Northern California's Largest State Park Is A Wild Hidden Gem With Mild Weather And Wildflowers

A land of towering sequoias and snow-dusted Sierra Nevada peaks, Northern California is an adventurer's dream. Hikers and outdoorsy folk come from all over to wander between the world's tallest trees in Redwood National Park and cruise the eye-wateringly wonderful roads that ring Lake Tahoe. But between the legendary national reserves, Henry W. Coe State Park is an often-overlooked escape that's got plenty amid its 87,000 acres. It's not only been ranked among the top places to see wildflower blooms come spring, but reigns as the largest state park in the whole northern half of the Golden State.

It's also a cinch to access. The park spreads over the Diablo Range just east of U.S. Highway 101, placing it around 80 miles from the heart of San Francisco and over an hour's drive from San Francisco International Airport. The best way to arrive is by car. That will give you the choice of three entrances, though most people opt to come in via the Coe Ranch Entrance, which is open all year and hosts the main visitor center.

Aside from some of the most spectacular wildflower displays on the West Coast, Henry W. Coe State Park also boasts 250 miles of marked hiking trails, some of the most remote mountain biking routes in the Bay Area, year-round fishing ponds, hike-in backcountry camping, and plenty, plenty more.

If there's one natural wonder of Henry W. Coe State Park that stands out from the crowd, it's the astonishing array of wildflowers that burst into life here each year. The show usually begins in February and lasts until the early summer, with different species of flowers coloring the hillsides at different times. The park authority runs a real-time tracker that shows which flowers are currently blooming, so you can plan your visit to match up with the birchleaf mahoganies, buttercups, hill lotuses, poppies, and more.

Walkers on AllTrails have even designed the optimal hiking routes for seeing the wildflower shows at Henry W. Coe State Park. Top of the list is the moderate-rated Frog Lake Loop Trail, a 4.5-mile, two-hour hike that begins at the main visitor center and rings some tussock-topped hills and oak woods at the very north end of the park.

Two things are true about Henry W. Coe State Park. Firstly, it's big — the largest state park in Northern California, no less. Secondly, it's not busy. The 2016-2017 Annual Statistical Report from California State Parks shows that the reserve got just 58,201 combined visits. Compare that to the 547,000 people that went to Point Lobos State National Reserve — a far smaller park — in the same year.

The upshot? Henry W. Coe State Park is consistently hailed as one of the top places to really ditch the Rat Race around the Bay Area. One Redditor commented, "It's kinda nuts that there's a park you can do a 70 mile backpacking trip in right next to Silicon Valley." By morning you can be driving past the Google head offices or along the North California coastline; by afternoon you can be tramping sun-scorched ridges and navigating gnarled oak woods without another human in sight.

The park even runs guided backpacking trips out to the remote eastern portions of the reserve. That's where you can find the iconic Orestimba Wilderness, a region of gurgling creeks and untrodden wildflower meadows that demands you make a 12-mile hike in from the visitor center. It's not easy going, but it promises real seclusion in the deep reaches of the Diablo Range.