Alpenglow Expeditions
Hiking business nearby (~40 mi away) — hasn't claimed their Roamze page yet
Pauley Creek Trail
California
California
Free — you'll pick up right here.
4.3 mi
Distance
3,976 ft
Gain
2h 6m
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 Tahoe 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
Through-trail
Out & back
Here's your day, mapped
Pauley Creek Trail
Suggested plan · check conditions before you go
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Meals
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Gear for the day
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Elevation & route
- Distance
- 4.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,976 ft
- Elevation loss
- 3,976 ft
- Highest point
- 5,879 ft
- Lowest point
- 4,443 ft
More about this trail ↓
Photos
Directions & GPX
Permits & access
- Managing agency
- Forest Service
About this trail
Pauley Creek Trail is an 8.54-mile out-and-back hike in California with 3,976 feet of elevation gain and loss. The trail reaches a maximum elevation of 5,879 feet.
Facts about this trail
The climb
- Starts at
- 5,873 ft
- High point
- 5,879 ft
- Total climbing
- 3,976 ft
- Total descent
- 3,976 ft
- Steepest stretch
- 25% grade around mile 3.5 on the way out
- Length (round trip)
- 8.5 mi
- Shape
- Out and back
Source: Roamze elevation profile and trail geometry (DEM samples along the mapped route)
When to go
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Bowman Dam, CA weather station, 14 mi away. High / low in °F.
- Jan46° high29° low
- Feb47° high28° low
- Mar49° high30° low
- Apr55° high33° low
- May64° high40° low
- Jun73° high47° low
- Jul82° high54° low
- Aug81° high54° low
- Sep77° high51° low
- Oct66° high42° low
- Nov54° high34° low
- Dec45° high29° low
Where it is
- Yuba River Ranger District · Ranger district
- Tahoe National Forest · National forest
- Managed by
- Forest Service
Conditions
Active alerts for Tahoe National Forest as of Oct 9, 2026:
information · posted Oct 5, 2026
fire-restriction · posted Sep 28, 2026
information · posted Sep 25, 2026
Hoke Valley- Forest Road 860-07 (17E11 Trail) Closed
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Highway 20 Area Camping Restrictions
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Camping and Campfire Restrictions-Truckee and Sierraville Districts
fire-restriction · posted Aug 24, 2026
Sierraville Ranger District Trail Closure
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
14-day Camping Occupancy Restrictions
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Source: USFS forest alerts
Nearby
- Butcher Ranch TrailHiking2.1 mi
- Summit Lake TrailHiking2.1 mi
- Gold Lk 4x4 CampgroundCamping3 mi
- Cottonwood Group CampCamping3 mi
- Pauley CreekCanoeing3.1 mi
- Lavezzola CreekCanoeing3.3 mi
- Free For All ValleyRock climbing6.2 mi
- Warm Up BoulderRock climbing6.4 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Add to a trip & share
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Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
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