California trails · Skyline Trail
Skyline Trail
A 8.9-mile network in California, with 7,912 ft of climbing. Reaches Notch 1 and other viewpoint destinations.
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
- Notch 1 (viewpoint)
- Grubb's Point (viewpoint)
Heads up
Getting there
Skyline Trail access — parking nearby. About 17 min drive (9 mi) from Desert Hot Springs. 33.82522, -116.55037 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:25 a.m., the sun rises at 6:50 a.m. and sets at 6:13 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:38 p.m. (PDT) — 11 h 23 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 8.9-mile route takes roughly 7 h 16 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 2:06 p.m. — 4 h 07 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Skyline Trail + Pirates + Fall Line — 5.7 mi loop, 1,236 ft gain
- Radford Truck Trail + Skyline Trail + Seven Oaks — 11.7 mi loop, 2,899 ft gain
- Skyline Trl + Skyline Trail + Skyline To The Sea Trail — 8.8 mi loop, 2,031 ft gain