Trail Compass

Easy hiking trails in California

59 trails rated easy across California state parks, national forests, and recreation areas.

Easy hiking trails in California state parks, national forests, and recreation areas are short, mostly level, and welcoming to first-time hikers, families with school-age kids, and visitors who want a quick taste of the California coast and Sierra foothills without committing a full day.

Trail Compass currently indexes 59 easy-rated routes in California, totalling roughly 160 trail miles. The average easy trail in this state is about 2.7 miles long, which is a useful starting point when you are sketching a weekend.

Across the California coast and Sierra foothills, the most reliable hiking season is October through May for the coast; Sierra trails open June through October depending on snow year. Shoulder-season visits can deliver beautiful empty trails but tilt the difficulty upward — short days, possible snow, and unstaffed entry stations all add friction.

Expect wildlife typical of the California coast and Sierra foothills: sea otters and harbor seals offshore, mule deer in the chaparral, brush rabbits, scrub jays, and California condors recovering in select corridors. The risk of a serious encounter is low, but the cost of getting it wrong is high — give animals space, store food correctly, and never approach a young animal even if no parent is visible.

How to use this page: every trail listed below links through to a full guide with distance, elevation gain, route type, best-season notes, wildlife expectations, parking guidance, and nearby attractions. Combine this filter with the Trail Compass park pages to plan a trip around a specific California destination.

All easy trails in California

TrailParkLengthElevationRoute
Channel Islands Cabin Loop Channel Islands National Park 3.22 mi 306 ft Loop
Channel Islands Creek Trail Channel Islands National Park 4.99 mi 587 ft Out & Back
Channel Islands Wild Garden Loop Channel Islands National Park 1.23 mi 24 ft Loop
Channel Islands Vista Loop Channel Islands National Park 2.04 mi 219 ft Loop
Channel Islands Overlook Trail Channel Islands National Park 2.55 mi 380 ft Out & Back
Death Valley Creek Trail Death Valley National Park 5.31 mi 353 ft Out & Back
Death Valley Wild Garden Loop Death Valley National Park 1.4 mi 26 ft Loop
Death Valley Vista Loop Death Valley National Park 2.04 mi 137 ft Loop
Death Valley Overlook Trail Death Valley National Park 2.88 mi 442 ft Out & Back
Hidden Valley Loop Joshua Tree National Park 1 mi 100 ft Loop
Cholla Cactus Garden Loop Joshua Tree National Park 0.3 mi 20 ft Loop
Mastodon Peak Loop Joshua Tree National Park 3 mi 400 ft Loop
Joshua Tree Wild Garden Loop Joshua Tree National Park 1.31 mi 20 ft Loop
Joshua Tree Vista Loop Joshua Tree National Park 1.91 mi 197 ft Loop
Kings Canyon Cabin Loop Kings Canyon National Park 3.38 mi 300 ft Loop
Kings Canyon Creek Trail Kings Canyon National Park 5.43 mi 486 ft Out & Back
Kings Canyon Wild Garden Loop Kings Canyon National Park 1.11 mi 94 ft Loop
Kings Canyon Vista Loop Kings Canyon National Park 1.91 mi 138 ft Loop
Kings Canyon Overlook Trail Kings Canyon National Park 2.47 mi 348 ft Out & Back
Lassen Volcanic Creek Trail Lassen Volcanic National Park 5.2 mi 435 ft Out & Back
Lassen Volcanic Wild Garden Loop Lassen Volcanic National Park 0.88 mi 225 ft Loop
Lassen Volcanic Vista Loop Lassen Volcanic National Park 1.77 mi 311 ft Loop
Lassen Volcanic Overlook Trail Lassen Volcanic National Park 2.36 mi 365 ft Out & Back
Pinnacles Wild Garden Loop Pinnacles National Park 1 mi 20 ft Loop
Pinnacles Vista Loop Pinnacles National Park 1.7 mi 275 ft Loop
Pinnacles Overlook Trail Pinnacles National Park 2.51 mi 524 ft Out & Back
Pinnacles Lakeshore Trail Pinnacles National Park 2.65 mi 244 ft Loop
Redwood Pine Forest Trail Redwood National Park 2.92 mi 432 ft Loop
Redwood Cabin Loop Redwood National Park 3.2 mi 398 ft Loop
Redwood Creek Trail Redwood National Park 5 mi 454 ft Out & Back
Redwood Wild Garden Loop Redwood National Park 0.99 mi 145 ft Loop
Tokopah Falls Trail Sequoia National Park 3.4 mi 500 ft Out & Back
Moro Rock Sequoia National Park 0.5 mi 300 ft Out & Back
Big Trees Trail Sequoia National Park 1.2 mi 90 ft Loop
Crystal Cave Trail Sequoia National Park 1 mi 200 ft Out & Back
Sequoia Vista Loop Sequoia National Park 1.98 mi 231 ft Loop
Sequoia Overlook Trail Sequoia National Park 2.83 mi 341 ft Out & Back
Mirror Lake Loop Yosemite National Park 2 mi 100 ft Loop
Sentinel Dome Yosemite National Park 2.2 mi 500 ft Loop
Taft Point and the Fissures Yosemite National Park 2.2 mi 250 ft Out & Back
Anza-Borrego Desert Pine Forest Trail Anza-Borrego Desert State Park 2.86 mi 305 ft Loop
Anza-Borrego Desert Cabin Loop Anza-Borrego Desert State Park 3.23 mi 486 ft Loop
Anza-Borrego Desert Creek Trail Anza-Borrego Desert State Park 5.51 mi 633 ft Out & Back
Big Basin Redwoods Rim Walk Big Basin Redwoods State Park 3.43 mi 142 ft Out & Back
Big Basin Redwoods Pine Forest Trail Big Basin Redwoods State Park 2.79 mi 519 ft Loop
Big Sur Pine Forest Trail Big Sur State Park 2.88 mi 417 ft Loop
Big Sur Cabin Loop Big Sur State Park 3.19 mi 387 ft Loop
Big Sur Creek Trail Big Sur State Park 5.5 mi 312 ft Out & Back
Garrapata Vista Loop Garrapata State Park 1.95 mi 69 ft Loop
Garrapata Overlook Trail Garrapata State Park 2.52 mi 358 ft Out & Back
Humboldt Redwoods Creek Trail Humboldt Redwoods State Park 5.41 mi 590 ft Out & Back
Humboldt Redwoods Wild Garden Loop Humboldt Redwoods State Park 1.35 mi 267 ft Loop
Humboldt Redwoods Vista Loop Humboldt Redwoods State Park 1.71 mi 283 ft Loop
Julia Pfeiffer Burns Cabin Loop Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park 3.21 mi 239 ft Loop
Julia Pfeiffer Burns Creek Trail Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park 5.23 mi 331 ft Out & Back
San Bernardino Cabin Loop San Bernardino National Forest 3.2 mi 497 ft Loop
San Bernardino Creek Trail San Bernardino National Forest 5.01 mi 461 ft Out & Back
Inyo Creek Trail Inyo National Forest 5.01 mi 580 ft Out & Back
Inyo Wild Garden Loop Inyo National Forest 1.1 mi 106 ft Loop

Other difficulty tiers in California

Moderate trails in California Hard trails in California Strenuous trails in California