Best hikes in the Sierra foothills near Sutter Creek
High-country lakes and granite ridgelines within about three hours of the Bay Area, from the Amador foothills up to the edge of Desolation Wilderness.
Best hikes
- 1
Lake Schmidell via Rubicon Trail (16E30.2)
15.4 mi · ▲ 3,373 ft · Out & back
⚑ Lake Schmidell
trail 97%wild 1.00sights 0.9appeal 1.87judge v4 d4
Route has minor irregularities but forms coherent loop.
2
Bald Mountain via Trail 1
11.8 mi · ▲ 2,041 ft · Out & back
⚑ Bald Mountain
trail 85%wild 0.98sights 1.0appeal 1.73judge v4 d3
Route ends at trail junction, not a peak summit.
3
Bald Mountain via Trail 1
7.7 mi · ▲ 1,654 ft · Out & back
⚑ Bald Mountain
trail 95%wild 0.98sights 1.0appeal 1.73judge v4 d4
4
Lake Schmidell via Blakely Trail (16E07)
9.1 mi · ▲ 2,770 ft · Out & back
⚑ Lake Schmidell
trail 100%wild 1.00sights 0.9appeal 1.68judge v5 d4
5
Lake Schmidell via Two Peaks Trail (16E11)
14.1 mi · ▲ 3,315 ft · Out & back
⚑ Lake Schmidell
trail 96%wild 1.00sights 0.9appeal 1.68judge v3 d3
Route has awkward branching; unclear primary path to lake.
6
Lake Schmidell via Two Peaks Trail (16E11)
13.7 mi · ▲ 3,278 ft · Out & back
⚑ Lake Schmidell
trail 97%wild 1.00sights 0.9appeal 1.68judge v4 d4
7
Lake Schmidell via Rockbound Trail
15.1 mi · ▲ 2,835 ft · Out & back
⚑ Lake Schmidell
trail 100%wild 0.99sights 0.9appeal 1.67judge v5 d4
8
Lake Schmidell via Rockbound Trail
14.8 mi · ▲ 2,778 ft · Out & back
⚑ Lake Schmidell
trail 99%wild 0.99sights 0.9appeal 1.67judge v5 d4
9
Bald Mountain via Trail 1
15.9 mi · ▲ 2,936 ft · Out & back
⚑ Bald Mountain
trail 89%wild 0.91sights 1.0appeal 1.66judge v4 d3
Route ends at trail junction, not a peak summit.
10
Lake Schmidell via Rockbound Trail
15.1 mi · ▲ 2,791 ft · Out & back
⚑ Lake Schmidell
trail 99%wild 0.98sights 0.9appeal 1.66judge v5 d4
11
Lake Schmidell via Rockbound Trail
15.3 mi · ▲ 2,786 ft · Out & back
⚑ Lake Schmidell
trail 98%wild 0.98sights 0.9appeal 1.66judge v5 d4
12
Lake Schmidell via Rockbound Trail
15.7 mi · ▲ 2,967 ft · Out & back
⚑ Lake Schmidell
trail 99%wild 0.96sights 0.9appeal 1.64judge v5 d4
Lowest-ranked hikes
Shown for quality monitoring: these score lowest on the catalog's ranking. If one looks like a genuinely good hike, that points at a ranking bug.
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Strawberry-Twin Lakes Road
1.9 mi · ▲ 299 ft · Out & back
trail 93%wild 0.28appeal 0.03judge v4 d2
No real destination; ends at random trail junction in suburbs.
Diamond R.R. Trail
2 mi · ▲ 98 ft · Out & back
trail 99%wild 0.42appeal 0.17judge v4 d2
No real destination; generic name; ends at random trail junction.
12N65
3.8 mi · ▲ 247 ft · Out & back
trail 85%wild 0.55appeal 0.30judge v5 d3
Generic trail name; no real destination, just creek-side wandering.
12N65
4 mi · ▲ 296 ft · Out & back
trail 85%wild 0.57appeal 0.32judge v5 d3
Generic trail name; no real destination, just creek-side wandering.
09N61
8 mi · ▲ 676 ft · Out & back
trail 68%wild 0.65appeal 0.40judge v5 d4
Clean loop but cryptic name, no real destination stated.
Sciots Creek Road
2 mi · ▲ 179 ft · Out & back
trail 85%wild 0.65appeal 0.40judge v5 d2
Road walk, minimal elevation, no hiking destination
Trail
5.1 mi · ▲ 1,195 ft · Out & back
trail 85%wild 0.67appeal 0.42judge v4 d2
Generic name, no destination, creek walk with arbitrary endpoint
Sciots Creek Road
2.2 mi · ▲ 234 ft · Out & back
trail 85%wild 0.69appeal 0.44judge v3 d2
Complex branching geometry; no clear destination.
West Martin Meadow Road
2 mi · ▲ 220 ft · Out & back
trail 85%wild 0.71appeal 0.46judge v4 d2
No real destination; ends at road junction.
Trail
5.8 mi · ▲ 1,280 ft · Out & back
trail 85%wild 0.71appeal 0.46judge v4 d2
Generic name, no destination, follows creek but ends nowhere
Forest Route 7N14
2 mi · ▲ 189 ft · Out & back
trail 96%wild 0.75appeal 0.50judge v5 d1
Forest road; no destination; minimal hiking interest.
Trail 8
7.4 mi · ▲ 1,064 ft · Out & back
trail 75%wild 0.63appeal 0.53judge v2 d2
Branching spur geometry; generic name; no destination.