USA — Trinity Alps: essential day-hikes

Regional overview

The Trinity Alps are the high core of the Klamath Mountains and the second-largest designated wilderness in California. The Trinity Alps Wilderness was created by the California Wilderness Act of 1984 — before that it was the Salmon–Trinity Alps Primitive Area — and enlarged in 2006. Sources give its size variously as 500,000, 517,000 or 537,357 acres (roughly 202,000–217,000 ha), depending on which boundary is counted. It is administered by the Forest Service alone, across the Shasta-Trinity, Klamath and Six Rivers national forests, and holds 55 large alpine lakes, more than a hundred smaller ones, and somewhere between 520 and 600 miles of trail depending on whose figure is used. The high point is Thompson Peak at 2,744 m (9,001 ft).

Walkers divide the range by colour, and the division is real. The White Trinities at the centre are the granitic core — Jurassic plutons between 127 and 167 million years old, carved into glacial cirques and pale slabs, and it is these that earned the range its “Alps” name. Sawtooth Mountain, Thompson Peak and Wedding Cake stand over Canyon Creek here. The Red Trinities to the east and south-east are ultramafic: rusty peridotite and serpentinite in thrust sheets, with the stunted, open vegetation that always marks serpentine ground. The Green Trinities to the west are lower, heavily forested metamorphic country, green for the trees rather than the rock.

One thing older guidebooks still get wrong: there are no glaciers left in the Trinity Alps. The Salmon Glacier went extinct in 2015, and the Grizzly Glacier — a small icefield on the north face of Thompson Peak, long described as the southernmost glacier in the Klamaths — was declared extinct in the autumn of 2022. Any source claiming an active glacier here is out of date. The cirques it left behind are now being colonised by new vegetation, and the California Native Plant Society has been documenting the process.

Botanically the Klamath Mountains hold the second-greatest concentration of conifer species anywhere in the world, and Sierran flora grows within 100 km of the Pacific. Foxtail pine (Pinus balfouriana) marks the high ridges; Brewer’s spruce is a Klamath–Siskiyou endemic; and on the serpentine, carnivorous California pitcher plants (Darlingtonia californica) grow in the fens. Access is from Weaverville on Highway 299 and from Highway 3 running north past Trinity Lake; Mount Eddy is reached from Interstate 5 near Weed. Trinity Transit runs weekday intercity buses through Weaverville, but no route serves any trailhead in this article — a car is mandatory. Day hikers need no wilderness permit; a free California Campfire Permit is required to use a stove, and a bear canister is required for food storage in the Canyon Creek and Swift Creek drainages. Forest-wide fire restrictions took effect on 1 July 2026 and run to the end of the year.

Selection rationale

The five routes below span the granite core, the serpentine east, and the range of effort from a two-hour lake walk to a genuinely punishing summit day. Canyon Creek Lakes is the iconic route — a long walk up a granite trench past four waterfalls to twin lakes beneath Sawtooth Mountain and Thompson Peak, and the most famous hike in the range by a distance. Granite Peak is the summit: the only peak over 8,000 ft in the Trinity Alps with a maintained trail to the top, and 1,370 m of near-continuous switchbacks to earn it. Mount Eddy by way of Deadfall Lakes and the Pacific Crest Trail is the crest route, and supplies the serpentine counterpoint that the granite Alps cannot. Boulder Lake and Little Boulder Lake is the short, accessible classic — one of the quickest approaches to an alpine lake anywhere in the wilderness. Long Canyon to Deer Creek Pass is the high-meadow route, with foxtail pines, spectacular wildflowers and a pass looking straight into the Four Lakes basin.

Mount Eddy needs a word of explanation. It is not in the Trinity Alps Wilderness — it stands across the Scott Mountains on the Trinity Divide, in the Mount Eddy Research Natural Area, some 50 km north-east of the granite core. It is included here on merit: it is the highest summit in the whole Klamath Mountains and the highest peak west of Interstate 5 in the United States, it is the only true crest walk available as a day hike in this area, and no sibling article covers the Trinity Divide. Excluding it would orphan the finest ridge route in the region.

