Best backpacking trips near Woodland, CA

Ranked by straight-line distance from Woodland (population ~61,032) to each trip's trailhead. Drive times are rough estimates — mountain roads are slower than they look.

Woodland backpacking at a glance

Caldwell - Trout Creek Trail is the closest documented backpacking trip to Woodland — the Caldwell - Trout Creek Trail Trailhead trailhead sits roughly 67 miles away, about 75 minutes by car. Of the 12 closest routes, 12 are within a two-hour drive of town, spanning Los Padres backcountry, Shasta-Trinity NF backcountry, Point Reyes National Seashore, Desolation Wilderness and Eldorado NF backcountryTrailheads for these trips sit between 266 and 8,425 feet, so you can pick a low, warm-season start or a high alpine route depending on the month.

One of these routes needs no wilderness permit at all — a good spontaneous option. Across the twelve closest trips, the months hikers rate best are September, May, October.If you want the gentlest introduction, Sky Camp via Sky Trail climbs only 500 feet over 2.8 miles; the biggest single-trip climb nearby is Coast Camp via Laguna Trail at 800 feet of total gain over 3.6 miles.

#	Trip	Miles away	Est. drive	Distance	Gain	Difficulty	Permit
1	Caldwell - Trout Creek Trail Los Padres backcountry	67 mi	~75 min	22.8 mi	—	55	None
2	Canyon Creek Shasta-Trinity NF backcountry	71 mi	~79 min	14 mi	—	40	Required
3	Glen Camp via Bear Valley Point Reyes National Seashore	71 mi	~79 min	9.2 mi	600 ft	10	Required
4	Sky Camp via Sky Trail Point Reyes National Seashore	72 mi	~80 min	2.8 mi	500 ft	5	Required
5	Coast Camp via Laguna Trail Point Reyes National Seashore	73 mi	~82 min	3.6 mi	800 ft	9	Required
6	Bear Creek Trail Shasta-Trinity NF backcountry	74 mi	~82 min	17 mi	—	40	Required
7	Wildcat Camp via Palomarin Point Reyes National Seashore	74 mi	~82 min	11 mi	800 ft	11	Required
8	Van Vleck Trail to Forni Lake Desolation Wilderness	80 mi	~89 min	9.8 mi	—		Required
9	Caples Creek Trail Eldorado NF backcountry	87 mi	~96 min	8 mi	—	25	Required
10	Pyramid Creek to Ropi Lake Desolation Wilderness	89 mi	~99 min	4 mi	—		Required
11	Eagle Falls to Dicks Lake Desolation Wilderness	91 mi	~101 min	8.6 mi	—		Required
12	Eagle Falls to Fontanillis Lake Desolation Wilderness	91 mi	~101 min	9.8 mi	—		Required

Three ways to start backpacking from Woodland

Closest trailhead: Caldwell - Trout Creek Trail — about 67 miles / 75 minutes from town.
Gentlest outing: Sky Camp via Sky Trail — difficulty 5/100 (Easy), 1–2 days.
Biggest adventure: Coast Camp via Laguna Trail — 3.6 miles and 800 ft of climbing.

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

What is the closest backpacking trip to Woodland?

Caldwell - Trout Creek Trail is the closest documented trip to Woodland at roughly 67 miles (about 75 minutes of driving) from the Caldwell - Trout Creek Trail Trailhead trailhead.

Do I need a permit to backpack near Woodland?

The closest documented trip, Caldwell - Trout Creek Trail, does not require a wilderness permit — but many other California routes do, so always check.

When is the best season to backpack near Woodland?

For Caldwell - Trout Creek Trail — the closest trip to Woodland — the best months are March, April, May, October, November.