Find a Trail


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This Google Map is a map of all the hikes I’ve written about on this site. Use this to see what’s in or near the area you’re looking for, and click beneath it to view a larger version in a new window.

Each hike is color coded by difficulty:
- GREEN markers are short nature trails, gently-graded pathways, and routes that are relatively easy.
- BLUE markers designate the “moderate” difficulty hikes. These trails may be lengthy, or have areas of intense elevation gain. They may require some scrambling, but most of these trails are easy day hikes that can be done by anyone in fairly decent shape.
- RED markers are for the “strenuous” trails. These are long, leg-busting paths that will require lots of time and effort. Some of these trails may venture through dangerous areas and require river crossings, backcountry orienteering, or more serious rock scrambling. In other words, if it’s your first time on the trail, don’t pick one of these.

Clicking on a trail’s marker will bring up a photo and a short paragraph describing the route. This description will contain a link to the trail’s page on Modern Hiker, which will give you a much more in-depth description, as well as GPS information, elevation profiles, directions, distances, and pretty much everything you’d ever want to know about a specific trail.

… or, for those of you who are more inclined toward the noble
“list” format, please continue below.

If you’re not sure where to start, try checking out my favorite hikes from each area. If you’re heading into the L.A. area as part of a trip, be sure to take a look at UpTake Vacations for more ideas on what to do around Southern California.




Santa Monica Mountains / San Fernando Valley

Trail Name Distance Elevation Gain Difficulty Best Season
Eagle Rock and Temescal Peak 7.41 926 Easy Spring, Fall, Winter
La Jolla Canyon 7.48 1100 Easy Spring
Mishe Mokwa Trail to Tri-Peaks and Sandstone Peak 7.16 1730 Moderate All
Mugu Peak 5.2 1255 Easy Spring
Runyon Canyon 3 675 Easy All
Solstice Canyon 6 800 Easy All
Sycamore Canyon 11.7 1570 Moderate Spring
The Grotto 3.2 600 Easy All
Rocky Peak 5 1119 Easy Spring, Fall, Winter
Mount Lukens via Haines Canyon 8.5 3018 Very Difficult Spring, Fall, Winter
Mount Lukens via Stone Canyon 8 3200 Difficult Spring, Fall, Winter
Fryman Canyon 3 463 Easy All
Verdugo Mountains 5.83 1368 Moderate All
Charmlee Wilderness Park 2.84 272 Easy Spring
Los Liones Trail to Parker Mesa 7.28 1292 Moderate All
Mount Lee to the Hollywood Sign 6.5 1098 Moderate All




Low San Gabriels

Trail Name Distance Elevation Gain Difficulty Best Season
Bear Canyon and Switzer Falls 6.94 1000 Moderate All
Condor Peak 16 3800 Very Difficult All
Echo Mountain and Inspiration Point 10.4 2740 Moderate All
Fox Mountain 14.9 3000 Very Difficult Spring, Fall, Winter
Josephine Peak 8 1900 Moderate All
Mount Lawlor 4.44 1300 Moderate + All
Mount Markham 6.34 1023 Moderate All
Mount Wilson via Devore Camp 10.7 2814 Difficult Spring, Summer, Fall
Mount Wilson via Winter Creek Trail 13.3 3800 Very Difficult Spring, Fall
San Gabriel Peak 3.75 2023 Moderate All
Santa Anita Canyon 9.12 1600 Moderate All
Shortcut Canyon 7.23 1550 Moderate Spring, Summer, Fall
Strawberry Peak 11.2 2600 Very Difficult Spring, Summer, Fall




North San Gabriels / Antelope Valley

Trail Name Distance Elevation Gain Difficulty Best Season
Burkhart Saddle 15 2193 Difficult Spring, Summer, Fall
Mount Gleason 7.3 1000 Moderate All
Pacifico Mountain 12.6 2180 Difficult Spring, Summer, Fall
The Devil?s Chair 7.48 594 Moderate All
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve 3.3-7 230 Easy Spring




High San Gabriels

Trail Name Distance Elevation Gain Difficulty Best Season
Bridge to Nowhere 10.1 800 Moderate + All
Cucamonga Peak 12 3800 Difficult Summer, Fall
Icehouse Canyon 7 2655 Moderate Spring, Summer, Fall
Kratka Ridge 1.6 700 Easy Summer, Fall
Mount Akawie 1.4 400 Easy Summer, Fall
Mount Baldy (San Antonio) and Mount Harwood 10.33 3950 Very Difficult Summer, Fall
Mount Hillyer 5.76 950 Moderate Spring, Summer, Fall
Mount Mooney and Vetter Mountain 6.5 1100 Moderate Spring, Summer, Fall
Ontario Peak and Bighorn Peak 13.9 3710 Very Difficult Summer, Fall
Sunset Peak 7.8 1300 Moderate Summer, Fall
Thunder Mountain and Telegraph Peak 13.5 3525 Difficult Spring, Summer, Fall
Timber Mountain 9.39 3400 Moderate + Spring, Summer, Fall
Waterman Mountain 6.22 1225 Moderate + Summer, Fall
Winston Peak and Winston Ridge 4.34 500 Easy Summer, Fall
Throop Peak and Mount Hawkins 6 1219 Easy-Moderate All
Mount Baden-Powell 8 2807 Moderate-Difficult Spring, Summer, Fall
Mount Islip 7 1627 Moderate Spring, Summer, Fall




