Explore the most popular Bike Touring trails in California with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you.
Wonderful and adventurous trail. Did it in 2-days, allowed ourselves to acclimate the first da and only did about 6.5 miles. Camped at Lake #5. Heavy winds (30-40mph gusts) made things really difficult but we managed. Old Army Pass (to New Army Pass) isn't marked on official maps anymore but the trail is still there by Lake #4. Only a couple spots where we had to avoid ice and go off trail. All around an beautiful hike with some incredible views and high-apline air. Would highly recommend!
My friend and I did all Ohlone Wildness Trail ( all 30 miles) in 10 hrs & 30 mins in 100 degree weather. stupid, I know. Bring EXTRA water! We ran out. It was pretty difficult especially around mile 21. There is no shade you are very exposed. But we did it!
would rate this easy
Honestly not that great - without doing langley, i'd say the first 5 miles are very boring and not worth it!
Beautiful hike. Now my favorite hike even though we didn't do the whole loop.
I did all of Thomas Mountain Road (6s13) from North to South in a stock Crosstrek. I camped at Yellow Post Site #4 on top of the mountain. The trail was great and only some very minor rubbing on a rut or two. Bugs were bad in any of the forested areas. Camping on the top ridge with the wind was key to a pleasant evening.
smooth hike. very easy and many bikes and joggers near harmony ridge store. this app shows public land that bordering private land .. that with most maps is very touchy. just respect it. white cloud camp ground is nice. stayed a few nights. haven't made it to Spalding lake yet
The trail was very rocky past 3 miles in.
If you can’t get the Wilderness permit you wanted, this day hike is a great plan B.
Beautiful hike, stunning lakes, and a few uphills to get the heart pumping a little. Overall I’d rate it mostly easy until you go up (or down) Old Army Pass then it gets more challenging . Mosquitos weren’t bad but I did it as a long day hike.
Camping at white cloud 24$ a night . no showers but there is toliets and water
My dog and I hiked from the trailhead to Long Lake on 8/19/19. Round trip, 13.5 miles and 6.5 hours. The first 2 miles of the trail are sandy and less scenic. Also, this part of the trail was littered with quite a bit of horse poop which was frustrating, especially on the return portion. The rest of the trail is beautiful, with meadows, a waterfall and gorgeous lakes. I took New Army Pass to the lakes and back. When you reach the “crest”, the view of Cottonwood Lake #1 is stunning. And the views get even better. Long Lake is a must see. The stream that flows into the far end is beautiful. We did not encounter many mosquitos (except near the Long Lake camp site), but I doused myself in DEET prior to starting, so maybe that was a deterrent. The trail is very well graded, so even though there is altitude, it is very doable as a day hike.
Meg P. on Buckeye Creek Trail to Kirkland Pass
Nice valley views! The trail goes through private property for the first mile or so. River crossing @ 4 miles in was waist-high in late June 2019. Lots of the trail was very overgrown and brushy or washed out so it was very difficult to follow or find in some areas. We turned around just a couple miles past the junction for the pass because the waterfall was pretty high to cross.
Went on the trail July 26 stayed overnight and the trout fishing was great, I had the perfect fly and had them jumping all day. Rained for 4 hours straight so I Recommend being very prepared on this trip. It is not a joke. The elevetion is a huge factor but the off trail search for fishing the trail again because of flooding and overflown creeks and streams made the hike harder and not fun to get wet when you’ll be freezing at night. Be careful pack smart and don’t think nature can’t take its course on you. Cheers and have fun this trail is worth it!
Attempted this trail, unable to close the loop, as the old army pass above the lakes is impassable. Trail not maintained.
I had a lunch break yesterday so went on this hike. It was nice, I saw a couple birds and a whale. Overall Id say it is moderate, but make sure you have at least 3 hours available
First time out there on 4th of July.. very nice trail for all downhill! Went down on my Scott Aspect hard tail and was not difficult to ride all the way down! There’s a few places a full suspension definitely helps, but pick your correct line and you shouldn’t have any problems! The weather has been super nice!
Just did this loop counterclockwise along Cottonwood Lakes Trail to Old Army Pass over the July 19-21 weekend. Great conditions and easy trail until summiting via Old Army Pass from Cottonwood Lakes 4-5 (from north to south). We were backpacking with 30 pound packs and had no ice axe or crampons, so conditions were treacherous halfway up the mountain. Required scrambling up loose gravel and boulders to bypass snow and reach the peak. Thankful we made it but would definitely recommend being prepared for snow and steep - potentially life threatening - conditions. Otherwise, great trout fishing in Lakes 4-5 and in the stream, and plenty of places to camp around lakes. Rather than following the exact red line marked on the AllTrails map for our return trip, we took New Army Pass trail until it connected with the marked route on this map; I think it may have shortened our return trip slightly.
