Hiking The Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop

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The Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 mile loop is one of the most popular and well known trails in the Inland Empire. I’m fortunate to live a few miles from this trail, which allows me to use it as my backyard playground. Claremont Hills Wilderness Park can be a zoo on the weekend, so make sure to visit on weekdays or early mornings to avoid the crowds.

Hiking The Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop


Directions And GPS Tracks:

  • To hike Claremont Hills Wilderness Park, you’ll head to 4031 N Mills Ave, Claremont, CA 91711. There are two available parking lots for this hike. While driving north on Mills, you’ll see the first lot at the intersection of Mills and Mt. Baldy Rd. This lot is for Thompson Creek Trail and Claremont residents with a park pass. You can also pay for a day use pass here if the north lot is full. Continuing north on Mills past the south parking lot, the road will dead end into the north lot. Park here and pay a ticket station for your parking pass.
  • Download GPX
  • See my track on Strava
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
North Lot Entrance

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Parking Pay Station

Key Points:

  • Distance: 5 miles
  • Elevation Gain: 876 ft
  • Minimum Elevation: 1643 ft
  • Maximum Elevation: 2461 ft
  • Time: 1-3 hours
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Dog Friendly: Yes, on leash
  • Permit Required: For parking, $3 for non Claremont residents
  • Hours:
    January 6:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
    February 6:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
    March 6:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
    April 6:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
    May 5:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
    June 5:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
    July 5:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
    August 6:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
    September 6:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
    October 6:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
    November 6:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
    December 6:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
  • Season: Year round, Can be hot in the summer
  • Trail Condition: Well maintained fire road
  • Cell Phone Reception: Spotty
  • Restrooms: Port-o-potties at trailhead, 1 mile mark, and 3.5 mile mark
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Trailhead Toilets

Make sure to hike with the right gear. See my current hiking gear list. 


Hike Map And Elevation Profile:

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop


Hike Description:

To begin hiking the Claremont Hills Wildness Park 5 mile loop, head north from the parking lot towards the park entrance gates. The trail will head over a seasonal creek and continue on for a quarter of a mile before reaching the loop trail.

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Park Gates
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Seasonal Creek

Just after hiking beyond the seasonal creek, you’ll come to a junction for the Burbank Trail and Cobal Canyon Trail. If you go left for a clockwise loop, you’ll have three miles of uphill and two miles of downhill. The clockwise loop is less steep, but has more exposure, making it tough on hotter days. Go right at the junction for a counter clockwise loop, and you’ll pass through a flat and shady first half mile before a steep ascent to the top of the loop. For this hike, I took a clockwise loop and went left. I do this hike at least once a month, and love that each option feels like a different hike.

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Junction
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Burbank Trail – Clockwise Loop

By heading left at the junction for a clockwise loop starting on the Burbank Trail, the first half mile of this hike will climb pretty steeply. Things begin to level out at around the .5 mile marker, with short flat sections following each uphill climb.

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Heading Upward
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
.5 Mile Marker

From the .5 mile marker on, you’ll be treated to views of the trail ahead, as well as viewpoints to the city of Claremont to the south.

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Views Looking Up
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Views Looking Out

At the one mile marker, you’ll find a port-o-potty and a rest area. Make sure to use this if you need to go, the next restroom option won’t be until mile 3.5.

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Toilets
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Mile 1

Living only a few miles from CHWP, I get to see this trail a few times a month in every season. This year we’ve had rain like we haven’t seen in a decade, and CHWP is looking greener than I have seen it in years.

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Very Green In 2017

At the 1.5 mile mark, keep your eyes open for a junction ahead. Go right at the junction to continue the loop on Cobal Canyon Fire Trail. Going left would put you onto Johnson Pasture Rd and drop you off into a Claremont neighborhood.

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
1.5 Miles
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Junction

The trail climbs fairly steeply after taking a right at the junction and offers up some of my favorite views on this loop.

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
The Junction From Above
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Heading Uphill

Just before hitting the two mile mark, a bench sits just off of the trail with views of the Inland Empire. If you want to get some extra climbing in for a view higher up, there is a use trail on the hill to the west.

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
View
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Bench Patrol
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Side Trail On The Hill

After reaching the 2 mile mark, the trail begins to head onto a backbone ridge with the best views of the entire loop. To your left (west) you’ll see Marshall Canyon and downtown Los Angeles on a clear day. To the right (east) you’ll see the Potato Mountain and views of the San Gabriels Front Range. You’ll also have a birds eye view of Claremont behind you.

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
2 Miles
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Continuing On
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
On The Backbone

As you approach the 2.5 mile mark and halfway point you’ll see a trail offshoot for the Marshall Canyon Trail Loop. Marshall Canyon is a loop trail that starts in La Verne and has a short stretch of trail where the two run tangent. You can read my guide for Marshall Canyon. Make sure to stay right at the junction.

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
2.5 Miles
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Marshall Canyon Junction

Just past the 2.5 mile mark, you’ll see a gazebo with benches that provide a great view of the Inland Empire.

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Gazebo
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Lookout

After leaving the gazebo behind, you’ll hike downhill for a short while before hitting the final uphill portion to the highest point of the loop. You’ll see the second junction to join the Marshall Canyon Loop. Make sure to stay right at the junction.

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Stay Right
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
3 Miles
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
The Final Uphill

Once you’ve passed the 3 mile marker and reached the top of the final climb, you only have two miles of downhill hiking to finish the loop.

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Heading Downhill
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Looking South

Right around the 3.5 mile mark, you’ll see a water tower and a port-o-potty. There is a junction here with a trail offshoot that heads north. If you’re ever looking for a bigger hike from CHWP, you can take this option to the summit of Potato Mountain (guide here).

Claremont Hills Wilderness Park
Toilet
Claremont Hills Wilderness Park
Potato Mountain Trail

To continue the loop, head past the Potato Mountain junction and continue south back to the parking lot.

Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
4
Hiking Claremont Hills Wilderness Park 5 Mile Loop
Shaded Endings

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