Best backpacking trips near Riverside, CA

Ranked by straight-line distance from Riverside (population ~314,998) to each trip's trailhead. Drive times are rough estimates — mountain roads are slower than they look.

Riverside backpacking at a glance

San Bernardino Peak Trail is the closest documented backpacking trip to Riverside — the San Bernardino Peak Trailhead (Angelus Oaks) trailhead sits roughly 25 miles away, about 28 minutes by car. Of the 12 closest routes, 12 are within a two-hour drive of town, spanning San Gorgonio Wilderness, San Jacinto Mountains, Los Padres backcountry, Joshua Tree National Park, Channel Islands and Anza-Borrego Desert State 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	San Bernardino Peak Trail San Gorgonio Wilderness	25 mi	~28 min	17.8 mi	9,300 ft	55	Required
2	Momyer Creek to Dollar Lake Saddle San Gorgonio Wilderness	27 mi	~30 min	18.4 mi	4,560 ft	44	Required
3	Forsee Creek to Johns Meadow San Gorgonio Wilderness	27 mi	~30 min	7.8 mi	1,600 ft	12	Required
4	Vivian Creek Trail to San Gorgonio San Gorgonio Wilderness	28 mi	~31 min	15.6 mi	10,800 ft	61	Required
5	South Fork Trail to Dry Lake San Gorgonio Wilderness	32 mi	~35 min	11.4 mi	4,400 ft	31	Required
6	Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide San Jacinto Mountains	42 mi	~47 min	10.6 mi	3,300 ft	38	Required
7	Devil's Slide to San Jacinto Peak San Jacinto Mountains	42 mi	~47 min	16 mi	4,500 ft	65	Required
8	La Jolla Trail Los Padres backcountry	50 mi	~56 min	9 mi	—	10	None
9	Boy Scout Trail Joshua Tree National Park	69 mi	~76 min	15.6 mi	1,600 ft	14	Required
10	Trans-Catalina Trail Channel Islands	71 mi	~78 min	38.5 mi	7,638 ft	49	Required
11	Borrego Palm Canyon Anza-Borrego Desert State Park	73 mi	~81 min	3 mi	700 ft	4	None
12	Buck Creek Trail Los Padres backcountry	97 mi	~108 min	22.4 mi	—	45	None

Three ways to start backpacking from Riverside

Closest trailhead: San Bernardino Peak Trail — about 25 miles / 28 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 Riverside 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 Riverside: common questions

What is the closest backpacking trip to Riverside?

San Bernardino Peak Trail is the closest documented trip to Riverside at roughly 25 miles (about 28 minutes of driving) from the San Bernardino Peak Trailhead (Angelus Oaks) trailhead.

Do I need a permit to backpack near Riverside?

Many routes near Riverside, including San Bernardino Peak Trail, require a wilderness permit from San Gorgonio Wilderness Association (USFS partner). Always check the managing agency before you go.

When is the best season to backpack near Riverside?

For San Bernardino Peak Trail — the closest trip to Riverside — the best months are June, July, September, October.