Best backpacking trips near San Clemente, CA

Ranked by straight-line distance from San Clemente (population ~64,293) to each trip's trailhead. Drive times are rough estimates — mountain roads are slower than they look.

San Clemente backpacking at a glance

Trans-Catalina Trail is the closest documented backpacking trip to San Clemente — the Avalon trailhead sits roughly 41 miles away, about 46 minutes by car. Of the 12 closest routes, 11 are within a two-hour drive of town, spanning Channel Islands, San Jacinto Mountains, San Gorgonio Wilderness, Los Padres backcountry, 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	41 mi	~46 min	38.5 mi	7,638 ft	49	Required
2	Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide San Jacinto Mountains	58 mi	~65 min	10.6 mi	3,300 ft	38	Required
3	Devil's Slide to San Jacinto Peak San Jacinto Mountains	58 mi	~65 min	16 mi	4,500 ft	65	Required
4	Momyer Creek to Dollar Lake Saddle San Gorgonio Wilderness	60 mi	~67 min	18.4 mi	4,560 ft	44	Required
5	Vivian Creek Trail to San Gorgonio San Gorgonio Wilderness	61 mi	~68 min	15.6 mi	10,800 ft	61	Required
6	San Bernardino Peak Trail San Gorgonio Wilderness	61 mi	~68 min	17.8 mi	9,300 ft	55	Required
7	Forsee Creek to Johns Meadow San Gorgonio Wilderness	62 mi	~69 min	7.8 mi	1,600 ft	12	Required
8	La Jolla Trail Los Padres backcountry	64 mi	~71 min	9 mi	—	10	None
9	South Fork Trail to Dry Lake San Gorgonio Wilderness	66 mi	~74 min	11.4 mi	4,400 ft	31	Required
10	Borrego Palm Canyon Anza-Borrego Desert State Park	70 mi	~77 min	3 mi	700 ft	4	None
11	Boy Scout Trail Joshua Tree National Park	93 mi	~103 min	15.6 mi	1,600 ft	14	Required
12	Buck Creek Trail Los Padres backcountry	111 mi	~124 min	22.4 mi	—	45	None

Three ways to start backpacking from San Clemente

Closest trailhead: Trans-Catalina Trail — about 41 miles / 46 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 San Clemente 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 San Clemente: common questions

What is the closest backpacking trip to San Clemente?

Trans-Catalina Trail is the closest documented trip to San Clemente at roughly 41 miles (about 46 minutes of driving) from the Avalon trailhead.

Do I need a permit to backpack near San Clemente?

Many routes near San Clemente, 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 San Clemente?

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