Best backpacking trips near West Covina, CA

Ranked by straight-line distance from West Covina (population ~109,501) to each trip's trailhead. Drive times are rough estimates — mountain roads are slower than they look.

West Covina backpacking at a glance

La Jolla Trail is the closest documented backpacking trip to West Covina — the La Jolla Trail Trailhead trailhead sits roughly 20 miles away, about 22 minutes by car. Of the 12 closest routes, 12 are within a two-hour drive of town, spanning Los Padres backcountry, San Gorgonio Wilderness, Channel Islands, San Jacinto Mountains, Sespe Wilderness 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, 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	20 mi	~22 min	9 mi	—	10	None
2	San Bernardino Peak Trail San Gorgonio Wilderness	54 mi	~60 min	17.8 mi	9,300 ft	55	Required
3	Trans-Catalina Trail Channel Islands	55 mi	~61 min	38.5 mi	7,638 ft	49	Required
4	Forsee Creek to Johns Meadow San Gorgonio Wilderness	57 mi	~63 min	7.8 mi	1,600 ft	12	Required
5	Momyer Creek to Dollar Lake Saddle San Gorgonio Wilderness	57 mi	~64 min	18.4 mi	4,560 ft	44	Required
6	Vivian Creek Trail to San Gorgonio San Gorgonio Wilderness	58 mi	~65 min	15.6 mi	10,800 ft	61	Required
7	South Fork Trail to Dry Lake San Gorgonio Wilderness	61 mi	~68 min	11.4 mi	4,400 ft	31	Required
8	Buck Creek Trail Los Padres backcountry	69 mi	~76 min	22.4 mi	—	45	None
9	Devil's Slide to Wellman Divide San Jacinto Mountains	73 mi	~82 min	10.6 mi	3,300 ft	38	Required
10	Devil's Slide to San Jacinto Peak San Jacinto Mountains	73 mi	~82 min	16 mi	4,500 ft	65	Required
11	Gene Marshall–Piedra Blanca Trail Sespe Wilderness	90 mi	~100 min	18.6 mi	4,000 ft	36	None
12	Boy Scout Trail Joshua Tree National Park	100 mi	~111 min	15.6 mi	1,600 ft	14	Required

Three ways to start backpacking from West Covina

Closest trailhead: La Jolla Trail — about 20 miles / 22 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 West Covina 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 West Covina: common questions

What is the closest backpacking trip to West Covina?

La Jolla Trail is the closest documented trip to West Covina at roughly 20 miles (about 22 minutes of driving) from the La Jolla Trail Trailhead trailhead.

Do I need a permit to backpack near West Covina?

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 West Covina?

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