Los Padres National Forest

Trail Name Distance Elevation Gain Difficulty Best Season
Matilija Creek 13.92 1710 Moderate All
Sespe River 9 190 Moderate All




San Bernardino Mountains

Trail Name Distance Elevation Gain Difficulty Best Season
Dry Lake 14 2605 Difficult Spring, Summer, Fall
Bertha Peak 7.96 1310 Moderate Spring, Summer, Fall
San Gorgonio Mountain via South Fork Trail 24.8 4608 Difficult Summer, Fall
Pine Knot Trail 6.11 904 Moderate All




Joshua Tree National Park

Trail Name Distance Elevation Gain Difficulty Best Season
Barker Dam Loop 1.8 70 Easy All
Inspiration Peak 1.2 400 Easy All
Queen Mountain 4 1121 Moderate + Spring, Fall, Winter
Ryan Mountain 2.9 1070 Easy + All
The Maze 6.5 400 Moderate Spring, Fall, Winter




Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Trail Name Distance Elevation Gain Difficulty Best Season
Hellhole Canyon 5 900 Easy Spring, Fall, Winter
The Slot <2 0 Moderate All
Calcite Mine 4 300 Moderate Spring, Fall, Winter
Borrego Palm Canyon 3 520 Easy Spring, Fall, Winter
Ghost Mountain and Pictograph Trail 14.7 or 4 (driving) 778 Difficult or Moderate (driving) Winter, Spring, Fall




Grand Canyon National Park

Trail Name Distance Elevation Gain Difficulty Best Season
Havasu Falls 27.6 2500 Difficult Spring, Fall, Winter




Pinnacles National Monument

Trail Name Distance Elevation Gain Difficulty Best Season
High Peaks Loop 9.3 1465 Moderate Spring
Condor Gulch 2 541 Easy All
Bear Gulch Caves 1.51 300 Easy All




Yosemite National Park

Trail Name Distance Elevation Gain Difficulty Best Season
North Dome and Indian Rock 9.5 933 Moderate Spring, Summer, Fall
The High Sierra Loop 12.8 3124 Difficult Summer
Cathedral Lakes 7 1011 Moderate Summer, Fall




Eastern Sierras

Trail Name Distance Elevation Gain Difficulty Best Season
Devil's Postpile Trail 6 miles 548 Easy-Moderate Summer
         


{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Raphael June 12, 2009 at 8:50 am

You should make a category for easier than easy: “Trails you could take your mom on”

Really. I’m always looking for trails to take my mom on!

2 eileen culligan June 23, 2009 at 3:08 pm

Hope you can help me. We want to do a shuttle hike from the Back Bone Trail off Encinal (near the golf course) crossing Mulholland and up the Etz Malloy Trail (7 miles round trip) . We’ve done that and always turned around there. If you go left at the fire road, it supposedly goes to Yerba Buena. Where can we park one car on YB so don’t have to double back to Encinal? Does anyone know? Thanks, Eileen

3 Eric Darling September 29, 2009 at 5:19 pm

I was wondering if you could help me out. Looking for the right trail to do the Cedar Grove to Onion Valley trip where I would meet halfway with another group and exchange keys. Do you have any ideas. I think it start at Cedars and find Bubbs creek and then go to Charolte or to Ray Lakes. Any help would be great.

ERic

4 Lan January 25, 2010 at 10:09 pm

I heard there are some nice trails along the ocean in Ranchos Palos Verdes. Has anyone been? Those might qualify as “Trails you could take your mom on”.

5 Kristina Bant Jenkins March 10, 2010 at 4:31 pm

Hi! I love your site! In fact, I’m featuring it on our site, http://www.mommiesinthehood.com. We are a site that gives info to moms, the feature is Favorite Hikes in LA with kids, and I’m linking to your site, with your logo. Hope that’s good by you! Please check it out! Thanks and Happy Hiking! ~Kristina

6 Ken June 17, 2010 at 10:31 am

This is excellent information…so easy to read and very well organized.

7 Robbie June 23, 2010 at 5:30 am

Thanks for the info, I’m moving out to Pasadena soon, and was afraid that there would be no outdoorsy areas to go to. These places are awesome!

8 Robin June 23, 2010 at 9:45 am

I would LOVE to see you include more hikes in the eastern Sierras–they’re relatively quick/easy to get to from LA, and there are so many great ones. We did Horseshoe Meadows last weekend, and we’re headed up to the Lamarck Lakes above Northlake (above Bishop) this weekend. Incredible backcountry, all easily accessible from highway 395.

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