California trails · Baker Summit
Baker Summit
A 12.0-mile out-and-back in California, with 3,222 ft of climbing. Reaches Grouse Spring and other lake/spring destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 55% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 4.0. It gives back about 2,613 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Grouse Spring (spring)
- Brown Lake (lake)
- Bluff Lake (lake)
- Green Lake (lake)
Getting there
Baker Creek Trail access. About 2 h 37 min drive (63 mi, 19 of them unpaved) from Mammoth Lakes. 37.16716, -118.47847 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:34 a.m., the sun rises at 7:00 a.m. and sets at 6:18 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:44 p.m. (PDT) — 11 h 18 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 24.0-mile round trip works out to roughly 12 h 06 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Logging Flat Trail + Baker Summit + North Fork Big Pine Creek — 4.5 mi loop, 1,548 ft gain
- High Meadows Stock + Baker Summit + Baker Creek Trail — 6.0 mi loop, 1,199 ft gain
Nearby trails
- North Fork Big Pine Creek — 3.9 mi
- Bishop Pass — 4.8 mi
- Sawmill Pass — 18.8 mi
- Mono Creek — 29.6 mi