Red Tail Rim Trail
- 19.1 mi
- round trip
- 2,963 ft
- climb
- 7,031 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Is Red Tail Rim Trail open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists an alert for Modoc National Forest.
Forest Fire Restrictions 2026 have been lifted as of 09/27/2026
Agency alert covering Modoc National Forest · USFS · Modoc National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Modoc National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Red Tail Rim Trail is a hard hike in California's Modoc National Forest, within the Big Valley Ranger District. It is an out-and-back route of about 19 miles, with a one-way climb of roughly 2,960 feet. The trail rises from a low point of about 4,700 feet to a high of about 7,000 feet. Summer and early fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Jess Valley put July highs around 84°F with only two or three wet days a month, while September cools to about 77°F. That station sits roughly 1,600 feet lower than the trail's high point, so temperatures up top run cooler. Bikes and horses are both allowed on the trail, which has a natural surface. Ash Creek campground is less than a mile away, and Lower Rush Creek campground is about 9 miles off.
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Modoc Line TrailHiking · ~48 min drivePhoto: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Poison Flat TrailHiking · ~50 min drivePhoto: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Poison Flat TrailHiking · ~50 min drivePhoto: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- SUMMIT TRAILHiking · ~1h 1m drive
- Spring TrailHiking · ~25 min drive
Timbered Crater TrailHiking · ~1h drivePhoto: JOE BLOWE from Bountiful, Utah, Iran, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Modoc Line TrailHiking · ~31 min drive
- Modoc Line TrailHiking · ~29 min drive
- Clear Lake Loop TrailHiking · ~50 min drivePhoto: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Modoc Line TrailHiking · ~38 min drive
Best time to visit Red Tail Rim Trail
Best months: May–September. 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.
Jan
43° / 21°
9 wet
Feb
45° / 21°
8 wet
Mar
50° / 24°
10 wet
Apr
55° / 27°
9 wet
May
64° / 34°
8 wet
Jun
74° / 40°
5 wet
Jul
84° / 47°
2 wet
Aug
83° / 46°
2 wet
Sep
77° / 39°
3 wet
Oct
65° / 31°
5 wet
Nov
51° / 25°
8 wet
Dec
42° / 20°
9 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Jess Valley, CA, 28.3 mi away at 5,400 ft. The station sits about 1,600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Route details
- Distance
- 19.1 mi round trip
- Climbing
- About 2,963 ft
- Summit
- 7,036 ft
- Difficulty
- Hard
Questions about this route
How long is the Red Tail Rim Trail on Manzanita Mountain?
About 19.1 mi round trip.
How much elevation gain is on the Red Tail Rim Trail?
About 2,963 ft of climbing round trip.
How hard is the Red Tail Rim Trail?
It is rated hard.
Conditions and forecast on Manzanita Mountain
Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.
