California trails · NST - Pacific Crest
NST - Pacific Crest
A 142.9-mile network in California, with 2,748 ft of climbing. Reaches Dicks Pass and other lake/pass destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 22,315 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Dicks Pass (pass)
- Wolf Creek Pass (pass)
- Barker Pass (pass)
- Sherrold Lake (lake)
- Sonora Pass (pass)
- Dorothy Lake Pass (pass)
- Golden Lake (lake)
- Stella Lake (lake)
- Noble Lake (lake)
- Asa Lake (lake)
Heads up
Getting there
NST - Pacific Crest junction. About 1 h 17 min drive (33 mi, 4 of them unpaved) from Truckee. 39.03217, -120.23103 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:42 a.m., the sun rises at 7:09 a.m. and sets at 6:23 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:50 p.m. (PDT) — 11 h 15 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 142.9-mile route works out to roughly 54 h 18 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Desert View Nature + NST - Pacific Crest — 1.8 mi loop, 255 ft gain
- NST - Pacific Crest + Pacific Crest Trail — 1.4 mi loop, 191 ft gain
- Big Laguna + NST - Pacific Crest + Noble Canyon — 10.3 mi loop, 1,386 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Tahoe Yosemite Trail — 4.6 mi
- Pacific Crest Trl — 20.2 mi