Find your next California backpacking trip

A searchable, filterable database of backpacking routes across California — distance, elevation gain, permits, campfire rules, seasons, and citations for every number.

Compare the Sierra's classic loops with desert overnights and coastal hikes, then plan the details with our guides: how to plan a California backpacking trip, how wilderness permits and lotteries work, and when to go by snow, bugs, and fire season. Or start from where you live on the trips near you page.

SearchRegionRoute typePermitCampfiresBest monthMax difficultyMax distance (mi)Max gain (ft)Sort by

Trip	Difficulty	Distance	Gain	Max elev	Days	Permit	Campfires
Bell Meadow Trail Emigrant Wilderness · Leavitt Peak	·	22.4 mi	—	—	3–4	Required	Seasonal
Loon Lake to Buck Island Lake Desolation Wilderness · Buck Island Lake	·	12.2 mi	—	—	2	Required	Seasonal
Canyon Creek Lakes Trinity Alps Wilderness · Sawtooth Mountain	·	14 mi	—	—	2–3	Required	Prohibited
Gianelli Trailhead to Chewing Gum Lake Emigrant Wilderness · Leavitt Peak	·	10.5 mi	—	—	2	Required	Seasonal
Copper Creek Trail Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks · Mount Gardiner	·	8 mi	—	—	1–2	Required	Allowed
Meeks Bay to Crag Lake Desolation Wilderness · Crag Lake	·	9.8 mi	—	—	2	Required	Seasonal
Eagle Falls to Dicks Lake Desolation Wilderness · Dicks Peak	·	8.6 mi	—	—	2	Required	Seasonal
Eagle Lake Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks · Eagle Lake	·	6.8 mi	—	—	1–2	Required	Allowed
Eagle Falls to Fontanillis Lake Desolation Wilderness · Fontanillis Lake	·	9.8 mi	—	—	2	Required	Seasonal
Glen Alpine to Gilmore Lake Desolation Wilderness · Mount Tallac	·	7.8 mi	—	—	1–2	Required	Seasonal
Twin Lakes to Island Lake Desolation Wilderness · Island Lake	·	7 mi	—	—	1–2	Required	Seasonal
Lakes Trail to Emerald Lake Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks · Alta Peak	·	10 mi	—	—	2	Required	Stoves only
Twin Lakes Trail (Lodgepole) Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks · Silliman Crest	·	6 mi	—	—	1–2	Required	Allowed
White Chief Lake Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks · White Chief Peak	·	8.2 mi	—	—	1–2	Required	Stoves only
May Lake Yosemite National Park · Mount Hoffmann	4 · Easy	2 mi	400 ft	—	1–2	Required	Stoves only
Rancheria Falls Yosemite National Park · Rancheria Mountain	10 · Easy	12.6 mi	700 ft	—	2	Required	Allowed
Snag Lake Loop Lassen Volcanic National Park · Cinder Cone, Prospect Peak	11 · Easy	7.8 mi	603 ft	6,390 ft	2	Required	Seasonal
Cathedral Lakes Yosemite National Park · Cathedral Peak, Echo Peak	12 · Easy	7 mi	1,000 ft	—	2	Required	Stoves only
Forsee Creek to Johns Meadow San Gorgonio Wilderness · San Bernardino Peak	12 · Easy	7.8 mi	1,600 ft	7,200 ft	1–2	Required	Seasonal
North Dome Yosemite National Park · North Dome	13 · Easy	10.4 mi	1,100 ft	—	2	Required	Allowed
Ostrander Lake Yosemite National Park · Horse Ridge	13 · Easy	11.4 mi	1,500 ft	—	2	Required	Allowed
