California · Hiking · Golden Trout Wilderness · Near Silver City

Painters Camp

3.0 mi
round trip
481 ft
climb
5,652 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Jun–Oct
best months

Is Painters Camp open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 3 alerts for Inyo National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Inyo National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Painters Camp is a 3-mile out-and-back hike in the Golden Trout Wilderness, part of Inyo National Forest. It lies within the Kern River and Mt. Whitney ranger districts, and the Forest Service manages the land. The trail rises about 480 feet from a low point of 5,218 feet to a high of 5,652 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the Lodgepole weather station, about 34 miles away, show July and August highs near 76°F with lows in the mid-40s and only a couple of wet days a month. Winter brings highs in the upper 30s and frequent snow days. The trail is natural-surface and rated moderate. Bikes are not allowed, and it is not an accessible route. The Black Rock to Kern River Trail starts just 0.3 miles away, and Sidehill Meadow and Kern Flat Trail are each about 1.2 miles off. Paddlers can reach the Little Kern River, roughly 8 miles away.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Irene’s Camp

    Campground

    Campground · 9.2 mi from the trail
  • If it rains

    Kern Hot Spring

    Hot spring

    Hot spring · 18 mi from Silver City

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors

More in Silver City

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · Jun–Oct

    Best time to visit Painters Camp

    Best months: June–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      39° / 17°

      9 wet · 8 snow

    2. Feb

      41° / 18°

      10 wet · 8 snow

    3. Mar

      45° / 22°

      10 wet · 8 snow

    4. Apr

      50° / 26°

      8 wet · 5 snow

    5. May

      58° / 33°

      5 wet · 2 snow

    6. Jun

      68° / 40°

      3 wet

    7. Jul

      76° / 46°

      2 wet

    8. Aug

      76° / 44°

      2 wet

    9. Sep

      70° / 39°

      2 wet

    10. Oct

      59° / 31°

      4 wet · 1 snow

    11. Nov

      47° / 23°

      6 wet · 4 snow

    12. Dec

      37° / 17°

      8 wet · 6 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lodgepole, CA, 33.8 mi away at 6,735 ft. The station sits about 1,100 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

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Soda CreekPhoto: Paul Mono, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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