Manzanita Creek Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features River/Creek · Views

To find the Manzanita Creek Trail trailhead, stay to the left where the Manzanita Campground Road forks at the entrance to D Loop, the last loop. Just after this fork, a small sign on the left marks the Manzanita Creek Trail trailhead.

Manzanita Creek Trail climbs continuously and very gradually from its trailhead to its end in a bowl surrounded by the steep slopes of Mt. Lassen, Loomis Peak, and other peaks.

From its trailhead, Manzanita Creek Trail enters a beautiful, old growth fir forest almost immediately. Large pine cones and needles carpet the forest floor. As the trail climbs, the trees thin and views of Mt. Lassen, Chaos Crags, Loomis Peak, and other peaks start appearing through the trees. About two miles from its trailhead, Manzanita Creek Trail crosses Manzanita Creek on a log.

After crossing Manzanita Creek, the trail runs along the creek which is down an embankment to the right of the trail. The views of Loomis Peak, to the right, keep getting better and better. Depending on the winter's snowfall, there can be patches of snow along the trail even in July. The last half mile can be snow covered even in late June and early July, making it challenging to follow the trail that is under all the snow. It helps to have GPS or the Trail Run Project mobile app that can show your location relative to the trail when the end trail section is snow covered.

The Manzanita Creek Trail ends in a bowl up against the steep slopes of Mt. Lassen, Loomis Peak, and other peaks.

Old growth fir forest.