Post Pile & Loon Lake via Rubicon Trail
4.5 mi · ▲ 669 ft · 1 hr 50 min
Post Pile & Loon Lake via Rubicon Trail is a 4.5-mile out-and-back near Gilberts, CA. The route passes Loon Lake before reaching Post Pile at the turnaround, 2.3 miles in. It climbs 669 ft, with sections as steep as 19% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 84/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Post Pile & Loon Lake via Rubicon Trail
4.5 mi · ▲ 669 ft · 1 hr 50 min
Elevation 6,276–6,535 ft
Out & Back
Trailhead: 39.00055, -120.31463
Weather Aug 4: Clear, high 82°F / low 53° · precip 0% · wind 6 mph · sunrise 6:05 AM · sunset 8:12 PM
Toilets at the trailhead · Drinking water at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start at the trailhead, heading NE.
- 50 ftPass Loon Lake.
- 1.8 miSharp left onto Rubicon Trail, heading SW.
- 0.5 miReach Post Pile, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 2.2 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 0.5 mi in (~12 min). Leave by 7:39 PM for the 8:12 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:43 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Good to know
- Toilets at the trailhead
- Drinking water at the trailhead
- Parking lot at the trailhead
Other ways to reach this destination
More from this trailhead
- Egg Rock–Buck Island Lake, 6 lakes 11.5 mi · ▲ 1,240 ft
- Post Pile–Loon Lake, 4 lakes 13.7 mi · ▲ 1,887 ft
- Loon Lake–Spider Lake, 6 lakes 14.6 mi · ▲ 1,937 ft
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Hikes near Gilberts, California