Good overnights near(ish) to South Bay (San Jose) area

Henry Coe SP (30+ minutes away) – everything, where BPL members go to get in ready for the Sierra season. LOL
Ohlone Wilderness Trail (30 minutes) – long weekend
Big Basin SP(1 hours) – possible overnight or do the Skyline to sea as a long weekend
Muir Woods NP (1.5 hours) – overnight
Point Reyes NP (2 hours) overnight or long weekend
more Ventanna/Big Sur (2hours) – everything
Emigrant Wilderness (4 hours)- everything

Henry Coe and Ventanna Wilderness are the only place where you can camp where you like in zones far enough away from the park HQ. Everything else is designated campsites, though many are primitive. Curse of living in so populated an area. Emigrant probably closest and logistically easiest Sierra experience from South Bay area.

Also, Carrizo Plain (3-4 hours) is a trip (pun not intended).

Let me know if you need any specifics.

Thanks and awesome! Going to do a bit of investigating and hit up one of these this weekend!

The Berry Falls trail is really nice in Big Basin. There are environmental trail camps at Butano State Park. You can drop your packs and hike over a couple of ridges to Big Basin. Otherwise, besides the sites already mentioned, you need to go further afield.

While you're in Northern California, you should consider the Lost Coast.

Lost Coast was closed for a bit yes? Hunting some guy who murdered his family? I haven't seen latest on that?

That said, I have been told to go there by many many people, so going to definitely do my best to hit it before I head back east. Looks like I am backpacking every weekend! :)

Only news I could find showed that the manhunt was winding down and that the area would open May 30.

So many no-people, no-fee, places to hike and camp it's amazing. I'll recommend Loch Leven (sp?) lakes off Rainbow Rd in, I think, Nevada City Ranger district. Great friday evening hike (including the drive) after work, and then lots of alpine lakes to hike and fish at the top. In the same area, Grouse Ridge, Glacier and some other lakes make for some very nice hikes and offer car camping lots for the friday night park and early Sat. a.m. start.

Reopened on May 31st. Totally different beach hike experience than what you find back east.

Update: I just realized that I've been referring to the whole area around Muir Woods NM (not NP as I stated above) as Muir Woods, when in fact most of it is in fact Mt Tam SP. Hope this clarifies for some people. It is actually the area on the list I know the least about, except I went for 2.5 days with a group a few years back. Definitely not wilderness. LOL More like a very big SF playground. Probably why I never made it a priority to go back, even though it was very nice. There are campsites – with reservations required of course, as in most SP in CA. Still, it is beautiful.