Dogs at Henry W. Coe State Park

Dogs at Coe Park

Daytime and Overnight Visits with Your Dog

Coe Park has three entrances, the headquarters entrance and two south entrances, Hunting Hollow and Coyote Creek. The only entrance where we allow dogs to enter the park is the headquarters entrance. Dogs are not allowed on any of the hiking roads or trails, but the headquarters area has about a half mile of paved roads where dogs are allowed and it has a lovely, shady half-mile trail between the Visitor Center and the entrance parking lot where you can take your dog for a walk. Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times, and the leash must be no longer than 6 feet.
The Park has a drive-in campground where you can camp with your dog. During the night, dogs must be kept inside a vehicle or a tent.
There is no fee for dogs at Coe Park.

Why We Don't Allow Dogs on the Trails

Dogs are great. Almost everyone likes dogs. So why, then, are there so many parks that don't allow dogs?
Dogs are popular because of their loving ways and their loyalty to their owners. Because of their protective attitude towards their owners, however, dogs can pose a threat to other people in parks like Coe that have many narrow, steep-sided trails.
Most dogs instinctively mark territory, and the presence of dog scent often prevents wildlife from inhabiting areas that would normally provide them with homes and food. Dogs are also predators and most of them have a natural instinct to chase or bark at wildlife. If we're to maintain the natural conditions that make Coe Park one of the unique wild areas in the country, we simply can't allow dogs in the backcountry.

So Where Can You Hike with Your Dog?

Here are some sites you can link to for information about places where you can hike with your dog:

Santa Clara County Parks
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
East Bay Regional Parks
Marin County information

Here are links to dog information provided by Dogfriendly.com:

San Jose area
Santa Cruz area
Peninsula, Palo Alto area
Oakland, East Bay area
San Francisco
Marin, North Bay area

And here's a book that might be of interest to you:

The Dog Lover's Companion to the Bay Area, by Maria Goodavage and Phil Frank. This book sells for about $13 to $18 and should be generally available in bookstores, but if you can't find it, you can order it online from Amazon.com.

Return to the Coe Park home page

Daytime and Overnight Visits with Your Dog
	Coe Park has three entrances, the headquarters entrance and two south entrances, Hunting Hollow and Coyote Creek. The only entrance where we allow dogs to enter the park is the headquarters entrance. Dogs are not allowed on any of the hiking roads or trails, but the headquarters area has about a half mile of paved roads where dogs are allowed and it has a lovely, shady half-mile trail between the Visitor Center and the entrance parking lot where you can take your dog for a walk. Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times, and the leash must be no longer than 6 feet. The Park has a drive-in campground where you can camp with your dog. During the night, dogs must be kept inside a vehicle or a tent. There is no fee for dogs at Coe Park.

Why We Don't Allow Dogs on the Trails
	Dogs are great. Almost everyone likes dogs. So why, then, are there so many parks that don't allow dogs? Dogs are popular because of their loving ways and their loyalty to their owners. Because of their protective attitude towards their owners, however, dogs can pose a threat to other people in parks like Coe that have many narrow, steep-sided trails. Most dogs instinctively mark territory, and the presence of dog scent often prevents wildlife from inhabiting areas that would normally provide them with homes and food. Dogs are also predators and most of them have a natural instinct to chase or bark at wildlife. If we're to maintain the natural conditions that make Coe Park one of the unique wild areas in the country, we simply can't allow dogs in the backcountry.

So Where Can You Hike with Your Dog?
	Here are some sites you can link to for information about places where you can hike with your dog:
	Santa Clara County Parks Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District East Bay Regional Parks Marin County information
	Here are links to dog information provided by Dogfriendly.com:
	San Jose area Santa Cruz area Peninsula, Palo Alto area Oakland, East Bay area San Francisco Marin, North Bay area

	And here's a book that might be of interest to you:
		The Dog Lover's Companion to the Bay Area, by Maria Goodavage and Phil Frank. This book sells for about $13 to $18 and should be generally available in bookstores, but if you can't find it, you can order it online from Amazon.com.