Candidates that were considered and rejected: the Four Lakes Loop is a superb circuit but from the Long Canyon trailhead it is 32 km with 1,964 m of ascent, which exceeds any reasonable day-hike ceiling — it is a backpacking trip, and this article says so rather than pretending otherwise. Grizzly Lake is 19 miles from the trailhead one way, definitively a multi-day walk. Stuart Fork, the strongest historical candidate with its gold-rush workings and Morris Meadow, was burned extensively by the 2023 Deep Fire and cannot be recommended in its current condition. Swift Creek to Granite Lake would simply repeat Canyon Creek’s granite-cirque character.

Summary

1. Canyon Creek Lakes

Itinerary

The trail sets off through mixed hardwood and conifer forest above Canyon Creek and climbs gradually up the granite trench. At about 4 km it crosses Bear Creek by McKay Camp; a little beyond, a short side-trail leads to The Sinks, a series of pools scoured into the creek bed. Lower Canyon Creek Falls comes at roughly 6.4 km and Middle Canyon Creek Falls at about 7.2 km — four significant waterfalls line the creek in total. At around 8 km the trail reaches Canyon Creek Meadows, open wooded ground threaded with small streams, and at about 9.3 km the Boulder Creek Lakes Trail branches left.

Above the meadows the trail switchbacks up granite slopes and out onto open slabs, where the route is marked by cairns rather than tread. It crosses Canyon Creek at roughly 11.4 km to reach Lower Canyon Creek Lake, skirts the shore, and makes a final short climb to Upper Canyon Creek Lake. The lakes sit in a granite amphitheatre under Sawtooth Mountain, Thompson Peak and Wedding Cake — the highest ground in the range. Strenuous extensions from here reach Boulder Creek Lakes and “L” Lake, but not in the same day.

Why it is essential

This is the great route of the Trinity Alps and the one that gives the range its reputation — a walk up a granite trench past four waterfalls into an amphitheatre of pale rock beneath the highest summits in the Klamaths. It is sometimes called the Yosemite of the Trinity Alps, and the comparison is not unreasonable.

Equipment

• Mountain hiking equipment; sturdy boots with edge for granite slabs, and trekking poles.
• Headtorch. On a day-hike timetable this route is very likely to finish in the dark.
• 3 L water capacity. Canyon Creek runs alongside most of the route, so water is plentiful, but treat everything.
• Sun protection for the open slabs above the meadows.
• Map and GPS — the cairned section above the meadows is easy to lose in poor visibility.
• A bear canister if any food is being stored; bears here are bold and food-conditioned.

Hazards and notes

• People have died at the Lower Canyon Creek Lake outlet. Hikers who lost their footing at the old ford were carried over the falls below. The trail has since been rerouted to avoid it. Use the reroute and do not attempt to ford at the outlet.
• Cairn navigation across granite slabs above the meadows; poor visibility makes this genuinely tricky.
• The distance is the real difficulty. Start at dawn.
• Campfires are prohibited at the lakes, and wood fires are banned forest-wide under the 2026 fire restrictions.
• Standing dead trees are a recognised hazard across the forest; avoid camping or lingering beneath them in wind.
• Ripstein Campground, free and primitive, sits about 1.6 km before the trailhead and makes a pre-dawn start practical.

Routes and maps

No official Forest Service GPX or KML was found for this route.

Further reading

• USFS — Canyon Creek Trail
• Wilderness.net — Trinity Alps Wilderness
• USFS — Shasta-Trinity NF alerts and notices

2. Granite Peak Trail #09W18

Photo status: no licence-compatible image of Granite Peak was found in this pass. The images on Wikimedia Commons that match the name all depict Granite Peak in Montana, and no lookalike has been substituted.

