15 Best Fall Hikes To Do In California

Living in California, I can’t wait for the fall season to arrive! The crowds start to thin out, the weather cools down, and the mountain areas turn into a golden autumn paradise.

October and November are my favorite months for heading outdoors when you can enjoy beautiful fall foliage and empty trails. This is a great time to go for road trips, check off a few hikes from your bucket list and enjoy stunning scenery.

From family-friendly trails to challenging day hikes in the mountains, here are 15 of the top fall hikes in California for incredible views!

1. Convict Lake Loop

Convict Lake Loop Trail in the Eastern Sierra region.

Convict Lake Loop is one of the most scenic trails in California. This hike looks especially gorgeous in fall when the aspen trees surrounding Convict Lake turn into a sea of gold.

Convict Lake Loop is 2.5 miles long with a slight elevation gain of 170 feet. The beautiful fall colors, set against rugged mountains and the turquoise lake, make for quite the view. If you’re planning a Highway 395 road trip, this is a must-do hike, especially in the fall.

2. Cook’s Meadow Loop

View of Yosemite Falls from Cook’s Meadow Loop Trail.

Cook’s Meadow Loop is a short and easy hike that travels through the Yosemite Valley floor. This trail is only 1 mile long, so it’s a great option for families and first-time Yosemite Visitors.

From this trail, you can enjoy amazing views of Yosemite Falls and the Half Dome rock formation. I recommend visiting Yosemite mid-October through the first week of November for peak fall colors.

3. Burney Falls Trail

Burney Falls at McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park.

Burney Falls is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in California. It looks especially gorgeous when the cascading 129-foot waterfall is surrounded by colorful fall foliage.

Burney Falls is a year-round waterfall, so fall is a great time to visit it, especially in October. While other waterfalls in California often dry up by the end of summer, Burney Falls keeps flowing through the autumn season.

The Burney Falls Loop is only 1 mile long and is stroller-friendly, so it’s a great adventure for the entire family!

4. McGee Creek Trail

McGee Creek Trail is one of my personal favorites to do in the fall months. This is the perfect day adventure near Mammoth Lakes if you’re looking for gorgeous fall colors mixed with rugged mountain views.

I hiked this trail in October when the colors in the valley were at their peak. The hike starts at the McGee Creek Trailhead, just a 30-minute drive south of Mammoth Lakes.

I hiked the trail to Horsetail Creek viewpoint, which is about 3.6 miles round trip with 700 feet of elevation gain. This hike is dog-friendly, so you can bring your furry friends along.

5. Lake Sabrina

Situated at the end of Highway 168, Lake Sabrina is one of the most scenic destinations to visit in California in the fall months. This lake is located west of Bishop, so it’s a great detour for those traveling along Highway 395.

For hiking, you can follow a trail along the north or south shore of the lake. The south shore trail is better maintained and leads all the way to Blue Lake for a total of 6 miles. Along the way you can enjoy views of aspen trees that turn to shades of gold in September and October.

6. Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail

Trailhead for Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail in Idyllwild.

If you’re planning a fall trip to Idyllwild in Southern California, the Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail is a must-do hike! I did this hike in late November, and there were still beautiful fall colors along the trail.

Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail is 4.6 miles long round trip and takes a few hours to complete. Despite the distance, this hike is fairly easy, so it’s a great day adventure for families and people with dogs.

Tip: You will need to get a $5 parking permit in Idyllwild before heading out on the hike. I stopped by the San Jacinto Ranger Station where I purchased the parking permit.

7. Mirror Lake Loop

Mirror Lake is a seasonal pond within Yosemite National Park.

Mirror Lake Loop is another short and easy hike within Yosemite National Park. This is a great hike to do year-round, but fall is one of my favorite times.

Although Mirror Lake dries out by end of summer, you’ll be able to see some pretty incredible fall foliage along the way.

Mirror Lake Trail is 2 miles if you want to hike just to Mirror Lake, or 5 miles long if you wish to do the longer loop.

If you have the extra time, I recommend hiking the longer loop in the fall when you can see vibrant trees along the pathway in the forest.

8. Castle Rock Trail

Castle Rock Trailhead near Big Bear Lake.

If you live in Southern California, Big Bear Lake is one of the best destinations for fall color peeping. When in the area, I recommend hiking the 2.8-mile-long Castle Rock Trail that climbs up a steep mountain with incredible views of Big Bear Lake from the summit.

