Best backpacking trips in California

Start date
Mileage
Ascent
Duration
ClubDriving time
Popularity

190 trips

Half Dome Day Hike

Popular
Yosemite National Park

Mt. Whitney Day Hike

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Lost Coast Trail: Mattole to Black Sands Beach

Popular
King Range Wilderness

Mt. Whitney Backpacking

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Rae Lakes Loop

Popular
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Half Dome via Little Yosemite Valley

Popular
Yosemite National Park

Minaret Lake

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Thousand Island Lake via River Trail

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Cottonwood Lakes

Popular
Inyo National Forest

High Sierra Trail: Crescent Meadow to Whitney Portal

Popular
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Cottonwood Lakes Loop

Popular
Inyo National Forest

San Bernardino Peak

Popular
San Gorgonio Wilderness

Thousand Island Lake via PCT

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Big Pine Lakes

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Coast Trail / Bear Valley Trail Loop

Popular
Point Reyes National Seashore

Ediza Lake

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Big Pine Lakes and Palisade Glacier

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Cathedral Lake

Popular
Yosemite National Park

Little Lakes Valley to Gem Lakes

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Pear Lake

Popular
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Sabrina Basin to Moonlight Lake

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Onion Valley to Mt. Whitney

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Thousand Island Lake from Rush Creek

Popular
Inyo National Forest

John Muir Trail

Popular
Yosemite National Park

Blayney Hot Springs

Popular
Sierra National Forest

Tuolumne Meadows to Yosemite Valley via JMT

Popular
Yosemite National Park

Little Five Lakes and Big Five Lakes Loop

Popular
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Rae Lakes Loop (counter-clockwise)

Popular
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Pohono Trail: Wawona Tunnel to Glacier Point

Popular
Yosemite National Park

San Gorgonio Peak from Fish Creek Day Hike

Popular
San Gorgonio Wilderness

Young Lakes via Dog Lake

Popular
Yosemite National Park

Rae Lakes Loop via Kearsarge Pass

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Duck Lake

Popular
Inyo National Forest

John Muir Trail: Devil’s Postpile to Yosemite Valley

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Monarch Lakes

Popular
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

San Gorgonio Peak from Vivian Creek Day Hike

Popular
San Gorgonio Wilderness

Rancheria Falls

Popular
Yosemite National Park

Pohono Trail: Wawona Tunnel to Old Inspiration Point

Popular
Yosemite National Park

Vogelsang and Lyell Canyon Loop

Popular
Yosemite National Park

San Bernardino and San Gorgonio Peaks

Popular
San Gorgonio Wilderness

Little Five Lakes and Big Five Lakes Loop Counter-Clockwise

Popular
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Emerald Lake

Popular
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Lake Aloha Trail

Popular
Desolation Wilderness

Emerald Lakes

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Upper Yosemite Falls

Popular
Yosemite National Park

Lost Coast Trail: Black Sands Beach to Mattole

Popular
King Range Wilderness

Sunrise High Sierra Camp

Popular
Yosemite National Park

Canyon Creek Lakes

Popular
Trinity Alps Wilderness

Kearsarge Lakes

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Ten Lakes from White Wolf Trailhead

Popular
Yosemite National Park

Dewey Point (winter)

Popular
Yosemite National Park

Ten Lakes via Lukens Lake

Popular
Yosemite National Park

Sykes Hot Springs

Popular
Ventana Wilderness

North Lake to South Lake Loop via Lamarck Col

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Dusy Basin via Bishop Pass

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Ten Lakes

Popular
Yosemite National Park

Young Lakes via Glen Aulin Trail

Popular
Yosemite National Park

Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp

Popular
Yosemite National Park

North Lake to South Lake Loop

Popular
Inyo National Forest

Trans-Catalina Trail

Popular
Catalina Island Conservancy

San Gorgonio Peak from South Fork Trail Day Hike

Popular
San Gorgonio Wilderness

Jordan Hot Springs

Inyo National Forest

Oneida Lake

Inyo National Forest

Steelhead Lake from Saddlebag Lake

Inyo National Forest

Helen Lake

Inyo National Forest

Meysan Lake

Inyo National Forest

Woodchuck Lake

Sierra National Forest

Fleming Lake

Sierra National Forest

Paradise Valley

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

North Rim Route: Porcupine Creek to Tamarack Creek

Yosemite National Park

Upper Jackass Lake

Sierra National Forest

Island And Twin Lakes

Desolation Wilderness

Golden Trout Lakes via Piute Pass

Inyo National Forest

Fontanillis Lake and Dick’s Peak

Desolation Wilderness

Franklin Lakes

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Devils Bathtub

Sierra National Forest

Alta Peak and Alta Meadow

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Chiquito Lake

Sierra National Forest

Upper Chain Lake

Sierra National Forest

Chief Lake Loop

Sierra National Forest

Hilton Creek Lakes

Inyo National Forest

Lake Vernon and Rancheria Falls

Yosemite National Park

Mather Ranger Station to Smith Meadow

Yosemite National Park

Graveyard Lakes

Sierra National Forest

Mono Pass from Tioga Road

Yosemite National Park

Lake Aloha to Mt. Price

Desolation Wilderness

Mildred Lake

Inyo National Forest

Lamarck Lakes

Inyo National Forest

Eagle Lake

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Aspen Grove

San Gorgonio Wilderness

Middle Fork Trail to Mehrten Creek

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

North Dome from Tioga Road

Yosemite National Park

Ostrander Lake

Yosemite National Park

Twin Lakes

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Mono Meadow to Lower Ottoway Lake

