Best backpacking trips near Highland, CA

Ranked by straight-line distance from Highland (population ~56,999) to each trip's trailhead. Drive times are rough estimates — mountain roads are slower than they look.

#TripMiles awayEst. driveDistanceGainDifficultyPermit
1
San Gorgonio Wilderness
13 mi~14 min17.8 mi9,300 ft55Required
2
San Gorgonio Wilderness
16 mi~17 min7.8 mi1,600 ft12Required
3
San Gorgonio Wilderness
17 mi~19 min15.6 mi10,800 ft61Required
4
San Gorgonio Wilderness
20 mi~22 min11.4 mi4,400 ft31Required
5
Joshua Tree National Park
59 mi~65 min15.6 mi1,600 ft14Required
6
Channel Islands
84 mi~93 min38.5 mi7,638 ft49Required
7
Inyo National Forest
170 mi~189 min15 mi2,962 ft30Required
8
Inyo National Forest
173 mi~192 min9.6 mi3,596 ft33Required
9
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
179 mi~199 min9.7 mi4,780 ft32Required
10
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
179 mi~199 min13.7 mi8,954 ft54Required
11
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
180 mi~200 min7.1 mi4,162 ft30Required
12
Inyo National Forest
180 mi~200 min21.4 mi6,460 ft49Required

Distances are great-circle miles from Highland to trailhead coordinates; actual road distances will be longer. Town data: Wikidata SPARQL (CC0), population values derived from U.S. Census Bureau estimates.