. Campfires are allowed in the fire rings only during non-fire season (no campfires during summer months). Dogs are allowed at the Coe Ranch Campground.

Henry Coe SP has many great hiking opportunities, with beautiful wildflower displays in March and April, and also numerous opportunities for enjoying the beauty of the plants and wildlife seen along the hiking trails which are very accessible from the campground. Near the Coe Ranch campground there is a camp book store, which has some items for sale, including many field guides to wildlife and plants in the park. When the store is open, there is often a ranger available to answer questions about the park.

My only compliant is that at the site we stayed at (CR005) the ground is quite compacted, so if you do not have an adequately thick sleeping pad, the ground may be uncomfortably hard to sleep on. Normally I have no trouble sleeping on the bare ground at campsites with a thin sleeping pad, so this was surprising. Bringing an extra pad may be a good idea if you are prone to sleep problems when the ground is too hard.

You’d have to get to ranger station to obtain permit for use of campground on the day of your trip, so arriving early or on time at ranger station in the morning is helpful. Once you get the campground permit you then can hike into your destination. There are people who would camp anywhere if they can’t find campground after sunset. We camped at Skeel’s Meadow which is by a creek for fresh water usage (and refreshing to soak your feet in!). No facilities so mark a tree and follow LNT guidelines. No campfire allowed.

This small and quite campground is our favorite in Bay Area. Each site has a picnic table and a fire pit, with enough of trees and privacy. Campground is really small with only 20 campsites. The camp is a great base for hikes and bike rides all over the park, but also great just to enjoy the campground. There is a small visitor center close to the entrance, with a few souvenirs and some snacks and drinks. Visitor Center only takes cash. Overall, this place is a great spot to run away from Bay Area noise and rush.

Henry Coe is a completely underrated state park. There are ample opoprtunities for backpacking and bikepacking. The lakes throughout the park are beautiful to camp by and there are facilities (toilets) at different locations throughout the park. Most water can be filtered from the lakes. It is really hot in the summer and plenty of poison oak. There is also a lake of shade in many locations! Overall, great many places to explore and fun to visit and backpack through.