Chickering American River Reserve
Lake Cushing–Granite Chief Trail, 4 sights
16.1 mi · ▲ 5,132 ft · 7 hr 56 min
Lake Cushing–Granite Chief Trail, 4 sights is a 16.1-mile out-and-back in Chickering American River Reserve near Alpine Meadows, CA. The route reaches Lake Cushing at the turnaround, 8.1 miles in. It climbs 5,132 ft, with sections as steep as 28% grade. It scores 89/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Lake Cushing–Granite Chief Trail, 4 sights
16.1 mi · ▲ 5,132 ft · 7 hr 56 min
Elevation 6,316–8,695 ft
Out & Back · Chickering American River Reserve
Trailhead: 39.20204, -120.23711
Weather Aug 4: Clear, high 86°F / low 50° · precip 0% · wind 2 mph · sunrise 6:05 AM · sunset 8:11 PM
- Start at the trailhead, heading NW.
- 0.3 miBear left, heading NW.
- 0.3 miBear right onto Granite Chief Trail, heading NW.
- 2.6 miContinue straight onto Pacific Crest Trail, heading SW.
- 1.5 miTurn left, heading SE.
- 0.2 miTurn left onto Western States Trail, heading SE.
- 0.3 miContinue straight onto High Camp to Emigrant Ridge, heading S.
- 0.3 miTurn left, heading E.
- 300 ftBear left, heading E.
- 500 ftBear left, heading NE.
- 50 ftBear right, heading NE.
- 0.3 miTurn right, heading E.
- 350 ftTurn left, heading E.
- 0.1 miBear right, heading SE.
- 0.1 miBear right onto Thunder Mountain Trail, heading NE.
- 400 ftBear left, heading E.
- 0.2 miTurn left, heading SE.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading SE.
- 0.3 miSharp right, heading S.
- 0.7 miBear left, heading S.
- 0.2 miTurn left, heading SE.
- 0.4 miReach Lake Cushing, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.4 miTurn left, heading NE.
- 150 ftTurn right, heading NE.
- 0.7 miSharp right, heading SW.
- 0.3 miSharp left, heading W.
- 0.3 miTurn left, heading N.
- 0.1 miSharp left, heading S.
- 0.1 miBear left, heading SW.
- 0.1 miBear left, heading NW.
- 0.1 miTurn right, heading S.
- 350 ftTurn left, heading NE.
- 0.3 miBear left, heading NE.
- 50 ftBear right, heading NE.
- 500 ftBear right, heading NW.
- 300 ftTurn right, heading N.
- 0.2 miContinue straight onto High Camp to Emigrant Ridge, heading W.
- 500 ftContinue straight onto Western States Trail, heading W.
- 0.3 miTurn right, heading W.
- 0.2 miTurn right onto Pacific Crest Trail, heading SW.
- 1.5 miContinue straight onto Granite Chief Trail, heading W.
- 2.6 miBear left, heading E.
- 0.3 miBear right, heading E.
- 0.2 miArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
Weather
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 2.9 mi in (~119 min). Leave by 5:52 PM for the 8:11 PM sunset. Back at your car by 9:37 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Other ways to reach this destination
More from this trailhead
- Granite Chief Trail 3.1 mi · ▲ 764 ft
- Granite Chief & Granite Chief Trail via Pacific Crest Trail 10.7 mi · ▲ 3,046 ft
- Granite Chief Trail–Siberai Basin Loop Trail, 4 sights 12.1 mi · ▲ 3,453 ft
- Washeshu Peak–Granite Chief Trail, 4 sights 12.6 mi · ▲ 3,431 ft
- Polar Bear Lake–Granite Chief Trail, 4 sights 13.4 mi · ▲ 3,632 ft
- Shirley Lake–Granite Chief Trail, 5 sights 14.1 mi · ▲ 4,074 ft
Get outside more
A wild hike near Alpine Meadows, emailed to you once a week.
Hikes near Alpine Meadows, California