California trails · North Fork Big Pine Creek
North Fork Big Pine Creek
A 7.8-mile out-and-back in California, with 3,576 ft of climbing. Reaches Big Pine Lake and other lake/waterfall destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Big Pine Lake (lake)
- Second Falls (waterfall)
- Third Lake (lake)
- Fourth Lake (lake)
- First Falls (waterfall)
- First Lake (lake)
- Sixth Lake (lake)
- Second Lake (lake)
- Summit Lake (lake)
Heads up
Getting there
BIG PINE CREEK NO FORK TH — parking nearby, restroom, water. About 1 h 57 min drive (70 mi) from Mammoth Lakes. 37.12810, -118.42770 · 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 15.5-mile round trip takes roughly 9 h 19 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 4:19 p.m. — 1 h 59 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Logging Flat Trail + Baker Summit + North Fork Big Pine Creek — 4.5 mi loop, 1,548 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Baker Summit — 3.9 mi
- Bishop Pass — 8.1 mi
- Sawmill Pass — 15.1 mi