AMBLEWAY Wildest hikes
Northstar California Burnout 1.jpg
Leijurv · CC BY-SA 4.0

Big Chief Trail (Middle)

9.7 mi · ▲ 1,462 ft · 3 hr 58 min

Big Chief Trail (Middle) is a 9.7-mile out-and-back near Ponderosa Palisades, CA. It climbs 1,462 ft and is mostly dirt. It scores 79/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.

Elevation

0 mi6,769 – 7,533 ft9.8 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 39.24336, -120.18268
Nearest town Ponderosa Palisades, CA
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Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Big Chief Trail (Middle)

9.7 mi · ▲ 1,462 ft · 3 hr 58 min

Elevation 6,769–7,535 ft

Out & Back

Trailhead: 39.24336, -120.18268

Weather Aug 4: sunrise 6:04 AM · sunset 8:11 PM

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading SW.
  2. 0.3 miBear left onto Big Chief Trail (Middle), heading S.
  3. 2.6 miTurn left onto Sawtooth Spur, heading N.
  4. 250 ftContinue straight onto Northstar Service Road 700, heading N.
  5. 1.6 miSharp left onto Northstar Service Road 704, heading NW.
  6. 0.3 miReach the turnaround, then head back the way you came.
  7. 0.3 miSharp right onto Northstar Service Road 700, heading N.
  8. 1.6 miContinue straight onto Sawtooth Spur, heading NW.
  9. 250 ftTurn right onto Big Chief Trail (Upper), heading S.
  10. 2.6 miBear right, heading N.
  11. 0.3 miArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail map, photos and weather for this hike: www.ambleway.com/hikes/big-chief-trail-middle-out-back-16-km-3a55

Trail surface

100% dirt

Weather

Sunrise 6:04 AMSunset 8:11 PM

Other ways to reach this destination

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Hikes near Ponderosa Palisades, California