Pohono Trail Yosemite National Park · Stanford Point	13 · Easy	13.7 mi	1,100 ft	—	2–3	Required	Allowed
Boy Scout Trail Joshua Tree National Park · Quail Mountain (park high point)	14 · Easy	15.6 mi	1,600 ft	4,000 ft	2	Required	Prohibited
Frog Lake Henry W. Coe State Park · Frog Lake	14 · Easy	4.7 mi	700 ft	—	1–2	Required	Prohibited
Lyell Canyon Yosemite National Park · Mount Lyell, Kuna Crest	14 · Easy	11.4 mi	300 ft	8,848 ft	2	Required	Allowed
Round Valley (Mt San Jacinto via Tram) San Jacinto Mountains · San Jacinto Peak, Jean Peak	14 · Easy	4.2 mi	700 ft	—	1–2	Required	Prohibited
Young Lakes Yosemite National Park · Ragged Peak, Mount Conness	14 · Easy	13.6 mi	1,300 ft	—	2–3	Required	Allowed
Chilnualna Falls Yosemite National Park · Chilnualna Falls	15 · Easy	9.2 mi	2,400 ft	—	1–2	Required	Allowed
Lost Coast Trail King Range (Lost Coast) · King Peak	15 · Easy	24.4 mi	405 ft	130 ft	3–4	Required	Seasonal
Snow Creek to the North Rim Yosemite National Park · Half Dome	16 · Easy	7.1 mi	2,750 ft	—	2	Required	Allowed
Glen Aulin Yosemite National Park · Tuolumne River cascades	17 · Easy	12.6 mi	750 ft	8,560 ft	2–3	Required	Allowed
Laurel Lake Yosemite National Park · Laurel Lake	18 · Easy	14.2 mi	2,700 ft	—	2	Required	Allowed
Waterwheel Falls Yosemite National Park · Waterwheel Falls	18 · Easy	20.6 mi	1,850 ft	—	2–3	Required	Allowed
Little Lakes Valley Inyo National Forest · Bear Creek Spire, Mount Morgan	20 · Moderate	6.4 mi	1,242 ft	10,898 ft	1–2	Required	Seasonal
El Capitan via Tamarack Creek Yosemite National Park · El Capitan	21 · Moderate	21.6 mi	1,700 ft	—	2–3	Required	Allowed
Lake Vernon Yosemite National Park · Lake Vernon	21 · Moderate	19.1 mi	2,700 ft	—	2–3	Required	Allowed
Eagle Peak Yosemite National Park · Eagle Peak	23 · Moderate	12.6 mi	3,770 ft	—	2	Required	Allowed
Vogelsang High Sierra Camp Yosemite National Park · Vogelsang Peak, Rafferty Peak	23 · Moderate	14.4 mi	1,600 ft	10,154 ft	2–3	Required	Stoves only
Little Yosemite Valley Yosemite National Park · Half Dome	24 · Moderate	9.6 mi	2,150 ft	—	2	Required	Stoves only
Lake Aloha via Glen Alpine Desolation Wilderness · Mount Tallac, Pyramid Peak	25 · Moderate	11.6 mi	3,200 ft	8,116 ft	2–3	Required	Seasonal
Rush Creek to Thousand Island Lake Inyo National Forest · Banner Peak, Mount Ritter	27 · Moderate	15.8 mi	2,683 ft	9,834 ft	2–3	Required	Allowed
Duck Pass to Duck Lake Inyo National Forest · Duck Pass	28 · Moderate	9.5 mi	3,210 ft	10,768 ft	2	Required	Seasonal
Half Dome via the John Muir Trail Yosemite National Park · Half Dome, Liberty Cap	28 · Moderate	16.2 mi	4,830 ft	—	2–3	Required	Stoves only
Ten Lakes Basin Yosemite National Park · Tuolumne Peak	28 · Moderate	11.8 mi	1,500 ft	9,644 ft	2–3	Required	Allowed
Cottonwood Pass to Chicken Spring Lake Inyo National Forest · Cirque Peak, Mount Langley	30 · Moderate	15 mi	2,962 ft	11,129 ft	2	Required	Seasonal
