Trinity Alps — Four Lakes Loop
Trinity Alps Wilderness · near Weaverville / Trinity Center · Shasta Cascade
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- loop
- Distance
- 22 miles
- Elevation gain
- 4,800 ft
- Time needed
- multi-day
- Best season
- July–September
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- Yes
- How the permit works
- Free, non-quota, self-issued permit for the Trinity Alps Wilderness — available at Forest Service offices in Weaverville, Fort Jones, and elsewhere, or self-issued at trailheads. No lottery, no reservation. A California campfire permit is needed for a stove.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Sierra-quality granite, far fewer people · Four alpine lakes · Summer wildflowers & swimming · Free self-issue permit
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Nights
- 2–4
- Resupply
- None needed. Bear canister recommended; food-hanging acceptable.
- Intl tip
- The Long Canyon approach involves a rough dirt road — a passenger car can usually make it slowly, but check conditions. Because there's no quota, midsummer weekends do draw people to the named lakes; camp at the less-obvious tarns between them for total solitude.
The guide
The Trinity Alps are Northern California's best-kept alpine secret — 500,000 acres of granite peaks, wildflower meadows, and cl…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Trinity Alps — Four Lakes Loop — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 41, -122.9