Free — you'll pick up right here.

Watch this trail

California

Upper Copper Creek Switchbacks

3.4 mi

Distance

2,396 ft

Gain

No verdict for this trail

We won't guess. Here is exactly what we do and don't know.

What we do know

Inside Kings Canyon National Park
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

Big climb

Out & back

Here's your day, mapped

Upper Copper Creek Switchbacks

AI-suggested draft · review before you go

Building your full AI plan…

Meals

Building your meal plan…

Gear for the day

Building your gear list…

Elevation & route

Distance: 3.4 mi
Elevation gain: 2,396 ft
Highest point: 10,228 ft
Lowest point: 7,811 ft

More about this trail ↓

Photos

Directions & GPX

Get Directions

Permits & access

Managing agency: National Park Service

About this trail

Upper Copper Creek Switchbacks is a 3.36-mile out-and-back trail in California managed by the National Park Service. The route gains 2,396 feet of elevation and reaches a maximum elevation of 10,228 feet.

Add to a trip & share

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Mist Falls

~4 min drive

The 8-mile round-trip walk to this spectacular cascade makes a great all-day walk. The first miles are relatively flat and open; in the last mile the wooded trail gains 600' in elevation. Be careful once there: Mist and spray make the surrounding rocks slippery and…

Photo: Melofors, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Cedar Grove Roads End - Sand Flats Stock

~4 min drive

0.38-mile out-and-back trail in California with 20 ft gain.

Photo: Tom Hilton, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Granite Lake

~5 min drive

0.59-mile out-and-back to Granite Lake in California's National Park Service area.

Photo: Tom Hilton, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Kennedy Canyon

~9 min drive

8.37-mile out-and-back trail in California with 2,995 ft elevation gain.

Photo: Kurt Minard, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Gardiner Basin Trail

~10 min drive

13.26-mile out-and-back hike in California with 5,919 ft elevation gain/loss.

Copper Creek

~4 min drive

This trailhead orientation panel shows a map and images of the Copper Creek Trail area. Copper Creek Trail is 10 miles one-way (20 miles round-trip) at a difficult incline. The trail travels through several aspen forests and meadows, ending at Granite Lake, a stop that…

Photo: Melofors, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Cedar Grove Sand Flats

~4 min drive

1.87-mile out-and-back trail in California with 66 ft elevation gain.

Photo: Tom Hilton, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Granite Pass North

~6 min drive

5.76-mile out-and-back trail in California with 1,864 ft elevation gain.

Don Cecil Trailhead

~10 min drive

The 4.4 mile one-way (8.8 mile round-trip) Don Cecil Trail is a steep climb along the north-facing slope of Kings Canyon. If you're looking for a shorter hike, Sheep Creek Cascade is about a mile up the trail and offers a shady spot to sit and relax. This historic trail was…

Zumwalt Meadow Trailhead

~5 min drive

This trailhead orientation panel shows a map and images of the Zumwalt Meadow area. River Safety Most of the year, the river flows gently along one side of the meadow, but in spring and early summer the water is cold an currents are swift. Be careful!

Also worth it near here