
Headwaters Trail
California
Free — you'll pick up right here.
0.7 mi
Distance
175 ft
Gain
17 min
Time
No verdict for this trail
We won't guess. Here is exactly what we do and don't know.
What we do know
Inside Lassen National Forest
2 managing-area boundaries mapped — agency alerts for them feed this page automatically.
Boundary data
What's missing
No access route mapped
We don't yet know which road reaches this trailhead, so we can't tell you if it's gated.
Nobody's filed a report here yet — be the first.
Why you'll love it
Here's your day, mapped
Headwaters Trail
Suggested plan · check conditions before you go
Meals
Gear for the day
Elevation & route
- Distance
- 0.7 mi
- Elevation gain
- 175 ft
- Elevation loss
- 175 ft
- Highest point
- 2,995 ft
- Lowest point
- 2,959 ft
Photos
Directions & GPX
Permits & access
- Managing agency
- State Park and Recreation
About this trail
Headwaters Trail is a 1.42-mile out-and-back route in California with 175 feet of elevation gain and loss, reaching a maximum elevation of 2,995 feet.
Facts about this trail
The climb
- Starts at
- 2,959 ft
- High point
- 2,995 ft
- Total climbing
- 175 ft
- Total descent
- 175 ft
- Steepest stretch
- 3% grade right from the start
- Length (round trip)
- 1.4 mi
- Shape
- Out and back
Most of the climbing comes early, so the second half is easier.
Source: Roamze elevation profile and trail geometry (DEM samples along the mapped route)
When to go
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Hat Creek, CA weather station, 7.9 mi away. High / low in °F, and days with snow.
- Jan48° high22° low1 days with snow
- Feb53° high24° low1 days with snow
- Mar58° high28° low1 days with snow
- Apr64° high32° low
- May74° high38° low
- Jun82° high43° low
- Jul91° high47° low
- Aug91° high44° low
- Sep85° high38° low
- Oct71° high30° low
- Nov56° high26° low
- Dec46° high22° low1 days with snow
Where it is
- Hat Creek Ranger District · Ranger district
- McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park · State park
- Lassen National Forest · National forest
- Managed by
- State Park and Recreation
Conditions
Active alerts for Lassen National Forest as of Oct 9, 2026:
SAFETY ALERT - South Antelope Bridge out, Do Not Cross
critical · posted Aug 24, 2026
critical · posted Aug 24, 2026
Lassen National Forest Camping Restrictions
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Lake Almanor Area Camping Restriction
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Lake Almanor Recreational Trail Restriction
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Source: USFS forest alerts
Nearby
- Pioneer Cemetery TrailHiking0.5 mi
- Burney Creek TrailHiking1 mi
- Rim TrailHiking1 mi
- Fort MountainHiking5.1 mi
- Black Ranch ConnectorHiking5.4 mi
- Rock CreekCanoeing5.8 mi
- Ruling Creek CampgroundCamping7 mi
- Pit River CampgroundCamping7.7 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Add to a trip & share
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Pioneer Cemetery Trail
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Photo: theforestprimeval, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Cypress
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Hat Creek Fisherman's Trail
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8.03-mile out-and-back trail in California with 590 ft gain.
PARHAM'S POINT TRAIL
~43 min drive
16.36-mile out-and-back trail in California with 2,898 ft elevation gain and loss.
NORTH BATTLE CREEK
~49 min drive
6.44-mile out-and-back trail in California with 1,180 ft elevation gain and loss.
Rim Trail
~2 min drive
1.46-mile out-and-back trail in California with 420 ft elevation gain
Black Ranch Connector
~9 min drive
Black Ranch Connector is a 0.72-mile out-and-back trail in California with 22 feet of elevation gain.
Great Shasta Rail Trail: Burney Branch
~21 min drive
19.68-mile out-and-back rail trail in California with 1,793 ft elevation gain.
Pacific Crest Trail
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RED LAKE
~45 min drive
8.74-mile out-and-back trail in California with 884 ft elevation gain and loss.
Also worth it near here
Burney Falls
~0 min drive
Restroom
~0 min drive
Pit River Campground
~13 min drive
Burney Mountain
~24 min drive
Photo: Robert F. Ettner, Natural Resources Staff Officer, Siskiyou National Forest, US Forest Service, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)Pit River
~29 min drive
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors