Located in the middling elevations of the Sierra Nevada foothills, the town of Arnold holds a secret: an incredible set of well organized, laid out, trails. Known as the Arnold Rim Trail, this trail is actually a network of trails that trace the northern edge of town as it runs up against the precipitous edge of the valley holding San Antonio Creek.
With the higher elevations still snowed in when we visited on a May weekend, this trail, at around 4,000 feet, was a perfect for a spring hike From the high viewpoints we could see the still snow capped peaks off far in the distance, but where we were, it was 70 degrees, sunny, and dry! A great springtime destination!
Miles/Elevation:
12 miles
1,942 feet vertical gain
About Stanislaus National Forest:
First established in 1897, California’s Stanislaus National Forest is one of the oldest national forests in the country. At just under 900,000 acres, Stanislaus contains 78 lakes, 811 miles of streams, and over 1,000 miles of hiking trails (specific I know)! There’s lots of room to explore here!
On its southern edge, Stanislaus butts up against Sierra National Forest, and from there wraps around the western border of Yosemite before heading north. In its northern reaches, Stanislaus covers everything from the low elevation Sierra foothills to the Sierra Crest where it borders Toiyabe National Forest.
Stanislaus has tons to do and is an extremely popular outdoor destination for Californians. Rafting and kayaking can be found through the forest’s lakes and rivers. Hikers and backpackers have tons to explore on the 1,000 miles of trails here. And beyond all of that you’ll find skiing, snowboarding, off road driving, and more!
Getting To The Trailhead:
While there are multiple places to access the Arnold Rim Trail, we began from the Logging Museum trailhead. Take California highway 4 to the town of Arnold, and then turn onto Dunbar Road. Continue on Dunbar as it heads downhill and towards White Pines Lake.
At the bottom of the road, you will basically run into the Logging Museum. There is a small parking area outside the museum you may park in, though be aware the spots closest to the museum are reserved for museum guests. If the small parking area is full, there is space along the side of the road to park.
The Arnold Rim Trail:
To The Falls Overlook:
From the trailhead, begin by crossing the road and heading slightly uphill on the paved path. The trail is paved for the first .8 miles, so don’t worry, it isn’t all paved!
For most of the walk to the falls, the trail undulates consistently but mildly. You’ll never have more than a 200 foot or so climb, but you will be going up and down pretty solidly.
The trail to the falls is basically just a walk through the woods. The woods are nice, but it’s just classic Sierra pine forest, nice, but nothing special. It isn’t bad hiking, but it’s also fairly uneventful. Fortunately, the trail quality is really good, and the miles tick off quickly.
Continue straight through the handful of intersections that you encounter. There aren’t really that many, and when there are intersections, it’s pretty obvious which way to go. This trail is also extremely well marked which is super nice. A nice change of pace from the maze-like Bay Area trails we often have to deal with!
Anyway, the turn off to reach the overlook comes at the 3.4 mile mark. It honestly shouldn’t take much more than an hour to hike that distance due to the really nice trails and lack of major climbs. When you hit the junction approaching the overlook, take a right to continue to the overlook.
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
From the intersection, it’s about a half mile to the overlook. There’s a bit of a climb over the last half mile, but it should go quickly. Before long, you’ll emerge from the trees onto the rocks above the overlook!
The overlook itself requires you to drop down a bit, but before you do it’s worth enjoying the view from the top! You’ll have huge views overlooking the low elevation forested slopes of the Sierra foothills from everywhere here, but at the top you can look down the sheer rock face as it drops vertically to the bottom far below!
From the top, reaching the actual overlook requires a bit of navigation. Stay to the left of the crest of the rock. Don’t follow the obvious use trail all the way to the left. Look for cairns along the right to climb onto the rock, staying below the crest, but ascending slightly.
Follow the cairns, and then you will emerge onto the large open rocks at the end of the overlook. You might at first be disappointed in the lack of a waterfall, but continue to the end of the rocks and look down. The waterfall is hundreds of feet beneath you! The views are awesome, the exposure is awesome, and the sitting spots are awesome too!
To Manuel Peak:
After taking a snack break at the overlook, we continued on towards Manuel Peak. First, we backtracked towards the intersection which led us to the overlook. There is a small, unassuming, singletrack trail that leads up the hill. Follow it!
In the next ¾’s of a mile, the trail gains approximately 500 vertical feet. It’s pretty well graded, and makes heavy use of switchbacks, so it’s really not too bad, though you will be sweating a bit! After ¾’s of a mile, you will crest the ridge and begin hiking along the top of the ridge!
This is bear country so make sure you’re bear safe!
We thought that now that we were on the ridge, the summit must just be feet away. In actuality, it’s still ¾’s of a mile away. You will also have to do a bit more climbing. Continue along the ridge, climbing gently as you go. Then, follow the trail as it descends about 90 feet. At the bottom of this small descent, take a right at the intersection to continue towards the summit.
