Best backpacking trips near Pasadena, CA

Ranked by straight-line distance from Pasadena (population ~138,699) to each trip's trailhead. Drive times are rough estimates — mountain roads are slower than they look.

Pasadena backpacking at a glance

La Jolla Trail is the closest documented backpacking trip to Pasadena — the La Jolla Trail Trailhead trailhead sits roughly 6 miles away, about 7 minutes by car. Of the 12 closest routes, 12 are within a two-hour drive of town, spanning Los Padres backcountry, Channel Islands, San Gorgonio Wilderness, Sespe Wilderness and San Jacinto MountainsTrailheads 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.

4 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, Forsee Creek to Johns Meadow climbs only 1,600 feet over 7.8 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	La Jolla Trail Los Padres backcountry	6 mi	~7 min	9 mi	—	10	None
2	Buck Creek Trail Los Padres backcountry	55 mi	~61 min	22.4 mi	—	45	None
3	Trans-Catalina Trail Channel Islands	57 mi	~63 min	38.5 mi	7,638 ft	49	Required
4	San Bernardino Peak Trail San Gorgonio Wilderness	67 mi	~74 min	17.8 mi	9,300 ft	55	Required
5	Forsee Creek to Johns Meadow San Gorgonio Wilderness	69 mi	~77 min	7.8 mi	1,600 ft	12	Required
6	Momyer Creek to Dollar Lake Saddle San Gorgonio Wilderness	70 mi	~78 min	18.4 mi	4,560 ft	44	Required
7	Vivian Creek Trail to San Gorgonio San Gorgonio Wilderness	71 mi	~79 min	15.6 mi	10,800 ft	61	Required
8	South Fork Trail to Dry Lake San Gorgonio Wilderness	73 mi	~82 min	11.4 mi	4,400 ft	31	Required
9	Gene Marshall–Piedra Blanca Trail Sespe Wilderness	76 mi	~84 min	18.6 mi	4,000 ft	36	None
10	Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide San Jacinto Mountains	88 mi	~97 min	10.6 mi	3,300 ft	38	Required
11	Devil's Slide to San Jacinto Peak San Jacinto Mountains	88 mi	~97 min	16 mi	4,500 ft	65	Required
12	Matias Potrero Trail Los Padres backcountry	94 mi	~104 min	9.5 mi	—	25	None

Three ways to start backpacking from Pasadena

Closest trailhead: La Jolla Trail — about 6 miles / 7 minutes from town.
Gentlest outing: La Jolla Trail — difficulty 10/100 (Easy), 2–2 days.
Biggest adventure: Vivian Creek Trail to San Gorgonio — 15.6 miles and 10,800 ft of climbing.

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

What is the closest backpacking trip to Pasadena?

La Jolla Trail is the closest documented trip to Pasadena at roughly 6 miles (about 7 minutes of driving) from the La Jolla Trail Trailhead trailhead.

Do I need a permit to backpack near Pasadena?

The closest documented trip, La Jolla Trail, does not require a wilderness permit — but many other California routes do, so always check.

When is the best season to backpack near Pasadena?

For La Jolla Trail — the closest trip to Pasadena — the best months are March, April, May, October, November.