Along the way, you can enjoy views of evergreen pine trees mixed in with colorful shrubs and golden maple trees. Although Castle Rock Trail is short, it is quite steep with 780 feet of elevation gain.

Tip: Parking for this trail can be a challenge and fills up quickly along the Big Bear Blvd.

9. Congress Trail At Sequoia National Park

There is no “bad season” when it comes to visiting Sequoia National Park. No matter the time of year, Sequoia National Park always looks magical!

In autumn, you can hike amongst towering sequoia trees surrounded by colorful shrubs and bushes.

Congress Trail is my favorite hike, where you can see large clusters of enormous sequoias growing close to each other. This trail is 3 miles long with some elevation gain of 485 feet.

10. Little Lakes Valley Trail

Located at the end of the Rock Creek Road, the Little Lakes Valley Trail is a great fall hike to do if you’re looking for a bit of a challenge. This trail is 7.3 miles long with 1060 feet of elevation gain, but the views are so worth it.

To reach the trailhead, you’ll need to drive along Rock Creek Road, which is a treat in itself during the autumn season.

The hike starts at the Little Lakes and Mono Pass Trailhead and passes several scenic alpine lakes. We did this trail in October, and the colors in this region were just popping!

11. Calaveras North Grove Trail

Autumn at Calaveras Big Trees State Park.

Giant sequoia trees, crisp mountain air, and beautiful fall scenery – what sounds better than that? At Calaveras Big Trees State Park, you can enjoy that and more!

There are two main trails that you can do at this park – the North Grove Trail and the South Grove Trail.

For first-time visitors, I recommend starting with the 1.7-mile-long Calaveras North Grove Trail. Along this route, you’ll see some of the largest sequoia trees in California surrounded by colorful autumn foliage.

12. Oak Glen Preserve

Oak Glen Preserve in Southern California.

Nestled over 5000 feet in elevation at the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, Oak Glen Preserve is one of the best places to go hiking in Southern California. This preserve spans over 900 acres of wilderness and welcomes over 600,000 visitors annually.

Visitors can go on a 2-mile-long hike with a slight elevation gain of 350 feet. Along the way, you will pass a historic apple farm, streams, ponds, a botanic garden, and a serene forest. This is a great place to go for a hike and enjoy a picnic or some apple picking in the fall months.

It is free to hike at the Oak Glen Preserve. The preserve is dog-friendly and allows leashed dogs on the trails.

13. Dead Giant Tunnel Tree

Dead Giant Tunnel Tree at Yosemite National Park.

If you’re fascinated by enormous sequoia trees (like me), then add Yosemite’s Tuolumne Grove Trail to your fall bucket list as well. This is a bit of a hidden gem within Yosemite National Park that leads to the Dead Giant Tunnel Tree.

Along this route, you can marvel at giant sequoia trees that are over 200 feet tall and 35 feet wide in diameter. Dead Giant Tunnel Tree is an enormous sequoia tree that was carved out in 1878 to serve as an attraction along a visitor toll road.

In the fall months, you can also witness the changing of leaves within the forest.

14. Yosemite Valley Loop Trail

Fall colors along the Yosemite Valley Loop Trail.

Yosemite Valley Loop Trail is one hike that many people overlook when visiting Yosemite National Park. This trail is quite long and covers the entire Yosemite Valley floor. You can hike the full 12-mile loop or choose to do the half loop.

Yosemite Valley Loop Trail visits some of the best parts of Yosemite Valley, including Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, Sentinel Rocks, and Merced River. Along this long but mostly flat route, you can enjoy classic Yosemite views without the painful elevation gains that other Yosemite trails entail!

15. Idyllwild Park Trail

Idyllwild Park Trail in Southern California.

Idyllwild Park Trail is a scenic hike within the Idyllwild community. This trail is much shorter than Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail, so it’s a great option if you’re looking for an easy hike in the area.

Idyllwild Park Trail is only 2.6 miles long, so it’s great for families and people with dogs. There are many black oaks, cottonwoods, and maple trees along this route with leaves that turn to beautiful golden hues in the fall months.

I did this hike in late November, and there was still plenty of fall foliage within Idyllwild Nature Center.

Tip: There is a small entrance fee per person that you will need to pay at the visitor center upon arrival.

Which of these California trails are you adding to your bucket list? Let us know in the comments below!

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This post is written by Laura. Hi, I’m a California local and the founder of the California Wanderland travel blog. I currently live in Ventura County and help 50,000 readers a month discover things to do in Central California! Read more about me here.

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