Itinerary

The first 1.6 km follow an old jeep road before the route turns west onto the flank of the mountain. At about 1.6 km the trail crosses the upper reaches of Stoney Creek — the first and last water on the route. At 2.4 km it crosses the Trinity Alps Wilderness boundary, and from there the terrain steepens progressively and the switchbacks become near-continuous; almost the entire remaining length of the trail is switchbacks, climbing a long ridge toward the summit. The trail crosses a false summit and passes the junction with the Stoney Ridge Connector Trail, with the true summit some 500 m beyond.

The summit carries the concrete footings and ruins of an old Forest Service fire lookout, and the view runs a full circle over the Trinity Alps, the Klamath Mountains and the California Cascades — Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak to the east, with Trinity Lake and the Trinity Divide below.

Why it is essential

Granite Peak is the only summit in the Trinity Alps above 8,000 ft with a maintained trail to the top, and probably the most frequently climbed peak in the range. It is the summit day of the region, and 1,370 m of ascent in about 7 km makes it an honest one.

Equipment

• Mountain hiking equipment; sturdy boots and trekking poles for a relentless descent.
• 3–4 L of water. This is the defining requirement of the route: there is no water above the Stoney Creek crossing at 1.6 km, and the climb is 1,370 m in full sun.
• Sun protection; the upper ridge has no shade.
• Warm layer and wind shell for the summit.
• An early start, particularly in July and August.

Hazards and notes

• No water above 1.6 km. Carry everything from the creek crossing.
• Sustained, steep switchbacks with little shade — heat is the main hazard on a summer day.
• Standing dead trees are a recognised hazard across the forest.
• Access is by an unsigned turning: it lies about 27 km north of Weaverville on Highway 3, roughly 5 km after the bridge over an arm of Trinity Lake, and directly opposite the signed turn for Bushytail Campground. The sign on Highway 3 reads 35N28Y. The road beyond is narrow, winding and unsurfaced, but a low-clearance car can manage it.
• Do not confuse Granite Peak with Granite Lake, which is reached from the Swift Creek trailhead on an entirely different trail.

Routes and maps

No official Forest Service GPX or KML was found for this route.

Further reading

• USFS — Granite Peak Trail
• SummitPost — Granite Peak Trail

3. Mount Eddy via Deadfall Lakes and the Pacific Crest Trail

Itinerary

From Parks Creek Summit the Pacific Crest Trail contours south-west, gaining only about 120 m in 3.7 km — gentle, forested at first, then opening onto ultramafic slopes with wide views. It enters Deadfall Basin and reaches Middle Deadfall Lake, the largest of the group at about 10 ha, with Upper Deadfall Lake above it. From the basin the Mount Eddy Trail climbs a series of switchbacks up Eddy’s south shoulder for roughly 1.8 km — the steepest and highest section of the day — to the summit at about 2,750 m. The view takes in Mount Shasta immediately to the east, the Trinity Alps to the south-west, Lassen Peak to the south-east, and on a clear day Oregon peaks including Mount McLoughlin.

A shorter and steeper alternative starts at the Deadfall Meadow Trailhead, climbing 230 m in 2.3 km through meadow along Deadfall Creek before joining the PCT, and avoids the wooded opening section.

Why it is essential

Mount Eddy is the highest summit of the Klamath Mountains and the highest peak west of Interstate 5 in the United States, with a topographic prominence of over 1,570 m. It is also the region’s serpentine showcase: the mountain is built of Mesozoic ultramafic rock, predominantly serpentinised peridotite, and the sparse forest is a direct consequence of the poor, highly mineralised soil. The Deadfall Lakes fens hold carnivorous California pitcher plants (Darlingtonia californica), and the surrounding slopes carry rare serpentine endemics including Trinity buckwheat (Eriogonum alpinum) and Polemonium eddyense. Peak bloom runs from late June through August. The 19th-century Sisson-Callahan Trail, now a National Recreation Trail, runs nearly 20 miles from Deadfall Basin to Lake Siskiyou.

