Best backpacking trips near Palo Alto, CA

Ranked by straight-line distance from Palo Alto (population ~68,572) to each trip's trailhead. Drive times are rough estimates — mountain roads are slower than they look.

Palo Alto backpacking at a glance

Sierra View Camp is the closest documented backpacking trip to Palo Alto — the Coe Ranch Visitor Center trailhead sits roughly 37 miles away, about 42 minutes by car. Of the 12 closest routes, 12 are within a two-hour drive of town, spanning Henry W. Coe State Park, Point Reyes National Seashore and Ventana WildernessTrailheads 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	Sierra View Camp Henry W. Coe State Park	37 mi	~42 min	1.6 mi	250 ft	3	Required
2	Frog Lake Henry W. Coe State Park	37 mi	~42 min	4.7 mi	700 ft	14	Required
3	Madrone Soda Springs Henry W. Coe State Park	37 mi	~42 min	10 mi	1,680 ft	17	Required
4	Los Cruzeros Henry W. Coe State Park	37 mi	~42 min	11.5 mi	2,000 ft	18	Required
5	Willow Ridge Henry W. Coe State Park	37 mi	~42 min	14.2 mi	3,040 ft	22	Required
6	Poverty Flat Henry W. Coe State Park	37 mi	~42 min	9.4 mi	1,600 ft	31	Required
7	China Hole Henry W. Coe State Park	37 mi	~42 min	10.3 mi	1,640 ft	36	Required
8	Wildcat Camp via Palomarin Point Reyes National Seashore	48 mi	~54 min	11 mi	800 ft	11	Required
9	Glen Camp via Bear Valley Point Reyes National Seashore	56 mi	~62 min	9.2 mi	600 ft	10	Required
10	Sky Camp via Sky Trail Point Reyes National Seashore	58 mi	~64 min	2.8 mi	500 ft	5	Required
11	Coast Camp via Laguna Trail Point Reyes National Seashore	58 mi	~64 min	3.6 mi	800 ft	9	Required
12	Carmel River Trail Ventana Wilderness	77 mi	~85 min	13 mi	800 ft	22	None

Three ways to start backpacking from Palo Alto

Closest trailhead: Sierra View Camp — about 37 miles / 42 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 Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto: common questions

What is the closest backpacking trip to Palo Alto?

Sierra View Camp is the closest documented trip to Palo Alto at roughly 37 miles (about 42 minutes of driving) from the Coe Ranch Visitor Center trailhead.

Do I need a permit to backpack near Palo Alto?

Many routes near Palo Alto, 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 Palo Alto?

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