Canyon Creek Lakes (Trinity Alps)
Trinity Alps Wilderness (near Weaverville) · near Weaverville · Shasta Cascade
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 16 miles
- Elevation gain
- 3,200 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- June–October · Waterfalls best early summer · Fall color October
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- Yes
- How the permit works
- Free self-issue wilderness permit at the trailhead (Trinity Alps Wilderness). A campfire permit is required for overnight fires. The classic overnight backpack; also doable as a very long day.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 2 of 5
What is here
- Features
- California's 'Alps' · Granite lakes & waterfalls · Far quieter than the Sierra · Classic overnight backpack · Dramatic Thompson Peak backdrop
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- The trailhead is northwest of Weaverville, a charming historic gold-rush town in the remote Trinity region. Combine with the Trinity River (rivers guide) and the far-north redwoods and coast. This is one of California's least-crowded wilderness areas — the long drive is the price of the solitude, and it's worth it.
The guide
The Trinity Alps are California's great overlooked wilderness — a rugged granite range in the state's remote northwest that riv…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Canyon Creek Lakes (Trinity Alps) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 40.913, -123.023