Yosemite National Park

Crescent Lake via Chilnualna Falls

Yosemite National Park

Finger Lake

Inyo National Forest

Hockett Meadow via Atwell Hockett Trail

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

George Lake

Sierra National Forest

Smith Peak

Yosemite National Park

Farewell Gap and Franklin Pass Loop

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

White Chief Bowl

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Seville Lake

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Charlotte Lake via Kearsarge Basin

Inyo National Forest

Matlock Lake and Kearsarge Pass

Inyo National Forest

Sawmill Lake

Inyo National Forest

Mirror Lake, Snow Creek, and Yosemite Falls Loop

Yosemite National Park

Yost Lake

Inyo National Forest

Harden Lake

Yosemite National Park

Loon Lake to Rubicon Reservoir

Desolation Wilderness

Lillian Lake Loop

Sierra National Forest

May Lake and Mount Hoffman

Yosemite National Park

Gilmore Lake

Desolation Wilderness

Merced Lake from Glacier Point

Yosemite National Park

Rosalie Lake via Devils Postpile

Inyo National Forest

Lake of the Woods

Desolation Wilderness

Longley Lake

Inyo National Forest

Edith Lake from Laurel Lakes

Inyo National Forest

Lake George to Deer Lakes

Inyo National Forest

Mosquito Lake

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Middle Velma Lake

Desolation Wilderness

Four Lakes Loop

Trinity Alps Wilderness

George Lake

Inyo National Forest

Tamarack Lakes

Inyo National Forest

Fern Lake from Devils Postpile

Inyo National Forest

Emerald Lake

Trinity Alps Wilderness

Snow Creek from Tioga Road

Yosemite National Park

Comanche Meadow Loop

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Jennie and Weaver Lakes Loop

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Ropi Lake via Horsetail Falls

Desolation Wilderness

Lake Genevieve and Crag Lake

Desolation Wilderness

Polly Dome Lakes

Yosemite National Park

Birch Lake

Inyo National Forest

Granite Lake

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Hart Tree Loop

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Fern Lake

Inyo National Forest

Berk Lakes

Inyo National Forest

Valentine Lake

Inyo National Forest

Horton Lake

Inyo National Forest

Iva Bell Hot Springs

Inyo National Forest

Gibbs Lake

Inyo National Forest

Susie Lake

Desolation Wilderness

Upper Sardine Lake

Inyo National Forest

Iceberg Lake

Inyo National Forest

George Lake via Potter Cut-off

Sierra National Forest

Dana Lake

Inyo National Forest

Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River

Yosemite National Park

Boulder Creek Lakes

Trinity Alps Wilderness

Lake Italy via Italy Pass

Inyo National Forest

Granite Park

Inyo National Forest

Cliff Lake

Sierra National Forest

Waterwheel Falls

Yosemite National Park

Glen Alpine Loop

Desolation Wilderness

Red Peak Pass Loop

Yosemite National Park

Tyee Lakes

Inyo National Forest

Upper Pine Lake

Inyo National Forest

Elba Lake

Inyo National Forest

Hockett Meadow via Garfield Grove

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Schmidell Lake

Desolation Wilderness

Sapphire Lake

Trinity Alps Wilderness

Treasure Lakes

Inyo National Forest

Red Lake

Inyo National Forest

Gable Lakes

Inyo National Forest

Steelhead Lake

Inyo National Forest

Taboose Pass

Inyo National Forest

Mt. Lyell

Yosemite National Park

Lake Lois

Desolation Wilderness

Pioneer Basin Lakes via Mono Pass

Inyo National Forest

Shepherd Pass

Inyo National Forest

Parker Lake

Inyo National Forest

Scorpion Anchorage to Prisoner’s Harbor

Channel Islands National Park

Mt. Whitney Mountaineer’s Route

Inyo National Forest

Baker Lake

Inyo National Forest

Half Moon Lake

Desolation Wilderness

Clouds Rest via Little Yosemite Valley

Yosemite National Park

Ladybug Camp

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Dobbs Cabin

San Gorgonio Wilderness

Alger Lakes

Inyo National Forest

Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River loop

Yosemite National Park

Ontario Peak Day Hike

Cucamonga Wilderness

Dry Lake

San Gorgonio Wilderness

Buckeye, Cruikshank, Salmon Creek Trail Loop

Silver Peak Wilderness

Parson’s Landing from Two Harbors

Catalina Island Conservancy

Matlock and Kearsarge Lakes

Inyo National Forest

Pohono Trail: Glacier Point to Dewey Point

Yosemite National Park

Purple Lake

Inyo National Forest

El Capitan

Yosemite National Park

Thousand Island Lake and Iceberg Lake Loop

Inyo National Forest

Mammoth Crest Loop

Inyo National Forest

San Bernardino East Peak from Forsee Creek Day Hike

San Gorgonio Wilderness