Matterhorn Peak is a 12.2 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Bridgeport, California that features a lake and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is best used from June until September. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
This park mandates a $15 parking fee at Mono Village.
California Travel and Tourism Commision, P.O. Box 1499 , Sacramento, CA, 95812-1499, Phone: 800-862-2543
Directions from Bridgeport: Follow the Twin Lakes Road until it ends at the Mono Village Resort. Parking is available at the far end of the resort area at no charge for day use, with a $5 fee for overnight parking.
Did this yesterday November 3. Started hiking at 5:45 AM, got back to my car 5:30 PM. My Strava clocked me at 17.5 miles, 8K elevation gain. Overall the hike was really fun and definitely for adventures only. This is not a hike for someone expecting an easy peak bag. The trail was easy to follow up until the Boulder fields, and then it’s pretty much try your best to follow the creek/all trails route or the cairns along the way. Once you reach the snow field, and go over the pass, you’ll see that the AllTrails route beers right towards the summit climb. If you keep going straight, you will see a small lake at the base of the summit, a good place to grab water before summit push. From there on, the AllTrails route is utterly useless. Basically just go in the general direction of where the summit is showing to be on the map since you can’t see it from the base. As many other people have reported, it’s very loose sand, all the way up to some class 3 scrambling to the summit. The views were super amazing at the top and it was definitely worth it. Going down was much easier since you can pretty much sand ski down the hill. However, definitely time it so that you can get back in time before it gets too dark. Estimate around 7 hours to the summit and 4-5 hours descent to car. Other things to know, I brought my dog with me because I knew she could handle it, she’s an Australian cattle dog and is very used to long and intensive hikes. Do not bring your dog if they are not used to scrambling or climbing on rocks. 
Overall an awesome hike/ climb. The approach had very little snow this late in the year and the rock was extremely loose. It was a one step forward slide two feet back type. From what I have read it is not so bad if you have crampons or microspikes and stick to the snow covered areas. The rocks are gorgeous all around and loved the view the entire way!
This trail sucked out my soul, and not in a good way. My husband and I are fairly athletic & have done strenuous hikes in the past, but this baby was B A N A N A S. The beginning of the hike was gorgeous. However, it’s like the future ex that lures you in with confidence and trust, but then ruins your life. When you hit the first trek over some large rocks & the trail becomes patchy, you better buckle up and say a prayer cause sh*t only goes wrong from here. As others have said, the trail basically disappears, it’s navigable up to a point....the point we turned around. However that pretty purple line got drawn on AllTrails is a straight up lie. Unless you grow wings mid hike, you’ll be confused AF. Definitely recommend doing as a 2 day trek. Definitely do not recommend doing to put you in a better mood while enjoying nature. Definitely putting this at the top of my *not* To Do (ever again) list. If you love getting lost, traversing giant rocks for miles, scramble, and asking yourself if you actually enjoy hiking, this “choose your own adventure” trail is for you!
We had wanted to do this one for a while and tried unsuccessfully last year. This year we made it to the top! The route is very rugged and can be difficult to follow an optimal route, though the general landmarks are easy to head towards. The last 1200 feet to the summit is very loose and physically challenging. The bit between the creek and the base of the summit is challenging too, traversing over a long distance of large rocks. The use trails help a lot when you can find them. Overall not the most pleasant hike but it’s very rewarding to reach the summit. Took about 12 hours car to car. There was another guy who came up behind us and was much quicker, so it can be done faster than that.
Matterhorn peak. Great views. I like the route along the ridge on the way up to the crest. On the way down I enjoy sliding /hiking down the talus slope. To get to the peak a little scrambling/climbing and route finding is necessary.
One of the more difficult hikes I've done, but so worth it. Lots of hiking over loose rock. The trail disappears several times along the way. I recommend having the map downloaded for the hike. The hike took 10 hours with 3 of us. Started at 10 am and hiked out in the dark with headlamps. I was the only one to summit and that was at 4pm, so the climb was 6 hours and 4 hours on the way back down. Only took a few short breaks to eat. I recommend leaving early. Bring plenty of water, food, a headlamp and extra layers, especially a wind breaker. The scenery along the way and at the top is breathtaking.