Coyote Hills Regional Park

Coyote Hills Regional Park

Hours

Park Curfew: 10pm-5am
Park Gate Hours:
Jan. 1 - Feb 28: 7am-6pm
Mar. 1 - 31: 7am-7pm
Apr. 1 - Sep 30: 8am-8pm 
Oct. 1 - 31: 8am-7pm
Nov. 1 - 27: 8am-6pm
Nov 28-Dec. 31: 7am-6pm

Visitor Center hours: 10am-4pm Wednesday - Sunday
Open: New Year's Eve, Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day
Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day 

Fees

Parking: $5 per vehicle; $4 per trailered vehicle. Buses: $25/per bus | Dogs: $2 per dog. Guide/service dogs free. Dogs must be leashed and under control at all times

Address

8000 Patterson Ranch Road, Fremont, CA 94555

Phone

(510) 544-3220
Toll Free: 888-EBPARKS (888-327-2757), option 3, extension 4519

Internet & Cellular Access

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WiFi

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Trail Closure

Upper Meadowlark Trail is closed due to storm damage.

Muskrat Trail north of Patterson Ranch Road at Coyote Hills is closed due to flooding. Chochenyo Trail is open but has standing water at various locations.

The Tuibun Trail, between Paseo Padre Parkway and the kiosk, has been re-routed due to construction work taking place through Spring 2024. View Map.

Temporary parking closures due to capacity

Due to increased visitation, primarily on Saturday and Sunday, vehicle access to Coyote Hills may close temporarily. Vehicle access to the park typically reopens when capacity is available, but expect very extended wait times to enter. Additional Parking is available at Dumbarton Quarry Campground.

Please submit any questions or comments using our Contact Us Form.

Construction Notice - Coyote Hills Restoration and Public Access Project

Trails may be re-routed periodically as needed. There will be a traffic lane shift along Patterson Ranch Road - please use caution. The project is expected to open in Spring 2024More informationUpdated March 18, 2024.

Coyote Hills Parking Lot Project

The gravel parking lot located at Paseo Padre Parkway and Patterson Ranch Road is closed. View Map.
The existing lot will be replaced by a paved 100-car lot with shade, flush toilets, landscaping, EV charging, bus parking, picnic tables, and wildlife overlooks. The new parking lot is due to open in Spring 2024 and will be located further up Patterson Ranch Road and will have better pedestrian and vehicle circulation. 
To accommodate early park users, Coyote Hills staff will open the gates to the park at 7am.

Coyote Hills Regional Park was dedicated in 1967. The park comprises 1,266 acres of marshland and rolling grassland-covered hills. This busy park is located along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, northwest of the cities of Fremont and Newark. The most popular visitor activities are hiking, jogging, bicycling, bird watching, nature exploration, and picnicking. Well used every season of the year -- spring, summer, and fall tend to be the most popular. But the park's winter beauty is wonderful to behold.

Chochenyo Trail Names

On Sunday, November 27, 2022, the Park District celebrated the updating of 35 trail markers at Coyote Hills Regional Park to include trail names in Chochenyo, the language of the park’s First Peoples. Coyote Hills – Máyyan Šaatošikma – is the ancestral homeland of the Tuibun Ohlone peoples, who have thrived with the land and spoken the Chochenyo language since time immemorial. The celebration included the unveiling of the first new trail markers that include Chochenyo trail names, with the remaining trail posts being installed and replaced over the next six months. The Muwékma Ohlone Tribe Language Committee began working on this Chochenyo Trail Marker Project in 2016 and the first signs were unveiled in November 2022 to coincide with Native American Heritage Month. The new trail markers include an emblem that lists translated Chochenyo trail names. The new trail markers honor a request by Muwekma Ohlone Tribe to restore original place names at Coyote Hills and integrate them into park signage. The trail markers are also an important interpretive feature for ongoing interpretive programming.

Chochenyo Translations of Trails: 

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Chochenyo Trail Marker
Chochenyo Trail Marker
  • Bayview Trail  = Síi ’Imñom ’Ommu 
  • Lizard Rock Trail = ’Ipíhwa ’írek  
  • Meadowlark Trail = Čiirikimin 
  • Muskrat Trail = Ramés 
  • Peregrine Trail = Kaknu  
  • Quail Trail = Hekšen 
  • Red Hill Trail = Púltéewis Šáatoš 
  • Soaproot Trail = Rawwen 
  • Willows Trail = Ríipinikma  

Landmark Names: 

  • Heron Marsh = ’Áareh Marsh  
  • Lark Marsh = Čiirikimin Marsh
  • Peregrine Marsh = Kaknu Marsh  
  • Willow Marsh = Ríipinikma Marsh

Learn more about the Great Work that Native People are Doing Throughout the Bay Area (PDF)

Restoration and Public Access Project

  • The Park District has completed a Land Use Plan Amendment and Park Development Plan to incorporate 306 acres of the former Patterson Ranch property into the Park. The Project’s design phase has commenced and future updates will be posted to the project webpage.
  • Coyote Hills Project Brochure [PDF]
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Children enjoying puppet show at Coyote Hills

Coyote Hills Naturalist Programs

Join us for our monthly programs!

To Reach The Park

Park Accessibility

There are two disabled parking sites at the Visitor Center's parking lot. Both of the public restrooms at the Center have an accessible stall. Drinking fountains located near the Visitor Center have been upgraded to meet current ADA standards. There is one wheelchair accessible chemical toilet in the Center's parking lot and one at the Quarry Staging Area. The Dairy Glen campsite is now fully ADA compliant including a new hardened path that makes it easier for guests using wheelchairs and mobility devices to access the shade structures and other components of the camp. Public transit information.

