Once you get a couple backpacking trips under your belt, the most annoying part of planning will be navigating California’s backpacking permit system.
This post hopefully makes it easier to plan by listing trails and areas that either don’t require permits or have an unlimited number of permits. As a shorthand, I call this easy permitting since sometimes you will still have to self-register for non-quota permits.
Unlike most of my posts, the information is from online research rather than my personal experience, so comment if there are inaccuracies or additional places to include.
This is a list on AllTrails with easy permitting. Another “easy” way to identify permit-free land is to find Forest Service land.
Check out my companion website rangergupta.com, which shows backpacking trails in Northern California based on the current availability of permits. It’s made for all of us who forgot to book their permits 6 months ago :)
The rest of this post details specific areas with easy permitting, in particular what easy permitting system they use, the best season to visit and driving distance. The below areas are listed in ascending driving distance from San Francisco. Or if it’s easier, this sheet has the same information sortable and filterable.
First-come, first-served but according to The Pine Ridge Association “you’re almost always likely to get a good campsite, even during the lovely, busy months of spring” (see here).
7-10 days before you start your trail, call the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) Forest Service Supervisor’s Office between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm at (530) 543-2600 to request a permit. Leave a message stating a timeframe of when you can answer your phone. The LTBMU will call you back to issue your permit. See more here. Also, you do need a free campfire permit (get here).
Some parts don't require wilderness permits, and Mt. Shasta Wilderness & the Trinity Alps do but have an unlimited number of permits available (more here). You do need a free campfire permit (get here). To stay overnight in the Trinity Alps, you self-issue permits at an outdoor kiosk (more here). For Mt. Shasta, there are multiple permits that may be required that are self-issued (more here).
