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California trails · Avalanche Gulch Climbing Route

Avalanche Gulch Climbing Route

A 3.6-mile out-and-back in California, with 5,727 ft of climbing. Reaches Misery Hill and other arch/glacier/hot spring/lake/spring/summit destinations.

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Length
3.6 mi
Elevation gain
5,727 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
60%
Steepest mile
+2,717 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
3.3 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Surface
Ground
Dogs
no
Bikes
no
Horses
no

Elevation profile

8,406 – 14,133 ft123

The climbing leans toward the middle third: 44% of the ascent falls between mile 1.2 and mile 2.4. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Avalanche Gulch Climbing Route

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Terrain graded T6 (SAC scale) — exposed or hands-on hiking reported on part of this route.
Sections reported faint or hard to follow — carry a map or download this area offline.

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:51 a.m., the sun rises at 7:19 a.m. and sets at 6:29 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:57 p.m. (PDT) — 11 h 10 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 7.1-mile round trip takes roughly 8 h 22 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 3:41 p.m. — 2 h 48 min before sunset.

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