California · Hiking · Emigrant Wilderness

Wood

2.4 mi
round trip
258 ft
climb
8,553 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Jun–Sep
best months

Is Wood open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Stanislaus National Forest. It doesn't name Wood, so check the source for the area it covers (2 listed).

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

The Wood hike is an easy out-and-back of about 2.4 miles in the Emigrant Wilderness, part of the Summit Ranger District of Stanislaus National Forest in California. The trail runs on natural ground and climbs from 8,293 feet to 8,553 feet. The Forest Service manages the surrounding land, and the route is open year round. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. A nearby weather station at Tuolumne Meadows, at about the same elevation, records typical July highs around 71°F and lows near 38°F. Winters are cold, with typical January highs around 41°F and lows near 13°F. The trail is open to horses. Biking is not allowed. Several other outings sit close by. Crabtree (Buck Mdw to Emigrt) is about 0.9 miles away, and Lower Buck is about 1.1 miles away. Wire Lakes lies about 1.4 miles off. Paddlers can find East Fork Cherry Creek about 3.8 miles away.

  • Best time to go · Jun–Sep

    Best time to visit Wood

    Best months: June–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.

    1. Jan

      41° / 13°

    2. Feb

      38° / 12°

    3. Mar

      42° / 15°

    4. Apr

      45° / 22°

    5. May

      54° / 27°

    6. Jun

      65° / 33°

    7. Jul

      71° / 38°

    8. Aug

      70° / 36°

    9. Sep

      65° / 32°

    10. Oct

      57° / 26°

    11. Nov

      47° / 20°

    12. Dec

      40° / 12°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Tuolumne Meadows Rs, CA, 30 mi away at 8,694 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Wire LakesPhoto: Tom Hilton, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Wire Lakes

~2 min drive

Easy alpine lake hike with minimal elevation gain near Wire Lakes.

Whitesides MeadowPhoto: Tom Hilton, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Whitesides Meadow

~7 min drive

Whitesides Meadow is a 3.24-mile out-and-back trail in California with 451 feet of elevation gain.

High Emigrant LakePhoto: Jane S. Richardson (talk · contribs), CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

High Emigrant Lake

~13 min drive

13.29-mile out-and-back trail to High Emigrant Lake in California with 1,681 ft of elevation gain.

HIKE

Huckleberry Trail

~10 min drive

30.02-mile out-and-back trail in California with 5,422 ft gain and 9,395 ft max elevation.

Long Lake TrailPhoto: Tom Hilton, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Long Lake Trail

~2 min drive

1.94-mile out-and-back hike to Long Lake in California with 486 ft elevation gain

Blackbird LakePhoto: Jane S. Richardson (talk · contribs), CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Blackbird Lake

~8 min drive

5.28-mile out-and-back trail to Blackbird Lake in California with 660 ft of elevation gain.

Relief ValleyPhoto: farktronix, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Relief Valley

~11 min drive

19.56-mile out-and-back trail in California with 1,932 ft elevation gain.

HIKE

Bell Meadow

~11 min drive

Bell Meadow is a 33.12-mile out-and-back trail in California with 2,992 feet of elevation gain.

Boundary Lake SpurPhoto: Tom Hilton, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Boundary Lake Spur

~9 min drive

0.63-mile out-and-back trail in California with 202 ft gain.

Lake Valley TrailPhoto: travisreitter, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Lake Valley Trail

~10 min drive

6.2-mile out-and-back hike in California with 2,128 ft elevation gain and loss.