Best backpacking trips near Concord, CA

Ranked by straight-line distance from Concord (population ~125,410) to each trip's trailhead. Drive times are rough estimates — mountain roads are slower than they look.

Concord backpacking at a glance

Wildcat Camp via Palomarin is the closest documented backpacking trip to Concord — the Palomarin Trailhead trailhead sits roughly 39 miles away, about 43 minutes by car. Of the 12 closest routes, 12 are within a two-hour drive of town, spanning Point Reyes National Seashore, Henry W. Coe State Park and Los Padres backcountryTrailheads for these trips sit between 266 and 3,245 feet, so you can pick a low, warm-season start or a high alpine route depending on the month.

One of these routes needs no wilderness permit at all — a good spontaneous option. Across the twelve closest trips, the months hikers rate best are March, April, October.If you want the gentlest introduction, Sierra View Camp climbs only 250 feet over 1.6 miles; the biggest single-trip climb nearby is Willow Ridge at 3,040 feet of total gain over 14.2 miles.

#	Trip	Miles away	Est. drive	Distance	Gain	Difficulty	Permit
1	Wildcat Camp via Palomarin Point Reyes National Seashore	39 mi	~43 min	11 mi	800 ft	11	Required
2	Glen Camp via Bear Valley Point Reyes National Seashore	42 mi	~47 min	9.2 mi	600 ft	10	Required
3	Sky Camp via Sky Trail Point Reyes National Seashore	44 mi	~49 min	2.8 mi	500 ft	5	Required
4	Coast Camp via Laguna Trail Point Reyes National Seashore	45 mi	~50 min	3.6 mi	800 ft	9	Required
5	Sierra View Camp Henry W. Coe State Park	60 mi	~67 min	1.6 mi	250 ft	3	Required
6	Frog Lake Henry W. Coe State Park	60 mi	~67 min	4.7 mi	700 ft	14	Required
7	Madrone Soda Springs Henry W. Coe State Park	60 mi	~67 min	10 mi	1,680 ft	17	Required
8	Los Cruzeros Henry W. Coe State Park	60 mi	~67 min	11.5 mi	2,000 ft	18	Required
9	Willow Ridge Henry W. Coe State Park	60 mi	~67 min	14.2 mi	3,040 ft	22	Required
10	Poverty Flat Henry W. Coe State Park	60 mi	~67 min	9.4 mi	1,600 ft	31	Required
11	China Hole Henry W. Coe State Park	60 mi	~67 min	10.3 mi	1,640 ft	36	Required
12	Caldwell - Trout Creek Trail Los Padres backcountry	101 mi	~113 min	22.8 mi	—	55	None

Three ways to start backpacking from Concord

Closest trailhead: Wildcat Camp via Palomarin — about 39 miles / 43 minutes from town.
Gentlest outing: Sierra View Camp — difficulty 3/100 (Easy), 1–1 days.
Biggest adventure: Willow Ridge — 14.2 miles and 3,040 ft of climbing.

Distances are great-circle miles from Concord to trailhead coordinates; actual road distances will be longer. Town data: Wikidata SPARQL (CC0), population values derived from U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Backpacking near Concord: common questions

What is the closest backpacking trip to Concord?

Wildcat Camp via Palomarin is the closest documented trip to Concord at roughly 39 miles (about 43 minutes of driving) from the Palomarin Trailhead trailhead.

Do I need a permit to backpack near Concord?

Many routes near Concord, including Wildcat Camp via Palomarin, require a wilderness permit from Point Reyes National Seashore (NPS). Always check the managing agency before you go.

When is the best season to backpack near Concord?

For Wildcat Camp via Palomarin — the closest trip to Concord — the best months are March, April, May, September, October.