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Joe Parks · CC BY 2.0

Mount Stephens & Chinese Catfish Pond via Pacific Crest Trail is a 2-mile out-and-back near Donner, CA. The route passes Mount Stephens before reaching Chinese Catfish Pond at the turnaround, 1 miles in. It climbs 504 ft, with sections as steep as 29% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 2/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi6,815 – 7,241 ft · steepest grade: 29%2.2 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 39.31859, -120.31981
Nearest town Donner, CA

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Mount Stephens & Chinese Catfish Pond via Pacific Crest Trail

2 mi · ▲ 504 ft · 55 min

Elevation 6,814–7,242 ft

Out & Back

Trailhead: 39.31859, -120.31981

Weather Sep 20: sunrise 6:48 AM · sunset 7:03 PM

Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading S.
  2. 0.1 miTurn right onto Dutch Flat Donner Lake Wagon Road, heading NW.
  3. 250 ftSharp left, heading S.
  4. 0.1 miTurn right, heading SW.
  5. 50 ftSharp left, heading SW.
  6. 0.1 miTurn right, heading W.
  7. 0.2 miBear right, heading NW.
  8. 0.2 miSharp left, heading NE.
  9. 0.2 miPass Chinese Catfish Pond.
  10. 50 ftReach Mount Stephens, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  11. 0.2 miSharp right onto Pacific Crest Trail, heading SW.
  12. 0.2 miBear left, heading SW.
  13. 0.2 miTurn left onto Dutch Flat Donner Lake Wagon Road, heading E.
  14. 0.1 miSharp left, heading E.
  15. 50 ftSharp right, heading E.
  16. 0.2 miTurn left, heading N.
  17. 0.1 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

80% dirt20% unspecified

Weather

Sunrise 6:48 AMSunset 7:03 PM

Good to know

  • Parking lot at the trailhead

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