Equipment

• Mountain hiking equipment; the summit climb is steep but not technical.
• 2–3 L of water. The Deadfall Lakes and Deadfall Creek supply water — treat it — but there is none on the summit climb and none at the trailhead.
• Wind shell and warm layer; the summit is exposed at 2,750 m.
• Sun protection; the ultramafic slopes have little shade.
• Note that there is no mobile coverage on the trails, though there is reportedly signal at the summit.

Hazards and notes

• This route is not in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. It sits across the Scott Mountains on the Trinity Divide. Wilderness rules — including the permit and canister requirements — do not apply here, but the forest-wide fire restrictions do.
• Altitude: the final climb is genuinely strenuous at around 2,750 m.
• Afternoon thunderstorms build over the crest; the summit is fully exposed.
• Naturally occurring asbestos is flagged by the Forest Service on ultramafic ground such as this. Avoid raising dust unnecessarily.
• Snow can block Forest Road 17 into June; the road is paved but only about 1.5 lanes wide.
• Sources disagree on whether the Parks Creek trailhead has a vault toilet. Assume no facilities and no potable water.

Routes and maps

No official Forest Service GPX or KML was found for this route.

Further reading

• Mount Shasta Trail Association — Deadfall Lakes and Mount Eddy
• Wikipedia — Mount Eddy
• Mount Shasta Trail Association — Sisson-Callahan Trail

4. Boulder Lake and Little Boulder Lake

Itinerary

From the trailhead the path crosses a low ridge into the basin and drops to Boulder Lake — described by the Forest Service as a large, shallow lake with lily pads, ringed by forest and backed by granite ridges. It is glassy, temperate enough to swim in, and reached in under an hour. From the junction by the lake, the Little Boulder Lake Trail runs about 1.6 km to the left. Little Boulder Lake is the more dramatic of the two: steep granite walls and deep water, with a spectacular headwall, and views out over the Coffee Creek watershed to Mount Shasta. The surrounding forest is old-growth fir and pine with manzanita, tobacco brush and gooseberry beneath. Both lakes hold fish.

Taken alone, the walk to Boulder Lake is only about 3.2 km round trip. Visiting both lakes turns it into a proper half-day and is the way to do it.

Why it is essential

Boulder Lake is one of the shortest approaches to a genuine alpine lake anywhere in the Trinity Alps, and the pairing with Little Boulder gives a striking contrast — a shallow, lily-covered lake and a deep, granite-walled one within a mile of each other. It is the route for a short day, a hot afternoon, or a family, in a range where almost everything else demands a full day and a great deal of climbing.

Equipment

• Standard hiking equipment; trail shoes are adequate.
• 1–2 L of water; the lakes supply more, but treat it.
• Swimming kit in high summer.
• A vehicle with reasonable clearance for the 18 km of gravel forest road.

Hazards and notes

• The access road is the main obstacle. The signed turning lies 0.5 km south of Coffee Creek on Highway 3; Forest Road 37N52 runs about 5.6 km, then Forest Road 37N53 continues 12 km to the trailhead. The Forest Service recommends high-clearance vehicles. There is no toilet at the trailhead.
• Bold bears and persistent chipmunks at the lakeside campsites — never leave food unattended.
• Popular on summer weekends.
• Do not confuse these lakes with the Boulder Creek Lakes reached from the Canyon Creek Trail, which are an entirely different destination in a different drainage.

Routes and maps

No official Forest Service GPX or KML was found for this route.

Further reading

• USFS — Boulder Lake Trail
• USFS — Trinity Alps Wilderness

5. Long Canyon to Bee Tree Gap and Deer Creek Pass

Itinerary

The trail climbs steeply from the start through mixed forest. At about 3.2 km it forks: the left branch crosses the creek to Bowerman Meadows, the right runs north up Long Canyon. Both lead into high-country meadows ringed by rugged peaks, and the Forest Service is unusually enthusiastic about them — “the wildflowers in these meadows are spectacular”. Take the right fork for the crest.

