Golden Trout Creek Trail

Golden Trout Creek Trail is a point-to-point long-distance backpack route in the Golden Trout Wilderness area near Lone Pine, CA. The trail starts where Trail Pass Trail #3504 ends and then descends down Golden Trout Creek until it reaches the Kern River near the boundary with Sequoia National Park.

It’s built around creek-following travel: the tread alternates between being alongside Golden Trout Creek and moving slightly away from it, so you tend to find reliable water and a terrain that isn’t uniformly dry. Expect thicker undergrowth at times, grassier meadow sections, and mud when soils are wet.

Early in the descent the landscape transitions from higher meadows into more forested creek-valley terrain. Navigation is straightforward when you’re on the main line, but there can be multiple side trails branching in meadowy/brushy stretches near the creek.

As you get farther along, the creek gets larger as it collects side streams, and the route’s work increases with a longer, rockier descent toward Kern Canyon. The trail features a natural-bridge crossing around mid-route (Malpais Creek is crossed on a natural bridge), then continues on toward the Kern River.

A big payoff section is the approach down Kern Canyon cliffs: after leaving the natural bridge area, the trail descends via a long run of rocky, open switchbacks, ending with a final walk along the Kern Canyon floor to Lower Kern Bridge where the trail finishes.

Plan for wilderness-level logistics at high elevation. The route’s remoteness and long descent make weather a real factor; even in early season you can encounter cold nights and afternoon showers or frost, and the trail can be slick or muddy when wet.

Permits for entering the Golden Trout Wilderness through the Trail Pass area are dispersed (non-quota), and access is commonly managed via the Horseshoe Meadow / Trail Pass Trailhead corridor. Expect limited infrastructure, so carry everything you need (including bear canister compliance for the area) and rely on maps and navigation tools.

More information: Booking, From Tunnel Meadow to the Natural Bridge at the Golden ..., 5-Day Peak Bagging in Northern Golden Trout Wilderness