Best backpacking trips near Modesto, CA

Ranked by straight-line distance from Modesto (population ~218,464) to each trip's trailhead. Drive times are rough estimates — mountain roads are slower than they look.

Modesto backpacking at a glance

Sierra View Camp is the closest documented backpacking trip to Modesto — the Coe Ranch Visitor Center trailhead sits roughly 42 miles away, about 47 minutes by car. Of the 12 closest routes, 12 are within a two-hour drive of town, spanning Henry W. Coe State Park, Stanislaus NF backcountry, Emigrant Wilderness and Yosemite National ParkTrailheads for these trips sit between 1,457 and 7,677 feet, so you can pick a low, warm-season start or a high alpine route depending on the month.

Every one of these 12 routes requires a wilderness permit, so plan ahead — reservation windows open months before the season. Across the twelve closest trips, the months hikers rate best are October, April, February.If you want the gentlest introduction, Sierra View Camp climbs only 250 feet over 1.6 miles; the biggest single-trip climb nearby is Full North Rim at 6,200 feet of total gain over 29.1 miles.

#	Trip	Miles away	Est. drive	Distance	Gain	Difficulty	Permit
1	Sierra View Camp Henry W. Coe State Park	42 mi	~47 min	1.6 mi	250 ft	3	Required
2	Frog Lake Henry W. Coe State Park	42 mi	~47 min	4.7 mi	700 ft	14	Required
3	Madrone Soda Springs Henry W. Coe State Park	42 mi	~47 min	10 mi	1,680 ft	17	Required
4	Los Cruzeros Henry W. Coe State Park	42 mi	~47 min	11.5 mi	2,000 ft	18	Required
5	Willow Ridge Henry W. Coe State Park	42 mi	~47 min	14.2 mi	3,040 ft	22	Required
6	Poverty Flat Henry W. Coe State Park	42 mi	~47 min	9.4 mi	1,600 ft	31	Required
7	China Hole Henry W. Coe State Park	42 mi	~47 min	10.3 mi	1,640 ft	36	Required
8	Tuolumne River Canyon Trail Stanislaus NF backcountry	52 mi	~58 min	7 mi	—	10	Required
9	Bell Meadow Trail Emigrant Wilderness	67 mi	~75 min	22.4 mi	—		Required
10	Smith Peak Yosemite National Park	68 mi	~76 min	13.4 mi	3,500 ft	23	Required
11	Full North Rim Yosemite National Park	69 mi	~77 min	29.1 mi	6,200 ft	48	Required
12	El Capitan via Tamarack Creek Yosemite National Park	69 mi	~77 min	21.6 mi	1,700 ft	21	Required

Three ways to start backpacking from Modesto

Closest trailhead: Sierra View Camp — about 42 miles / 47 minutes from town.
Gentlest outing: Sierra View Camp — difficulty 3/100 (Easy), 1–1 days.
Biggest adventure: Full North Rim — 29.1 miles and 6,200 ft of climbing.

Distances are great-circle miles from Modesto 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 Modesto: common questions

What is the closest backpacking trip to Modesto?

Sierra View Camp is the closest documented trip to Modesto at roughly 42 miles (about 47 minutes of driving) from the Coe Ranch Visitor Center trailhead.

Do I need a permit to backpack near Modesto?

Many routes near Modesto, including Sierra View Camp, require a wilderness permit from California State Parks (Henry W. Coe SP). Always check the managing agency before you go.

When is the best season to backpack near Modesto?

For Sierra View Camp — the closest trip to Modesto — the best months are February, March, April, October, November.