Trail Compass

Moderate hiking trails in California

60 trails rated moderate across California state parks, national forests, and recreation areas.

Moderate hiking trails in California typically run between three and seven miles with meaningful but manageable elevation gain. They reward reasonable fitness with real views — overlooks, lakes, ridge sections, and signature features of the California coast and Sierra foothills.

Trail Compass currently indexes 60 moderate-rated routes in California, totalling roughly 294 trail miles. The average moderate trail in this state is about 4.9 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 moderate trails in California

TrailParkLengthElevationRoute
Channel Islands Old Mine Trail Channel Islands National Park 3.78 mi 704 ft Out & Back
Channel Islands Bluff Trail Channel Islands National Park 4.62 mi 1,034 ft Out & Back
Channel Islands Headwaters Loop Channel Islands National Park 6.57 mi 699 ft Loop
Channel Islands Plateau Trail Channel Islands National Park 4.45 mi 598 ft Out & Back
Channel Islands Ridge Trail Channel Islands National Park 4.22 mi 1,049 ft Out & Back
Death Valley Bluff Trail Death Valley National Park 4.63 mi 998 ft Out & Back
Death Valley Headwaters Loop Death Valley National Park 6.29 mi 742 ft Loop
Death Valley Plateau Trail Death Valley National Park 4.43 mi 450 ft Out & Back
Death Valley Ridge Trail Death Valley National Park 4.46 mi 995 ft Out & Back
Death Valley Falls Trail Death Valley National Park 3.32 mi 729 ft Out & Back
Death Valley Canyon Loop Death Valley National Park 5.67 mi 968 ft Loop
Ryan Mountain Joshua Tree National Park 3 mi 1,050 ft Out & Back
Lost Horse Mine Loop Joshua Tree National Park 6.5 mi 900 ft Loop
Boy Scout Trail Joshua Tree National Park 7.7 mi 400 ft Point-to-Point
Lost Palms Oasis Joshua Tree National Park 7.5 mi 800 ft Out & Back
Joshua Tree Ridge Trail Joshua Tree National Park 4.33 mi 834 ft Out & Back
Kings Canyon Old Mine Trail Kings Canyon National Park 3.88 mi 868 ft Out & Back
Kings Canyon Bluff Trail Kings Canyon National Park 4.89 mi 900 ft Out & Back
Kings Canyon Headwaters Loop Kings Canyon National Park 6.57 mi 891 ft Loop
Kings Canyon Plateau Trail Kings Canyon National Park 4.75 mi 510 ft Out & Back
Kings Canyon Ridge Trail Kings Canyon National Park 4.14 mi 1,013 ft Out & Back
Lassen Volcanic Bluff Trail Lassen Volcanic National Park 5 mi 1,044 ft Out & Back
Lassen Volcanic Headwaters Loop Lassen Volcanic National Park 6.21 mi 913 ft Loop
Lassen Volcanic Plateau Trail Lassen Volcanic National Park 4.41 mi 660 ft Out & Back
Lassen Volcanic Ridge Trail Lassen Volcanic National Park 4.52 mi 763 ft Out & Back
Lassen Volcanic Falls Trail Lassen Volcanic National Park 3.3 mi 520 ft Out & Back
Lassen Volcanic Canyon Loop Lassen Volcanic National Park 5.78 mi 1,237 ft Loop
Pinnacles Headwaters Loop Pinnacles National Park 6.16 mi 896 ft Loop
Pinnacles Plateau Trail Pinnacles National Park 4.39 mi 659 ft Out & Back
Pinnacles Ridge Trail Pinnacles National Park 4.39 mi 1,009 ft Out & Back
Pinnacles Falls Trail Pinnacles National Park 3.37 mi 783 ft Out & Back
Pinnacles Canyon Loop Pinnacles National Park 5.63 mi 1,015 ft Loop
Redwood Old Mine Trail Redwood National Park 3.99 mi 617 ft Out & Back
Redwood Bluff Trail Redwood National Park 4.58 mi 971 ft Out & Back
Redwood Headwaters Loop Redwood National Park 6.26 mi 663 ft Loop
Redwood Plateau Trail Redwood National Park 4.34 mi 726 ft Out & Back
Sequoia Ridge Trail Sequoia National Park 4.12 mi 797 ft Out & Back
Sequoia Falls Trail Sequoia National Park 3.02 mi 620 ft Out & Back
Mist Trail to Vernal Fall Yosemite National Park 2.4 mi 1,000 ft Out & Back
Cathedral Lakes Yosemite National Park 7.4 mi 1,100 ft Out & Back
Anza-Borrego Desert Old Mine Trail Anza-Borrego Desert State Park 4.09 mi 666 ft Out & Back
Anza-Borrego Desert Bluff Trail Anza-Borrego Desert State Park 4.75 mi 1,162 ft Out & Back
Anza-Borrego Desert Headwaters Loop Anza-Borrego Desert State Park 6.31 mi 738 ft Loop
Big Sur Old Mine Trail Big Sur State Park 4.22 mi 584 ft Out & Back
Garrapata Ridge Trail Garrapata State Park 4.71 mi 897 ft Out & Back
Garrapata Falls Trail Garrapata State Park 3.04 mi 536 ft Out & Back
Garrapata Canyon Loop Garrapata State Park 5.58 mi 1,093 ft Loop
Humboldt Redwoods Bluff Trail Humboldt Redwoods State Park 4.52 mi 1,126 ft Out & Back
Humboldt Redwoods Headwaters Loop Humboldt Redwoods State Park 6.39 mi 701 ft Loop
Humboldt Redwoods Plateau Trail Humboldt Redwoods State Park 4.46 mi 469 ft Out & Back
Humboldt Redwoods Ridge Trail Humboldt Redwoods State Park 4.75 mi 863 ft Out & Back
Julia Pfeiffer Burns Bluff Trail Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park 4.6 mi 841 ft Out & Back
Julia Pfeiffer Burns Headwaters Loop Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park 6.15 mi 987 ft Loop
Julia Pfeiffer Burns Plateau Trail Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park 4.27 mi 731 ft Out & Back
San Bernardino Old Mine Trail San Bernardino National Forest 3.88 mi 678 ft Out & Back
San Bernardino Bluff Trail San Bernardino National Forest 4.96 mi 1,014 ft Out & Back
San Bernardino Headwaters Loop San Bernardino National Forest 6.65 mi 868 ft Loop
Inyo Bluff Trail Inyo National Forest 4.64 mi 980 ft Out & Back
Inyo Headwaters Loop Inyo National Forest 6.09 mi 615 ft Loop
Inyo Plateau Trail Inyo National Forest 4.48 mi 547 ft Out & Back

Other difficulty tiers in California

Easy trails in California Hard trails in California Strenuous trails in California