Best backpacking trips near Costa Mesa, CA

Ranked by straight-line distance from Costa Mesa (population ~111,918) to each trip's trailhead. Drive times are rough estimates — mountain roads are slower than they look.

Costa Mesa backpacking at a glance

Trans-Catalina Trail is the closest documented backpacking trip to Costa Mesa — the Avalon trailhead sits roughly 33 miles away, about 37 minutes by car. Of the 12 closest routes, 12 are within a two-hour drive of town, spanning Channel Islands, Los Padres backcountry, San Gorgonio Wilderness, San Jacinto Mountains, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and Joshua Tree National ParkTrailheads for these trips sit between 26 and 11,499 feet, so you can pick a low, warm-season start or a high alpine route depending on the month.

3 of these 12 routes need no wilderness permit — useful for spontaneous weekends. Across the twelve closest trips, the months hikers rate best are October, June, September.If you want the gentlest introduction, Borrego Palm Canyon climbs only 700 feet over 3 miles; the biggest single-trip climb nearby is Vivian Creek Trail to San Gorgonio at 10,800 feet of total gain over 15.6 miles.

#	Trip	Miles away	Est. drive	Distance	Gain	Difficulty	Permit
1	Trans-Catalina Trail Channel Islands	33 mi	~37 min	38.5 mi	7,638 ft	49	Required
2	La Jolla Trail Los Padres backcountry	42 mi	~46 min	9 mi	—	10	None
3	San Bernardino Peak Trail San Gorgonio Wilderness	63 mi	~70 min	17.8 mi	9,300 ft	55	Required
4	Momyer Creek to Dollar Lake Saddle San Gorgonio Wilderness	64 mi	~71 min	18.4 mi	4,560 ft	44	Required
5	Forsee Creek to Johns Meadow San Gorgonio Wilderness	65 mi	~72 min	7.8 mi	1,600 ft	12	Required
6	Vivian Creek Trail to San Gorgonio San Gorgonio Wilderness	65 mi	~72 min	15.6 mi	10,800 ft	61	Required
7	South Fork Trail to Dry Lake San Gorgonio Wilderness	69 mi	~77 min	11.4 mi	4,400 ft	31	Required
8	Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide San Jacinto Mountains	71 mi	~78 min	10.6 mi	3,300 ft	38	Required
9	Devil's Slide to San Jacinto Peak San Jacinto Mountains	71 mi	~78 min	16 mi	4,500 ft	65	Required
10	Buck Creek Trail Los Padres backcountry	88 mi	~98 min	22.4 mi	—	45	None
11	Borrego Palm Canyon Anza-Borrego Desert State Park	90 mi	~100 min	3 mi	700 ft	4	None
12	Boy Scout Trail Joshua Tree National Park	103 mi	~114 min	15.6 mi	1,600 ft	14	Required

Three ways to start backpacking from Costa Mesa

Closest trailhead: Trans-Catalina Trail — about 33 miles / 37 minutes from town.
Gentlest outing: Borrego Palm Canyon — difficulty 4/100 (Easy), 1–2 days.
Biggest adventure: Vivian Creek Trail to San Gorgonio — 15.6 miles and 10,800 ft of climbing.

Distances are great-circle miles from Costa Mesa to trailhead coordinates; actual road distances will be longer. Town data: Wikidata SPARQL (CC0), population values derived from U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Backpacking near Costa Mesa: common questions

What is the closest backpacking trip to Costa Mesa?

Trans-Catalina Trail is the closest documented trip to Costa Mesa at roughly 33 miles (about 37 minutes of driving) from the Avalon trailhead.

Do I need a permit to backpack near Costa Mesa?

Many routes near Costa Mesa, including Trans-Catalina Trail, require a wilderness permit from Catalina Island Conservancy. Always check the managing agency before you go.

When is the best season to backpack near Costa Mesa?

For Trans-Catalina Trail — the closest trip to Costa Mesa — the best months are March, April, May, October, November.