Monarch Lakes Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks · Sawtooth Peak	30 · Moderate	7.1 mi	4,162 ft	10,376 ft	2	Required	Stoves only
Sabrina Basin Inyo National Forest · Mount Darwin, Mount Emerson	30 · Moderate	8.5 mi	3,652 ft	10,850 ft	2–3	Required	Seasonal
Poverty Flat Henry W. Coe State Park · Pine Ridge	31 · Moderate	9.4 mi	1,600 ft	—	2	Required	Prohibited
South Fork Trail to Dry Lake San Gorgonio Wilderness · San Gorgonio Mountain, Jepson Peak	31 · Moderate	11.4 mi	4,400 ft	9,000 ft	2	Required	Seasonal
Timber Gap Trail Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks · Sawtooth Peak	32 · Moderate	9.7 mi	4,780 ft	9,509 ft	2	Required	Seasonal
New Army Pass via Cottonwood Lakes Inyo National Forest · Mount Langley, Cirque Peak	33 · Moderate	9.6 mi	3,596 ft	12,274 ft	2–3	Required	Seasonal
China Hole Henry W. Coe State Park · Diablo Range ridgeline	36 · Moderate	10.3 mi	1,640 ft	—	2	Required	Prohibited
Clouds Rest via Sunrise Lakes Yosemite National Park · Clouds Rest	39 · Moderate	17.4 mi	5,884 ft	9,747 ft	2	Required	Seasonal
Big Pine Lakes Inyo National Forest · North Palisade, Mount Sill, Middle Palisade	46 · Strenuous	13.5 mi	7,086 ft	11,237 ft	2–3	Required	Seasonal
Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne Yosemite National Park · Waterwheel Falls, LeConte Falls	48 · Strenuous	30.8 mi	5,350 ft	8,672 ft	3–4	Required	Seasonal
Mount Whitney Trail Inyo National Forest · Mount Whitney	49 · Strenuous	21.4 mi	6,460 ft	14,505 ft	2–3	Required	Stoves only
Trans-Catalina Trail Channel Islands · Mount Orizaba (island high point), Black Jack Mountain	49 · Strenuous	38.5 mi	7,638 ft	1,688 ft	4–5	Required	Stoves only
Black Rock Pass Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks · Needham Mountain	54 · Strenuous	13.7 mi	8,954 ft	11,634 ft	3	Required	Stoves only
Marion Mountain Trail to San Jacinto Peak San Jacinto Mountains · San Jacinto Peak	55 · Strenuous	10.6 mi	4,500 ft	—	2	Required	Prohibited
San Bernardino Peak Trail San Gorgonio Wilderness · San Bernardino Peak, San Bernardino East Peak	55 · Strenuous	17.8 mi	9,300 ft	10,624 ft	2–3	Required	Seasonal
Rae Lakes Loop Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks · Painted Lady, Fin Dome, Glen Pass	58 · Strenuous	41.4 mi	7,047 ft	11,978 ft	4–5	Required	Seasonal
Vivian Creek Trail to San Gorgonio San Gorgonio Wilderness · San Gorgonio Mountain	61 · Strenuous	15.6 mi	10,800 ft	11,499 ft	2–3	Required	Seasonal
Devil's Slide to San Jacinto Peak San Jacinto Mountains · San Jacinto Peak, Marion Mountain	65 · Very strenuous	16 mi	4,500 ft	—	2–3	Required	Prohibited
North Lake–South Lake Loop Inyo National Forest · Mount Humphreys, Mount Mendel, Mount Darwin	73 · Very strenuous	47.2 mi	9,320 ft	11,972 ft	5–7	Required	Seasonal
High Sierra Trail Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks · Mount Whitney, Kaweah Gap	88 · Extreme	72.2 mi	15,300 ft	—	6–8	Required	Seasonal
Cactus to Clouds San Jacinto Mountains · San Jacinto Peak	99 · Extreme	21 mi	10,000 ft	—	2–3	Required	Prohibited