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Loop Trails in California

The directory currently contains 79 quality-checked routes matching this guide in California. Their average mapped distance is 11.9 km and average recorded ascent is 354 m (1,161 ft); the longest route in the set is 270 km.

This subset represents 7% of the 1,083 quality-checked routes in California. Its average distance is 11.9 km, compared with 13.8 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 354 m (1,161 ft), versus 464 m (1,522 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

Every route in this set is classified as a loop and returns to its starting area. A loop can still reuse part of the same path. Within this set, 25 routes (32%) are rated easy, 7 (9%) are rated hard or expert, and 79 (100%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Trails

Expert

Rae Lakes Loop

California · United States

Distance
57.6 km
/ 35.8 mi
Elevation gain
2,081 m
Typical duration
16 hr
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Canyon and gorge
Expert

Big SEKI Loop

California · United States

Distance
251 km
/ 156 mi
Elevation gain
9,009 m
Typical duration
72 hr
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
(1 in a 5-picture set) Turn, paddle wheel, turn. You will go back in time as you watch the wheel churn up the beautiful cobalt blue water. Wanna' know a secret? The wheel is not really propelling the boast. It is just for 'atmosphere.'
Expert

Tahoe Rim Trail

California · United States

Distance
270 km
/ 168 mi
Elevation gain
4,808 m
Typical duration
71 hr
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Expert

High Sierra Camp Loop

California · United States

Distance
76.3 km
/ 47.4 mi
Elevation gain
2,125 m
Typical duration
20 hr
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Moderate

Summit Rock Loop Trail

California · United States

Distance
3.1 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
228 m
Typical duration
59 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
California bay tree (Umbellularia californica), wind-sculpted, along trail on exposed Rocky Ridge of Las Trampas Regional Wilderness, East Bay, California.
Moderate

Rocky Ridge Loop Trail

California · United States

Distance
6.9 km
/ 4.3 mi
Elevation gain
434 m
Typical duration
2 hr 6 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

Mountain Palm Springs Loop

California · United States

Distance
3.1 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
136 m
Typical duration
52 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

Oak Ridge Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
106 m
Typical duration
27 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

Hume Lake Trail

California · United States

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
77 m
Typical duration
59 min
  • Lake
Easy

Sotcher Lake Loop

California · United States

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
50 m
Typical duration
33 min
  • Lake
Trees of Castle Rock (7)
Moderate

Castle Rock Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
105 m
Typical duration
29 min
  • Castle and ruins
Easy

Wetlands Walk Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.8 km
/ 1.1 mi
Typical duration
22 min
  • River
Moderate

Baron Ranch Trail

California · United States

Distance
12.2 km
/ 7.6 mi
Elevation gain
561 m
Typical duration
3 hr 23 min
Hard

Miami Trail

California · United States

Distance
17.1 km
/ 10.6 mi
Elevation gain
529 m
Typical duration
4 hr 24 min
Easy

Engelsman Loop Trail

California · United States

Distance
6.1 km
/ 3.8 mi
Elevation gain
173 m
Typical duration
1 hr 31 min
Congress Trail, California
Moderate

Congress Trail

California · United States

Distance
3.0 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
137 m
Typical duration
50 min
Moderate

Enchanted Loop

California · United States

Distance
3.4 km
/ 2.1 mi
Elevation gain
114 m
Typical duration
53 min
Easy

Eucalyptus Loop

California · United States

Distance
5.4 km
/ 3.3 mi
Elevation gain
127 m
Typical duration
1 hr 19 min
Moderate

Grand View Loop

California · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
87 m
Typical duration
26 min
Easy

Guardians Loop Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
85 m
Typical duration
37 min
Moderate

Mastodon Mine Loop Trail

California · United States

Distance
3.8 km
/ 2.4 mi
Elevation gain
121 m
Typical duration
58 min
Moderate

Maze Loop Trail

California · United States

Distance
7.9 km
/ 4.9 mi
Elevation gain
118 m
Typical duration
1 hr 49 min
Moderate

Old Growth Loop Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
46 m
Typical duration
19 min
Moderate

Park View Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
80 m
Typical duration
43 min
Moderate

Plank Walk Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
58 m
Typical duration
11 min
The Dish — on the Stanford University campus, in Palo Alto, California.
Easy

Stanford Dish Loop Trail

California · United States

Distance
5.2 km
/ 3.2 mi
Elevation gain
115 m
Typical duration
1 hr 16 min
Moderate

Vargus Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
67 m
Typical duration
13 min
Moderate

Verna Dunshee Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
81 m
Typical duration
19 min
Easy

Big Sycamore Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
6 m
Typical duration
19 min
Hidden Valley in Joshua Tree National Park , California.
Easy

Hidden Valley Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
32 m
Typical duration
22 min
Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Easy

Hollywood Walk of Fame

California · United States

Distance
5.4 km
/ 3.4 mi
Elevation gain
23 m
Typical duration
1 hr 10 min
Moderate

Nature Trail Loop

California · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
47 m
Typical duration
16 min
Louis Agassiz Tree of Calaveras Big Trees State Park - South Grove
Easy

North Grove Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.5 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
18 m
Typical duration
33 min
Easy

Lake Loop Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
44 m
Typical duration
15 min
  • Lake
Easy

Old Cove Landing Trail

California · United States

Distance
3.6 km
/ 2.3 mi
Elevation gain
24 m
Typical duration
48 min
Easy

Serpentine Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
32 m
Typical duration
16 min
  • Panoramic viewpoint
Moderate

Woodchuck Lake Loop

California · United States

Distance
10.5 km
/ 6.5 mi
Elevation gain
402 m
Typical duration
2 hr 47 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
Moderate

Olmstead Loop Trail

California · United States

Distance
14.1 km
/ 8.8 mi
Elevation gain
277 m
Typical duration
3 hr 22 min
Easy

Hot Springs Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 0.9 mi
Typical duration
18 min
Easy

Soleil Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
27 m
Typical duration
13 min

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Rae Lakes LoopCalifornia57.6 km2,081 m16 hrExpertJuly to September
Big SEKI LoopCalifornia251 km9,009 m72 hrExpertJuly to September
Tahoe Rim TrailCalifornia270 km4,808 m71 hrExpertJuly to September
High Sierra Camp LoopCalifornia76.3 km2,125 m20 hrExpertJuly to September
Highland Lakes - Arnot Creek LoopCalifornia32.2 km1,081 m8 hr 51 minExpertJuly to September
Summit Rock Loop TrailCalifornia3.1 km228 m59 minModerateApril to October
Rocky Ridge Loop TrailCalifornia6.9 km434 m2 hr 6 minModerateApril to October
Fremont Peak State Park TrailsCalifornia1.7 km109 m32 minModerateApril to October
Mountain Palm Springs LoopCalifornia3.1 km136 m52 minModerateApril to October
Oak Ridge TrailCalifornia1.4 km106 m27 minModerateApril to October

Rae Lakes Loop, Big SEKI Loop, Tahoe Rim Trail currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

Frequently asked questions

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