Best backpacking trips near Lodi, CA

Ranked by straight-line distance from Lodi (population ~66,348) to each trip's trailhead. Drive times are rough estimates — mountain roads are slower than they look.

Lodi backpacking at a glance

Sierra View Camp is the closest documented backpacking trip to Lodi — the Coe Ranch Visitor Center trailhead sits roughly 65 miles away, about 72 minutes by car. Of the 12 closest routes, 12 are within a two-hour drive of town, spanning Henry W. Coe State Park, Stanislaus NF backcountry, Eldorado NF backcountry, Emigrant Wilderness and Desolation WildernessTrailheads for these trips sit between 1,457 and 9,019 feet, so you can pick a low, warm-season start or a high alpine route depending on the month.

Every one of these 12 routes requires a wilderness permit, so plan ahead — reservation windows open months before the season. Across the twelve closest trips, the months hikers rate best are October, February, March.If you want the gentlest introduction, Sierra View Camp climbs only 250 feet over 1.6 miles; the biggest single-trip climb nearby is Willow Ridge at 3,040 feet of total gain over 14.2 miles.

#	Trip	Miles away	Est. drive	Distance	Gain	Difficulty	Permit
1	Sierra View Camp Henry W. Coe State Park	65 mi	~72 min	1.6 mi	250 ft	3	Required
2	Frog Lake Henry W. Coe State Park	65 mi	~72 min	4.7 mi	700 ft	14	Required
3	Madrone Soda Springs Henry W. Coe State Park	65 mi	~72 min	10 mi	1,680 ft	17	Required
4	Los Cruzeros Henry W. Coe State Park	65 mi	~72 min	11.5 mi	2,000 ft	18	Required
5	Willow Ridge Henry W. Coe State Park	65 mi	~72 min	14.2 mi	3,040 ft	22	Required
6	Poverty Flat Henry W. Coe State Park	65 mi	~72 min	9.4 mi	1,600 ft	31	Required
7	China Hole Henry W. Coe State Park	65 mi	~72 min	10.3 mi	1,640 ft	36	Required
8	Tuolumne River Canyon Trail Stanislaus NF backcountry	69 mi	~77 min	7 mi	—	10	Required
9	Caples Creek Trail Eldorado NF backcountry	72 mi	~80 min	8 mi	—	25	Required
10	Bell Meadow Trail Emigrant Wilderness	73 mi	~81 min	22.4 mi	—		Required
11	Van Vleck Trail to Forni Lake Desolation Wilderness	76 mi	~84 min	9.8 mi	—		Required
12	Gianelli to Burst Rock Emigrant Wilderness	76 mi	~84 min	8.4 mi	—		Required

Three ways to start backpacking from Lodi

Closest trailhead: Sierra View Camp — about 65 miles / 72 minutes from town.
Gentlest outing: Sierra View Camp — difficulty 3/100 (Easy), 1–1 days.
Biggest adventure: Willow Ridge — 14.2 miles and 3,040 ft of climbing.

Distances are great-circle miles from Lodi 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 Lodi: common questions

What is the closest backpacking trip to Lodi?

Sierra View Camp is the closest documented trip to Lodi at roughly 65 miles (about 72 minutes of driving) from the Coe Ranch Visitor Center trailhead.

Do I need a permit to backpack near Lodi?

Many routes near Lodi, including Sierra View Camp, require a wilderness permit from California State Parks (Henry W. Coe SP). Always check the managing agency before you go.

When is the best season to backpack near Lodi?

For Sierra View Camp — the closest trip to Lodi — the best months are February, March, April, October, November.