From this intersection, the summit is only .15 miles away (again this trail is really thoroughly signed). The final push up to the summit isn’t steep, and before you know it, you’ll be looking at the summit of Manuel Peak!
Always follow basic trail etiquette when on trail!
This summit is certainly not the most impressive I’ve ever been on, but a summit is a summit! There is a small pile of rocks holding a sign that says Manuel Peak in a small clearing between the trees, and that’s about it!
However, once you take a look behind, the summit journey becomes worth it. You won’t be getting big high mountain views, but the panorama overlooking the lower foothills is awesome! There’s a big open rocky area that you can walk out on to enjoy the view, and it definitely makes the climb worth it! From out here, you can even see the next destination through a window in the trees, the Top of the World.
To The Top Of The World:
From Manuel Peak, the Top of the World isn’t far, only about half a mile. To get there, backtrack the .15 miles to the previous intersection, and then take a right. From there, continue straight, first down the hill, and then up the other side. Then you’re there!
The name Top of the World to me would imply this is a high point, but the name is definitely a misnomer. First of all, this point isn’t even as high as the neighboring Manuel Peak. Additionally, you can literally see way bigger mountains along the eastern horizon from the Top of the World!
But that view is what makes it worth it to hike out here! The vistas of the high Sierra from this point are definitely worth it, and all around, the views here are way better than at Manuel Peak. Rather than just looking over the foothills, here you will have huge 360 degree views looking everywhere!
Make sure you have our ultimate road trip playlist if you’re driving to Arnold!
From here, we began the hike back to the trailhead, but if you are feeling ambitious, you could continue to Cougar Rock. I believe it’s another mile or so past the Top of the World, but we didn’t feel like adding another couple miles onto our 12 mile hike!
Hiking Out:
From the Top of the World we were on our way back to the trailhead. Rather than backtracking through the entire route we had already taken, we took a bit of a shortcut. Between Manuel Peak and the Top of the World, there is a trail that branches off and heads downhill. By taking that, we figured we could probably cut off about 2 miles from our return hike.
The trail that drops off is called the Manuel Peak Road, and it is more of a dirt road than a hiking trail. It also lacks the well made switchbacks that we took on the way up and instead blasts its way down the hill!
The descending is quick, and at least you don’t have to climb up the steep trail right?! After a bit less than half a mile of descending, you will meet up with Cougar Rock Road. Continue straight here onto Cougar Rock Road. From here, continue straight until you reach the Arnold Rim Connector Trail. Then, follow this until you make it back to the actual Rim Trail.
Once you’re back on the Rim Trail proper, you will have 3.1 miles to go back to the trailhead. The remaining distance should be familiar, you’ll have done it all before.
The final 3 miles dragged on a bit for me. There’s little in the way of landmarks, no real views, and the constant trail signs were a steady reminder of how much further there was to go! It really wasn’t that bad though. After about 5 hours on trail and an annoyingly undulating final few miles, we were back at the trailhead!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 7/10
As we hiked it, this is a long, somewhat boring hike that has a few really cool spots near the end. The miles of uneventful walking through the woods are pleasant, but nothing special. Due to the somewhat boring majority of this hike and the good though not amazing destinations, this is a 7/10, worth doing but don’t go out of your way to make it a priority.
If however you eliminate the ~3 miles of boring forest walking on each end of this hike, it would be really good. As it turns out, you can actually do that! From one of the other trailheads, you could hit the falls overlook, Manuel Peak, and Top of the World in a 6 mile or so hike. That would be a really good hike, and if I was to come back, I would definitely hike that trail!
Pros:
- Waterfall
- Really nice viewpoints
- Mountain summit
- Excellent trail quality
Cons:
- Miles of uneventful walking through the woods
- Good not great final destinations
Alternative Hikes:
Fordyce Falls via the Spaulding Lake Trail
Big Trees State Park: The North Grove Loop
When To Hike The Arnold Rim Trail:
One of my favorite hikes in the Sierra foothills is the Stevens Trail!
Located in the middling elevations of the Sierra Nevada foothills, Arnold is an excellent 3 season hiking destination. While this region does receive snowfall during winter, temperatures will remain relatively warm, and spring should melt the snow quite quickly. Similarly, autumn also will have quite moderate temperatures, though early storms could bring premature snow.
Summers will be quite warm bordering on hot and would make for very nice weather to enjoy outside, though potentially too warm for hiking. All considered, I think the best time to hike Arnold is in the spring, especially late April or May. The snow should be long gone and temperatures will be very comfortable. This is also the time when higher elevations are still snowed in, making foothills around Arnold a perfect springtime destination!
Links For Further Reading:
Arnold Rim Trail – California | AllTrails