The trail climbs steadily up Long Canyon to Bee Tree Gap at 2,304 m, then on to Deer Creek Pass at 2,365 m, the high point of the route, at about 9.2 km. Foxtail pines grow high on this section. From the pass the view drops down Deer Creek toward Sawtooth Mountain rising over a great sweep of bare granite, with Deer Lake and the Four Lakes basin — Deer, Summit, Diamond and Luella Lakes beneath Siligo Peak — lying beyond. Return the way you came.

The Four Lakes Loop is not a day hike from this trailhead. The loop itself is only 8 km, but reaching it from Long Canyon makes a 32 km round trip with 1,964 m of ascent. Turn around at Deer Creek Pass, or push on to Deer Lake, and save the loop for an overnight.

Why it is essential

This is the wildflower and high-meadow route of the Trinity Alps, and it climbs to a pass that looks straight into the range’s finest lake basin. Foxtail pine, one of the signature conifers of the Klamath high country, grows along the upper trail, and Bowerman Meadows on the left fork carries whole fields of Calochortus nudus in season. It is a hard day, but it earns a view that most visitors only reach with a pack and a permit.

Equipment

• Mountain hiking equipment; sturdy boots and trekking poles for a steep, sustained climb and descent.
• 3 L water capacity. The creek in Long Canyon supplies water low down — treat it — but the upper switchbacks are dry. Fill up before the climb.
• Sun protection; the upper meadows are open.
• Warm layer and wind shell for the pass.
• Headtorch for a long day.

Hazards and notes

• Steep and sustained — 1,200 m of ascent. Start early.
• The upper section is dry; carry water from the canyon.
• Shortcutting switchbacks is explicitly prohibited by Forest Order 14-25-03, and this is a heavily switchbacked climb.
• Standing dead trees are a recognised hazard across the forest.
• The approach road is paved but barely wide enough for two cars to pass, followed by 0.8 km of steep gravel; standard cars manage it.
• Do not be tempted onto the Four Lakes Loop as a day objective. See above.

Routes and maps

No official Forest Service GPX or KML was found for this route.

Further reading

• USFS — Long Canyon Trail
• CNPS — Life After Ice: vegetation response to glacier retreat in the Trinity Alps

Practical notes

Permits. Day hikers need no wilderness permit anywhere in the Trinity Alps. The permit requirement in Forest Order 14-25-03 attaches to camping, not to entry, and overnight permits are free, non-quota and self-issued at kiosks in Weaverville, Redding, Shasta Lake and the fire stations at Mule Creek, Coffee Creek, Junction City and Big Bar. A free California Campfire Permit is required to use a stove outside a designated recreation site — including on a day hike, and including on Mount Eddy, which is outside the wilderness. The group-size limit inside the wilderness is 10 people. Bicycles and all mechanised travel are prohibited. There is no trailhead fee on any route in this article, and the Adventure Pass does not apply on the Shasta-Trinity.

Bears. A bear canister is required for food storage in the Canyon Creek and Swift Creek drainages under Forest Order 14-25-03; elsewhere a bear-proof system is required for stored food. Whether food carried on a day hike counts as “stored” is not clarified by any Forest Service source — the safe reading is never to leave food unattended.

Fire. Shasta-Trinity forest-wide fire restrictions took effect on 1 July 2026 and run to 31 December 2026: no wood campfires outside permitted sites, no smoking outside a vehicle or cleared area, no internal combustion engines off designated roads. 2026 has been a severe fire year in northern California, following a winter that produced roughly 18% of average snowpack. Conditions can change within hours in July and August — check the Shasta-Trinity alerts page, InciWeb and CAL FIRE immediately before travelling.

Further reading