 

Attractions

Visitor Center

Coyote Hills Visitor Center contains educational displays and exhibits as well as the Possum's Pocket Nature Store. The exhibits portray the Ohlone way of life and include a tule reed boat constructed by park staff and volunteers using Native American methods. Other exhibits cover the park's natural history and wildlife.

Naturalist-led programs, including tours of the marsh and surrounding area, highlight the park’s cultural and natural history. An annual Gathering of Ohlone Peoples highlights the ways today’s Ohlone's are bringing their cultures into the future. To learn more about the park’s history and natural wonders, or naturalist-led walks and other programs, visit the Visitor Center Wednesdays through Sundays, 10am - 4pm

Nectar Garden

A bird and butterfly nectar garden is located adjacent to the visitor center. Currently, the garden is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. Several naturalist-led educational programs are offered in the garden during the year. Contact the interpretive staff at (510) 544-3220 for additional information. 

Picnicking

Numerous picnic tables are located at the visitor center and at the Quarry Staging Area on a first-come-first-served basis with barbeque braziers, water, and shade. Cooking fires are limited to the metal braziers provided at each site. The Hoot Hollow picnic area, located above and behind the visitor center, is a reservable group picnic site. Visit the Coyote Hills Picnic Area webpage for more information. For additional information or to make a reservation, call 1-888-EBPARKS or 1-888-327-2757, press option 2.

Camping

The Dairy Glen reservable group campsite is available for overnight camping through the Park District's Reservations office. Visit the Camping page Call 1-888-EBPARKS or 1-888-327-2757 (press option 2, then 1) for reservations. All reservations must be made at least 14 days in advance.

This 50-person group camp, named after the dairy farmers of the 1800s, has been completely upgraded and renovated thanks to funding from the Regional Parks Foundation. The group camp includes three shade structures, additional picnic tables, a drinking foundation, a fire pit, a hand washing station, and vault toilets. Upgrades created greater accessibility so the campsite is now fully ADA compliant including a new hardened path that makes it easier for guests using wheelchairs and mobility devices to access the shade structures and other components of the camp.

Hiking

Hikes through Coyote Hills afford scenic vistas of San Francisco Bay and surrounding areas of Southern Alameda County. Ramble 'round a marsh or climb to the top of Red Hill to catch the breeze. For detailed information on trail lengths and terrain, see the park map or talk with staff in the visitor center. Other attractions of interest include the Marsh Boardwalk and the 3.5-mile Bayview Trail, a paved loop trail for hiking and bicycle riding. There are wonderful scenic views of San Francisco Bay and the peninsula hills to the west from the park's hilltops.

Bicycling

Bike riders may take the 3.5-mile paved Bayview Trail within the park. Bayview connects with 12 additional miles of trail along the south levee of the Alameda Creek Trail, and to the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Wildlife Refuge

The waters to the west and south of Coyote Hills are part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Shoreline, No Name, Apay Way and Alameda Creek trails provide access to the Refuge for hikers and bicycle riders. Apay Way leads to the Refuge Visitor Center via a bridge over the top of the Highway 84/Dumbarton Bridge toll booths. 

Alameda Creek Trail

This 12-mile trail stretches from the Bay east to the mouth of Niles Canyon and borders Coyote Hills on the park's north side. It is actually two parallel trails, with an equestrian trail on the northern levee and a bicycle trail on the southern levee, connecting with the Coyote Hills' Bay View bike trail. Hikers are welcome on both trails. Motor vehicles are not permitted on the trails--citations will be issued to violators.

Other attractions at Coyote Hills include the Marsh Boardwalk, and 3.5-mile Bay View Trail, a paved loop trail for hiking and bicycle riding. There are scenic views of the South Bay from the park's hilltops.

Environmental Education: Ohlone Youth Summit

Naturalist Programs

The park's naturalist staff conducts a variety of programs for both organized groups and the public. Programs are offered on a variety of subjects including, Native American history and culture, birds and butterflies, marsh and grassland ecology, and general nature exploration. Public programs, usually on weekends, are publicized in the Park District's monthly newsletter, Regional In Nature, which is available in the visitor center and posted on park bulletin boards. Weekday programs are available for schools and organized groups by reservation. Call (510) 544-3220 for further information.

Detailed descriptions of the Coyote Hills Naturalist Programs

Nature Study

In addition to taking part in the naturalist programs publicized on park bulletin boards and in the Park District's monthly newsletter, you may want to strike out on your own. Bringing along a magnifying glass, camera, a pair of binoculars, and maybe a sketchbook will help to enhance your experience. Remember to wear sturdy walking shoes and bring liquids and a snack. Information about what to see and where to go is available in the visitor center.

History

The East Bay area's original inhabitants were the ancestors of the Ohlone Indians, hunters, and gatherers whose skills enabled them to live well off the land's natural bounty. In those days, tule elk roamed the land, condors soared overhead, and sea otters and fish were abundant in the Bay. At Coyote Hills Regional Park, some of this rich wetland is preserved, along with 2,000-year old Tuibun Ohlone Indian shellmound sites with fascinating archaeological resources.

The park's rich and varied history also includes Mission and settler ranching and farming activities, salt production, a duck hunting club, a dairy, rock quarrying, a military NIKE missile site, and a biosonar research facility. Now a Regional Park, this area is preserved for recreation, and educational and nature experiences for all to enjoy.