Plan your trip in one place

Loop trail, so you can hike it clockwise or counterclockwise. The Cosmic Cafe at the summit is open Saturdays and Sundays from April through December. Visit their website for up-to-date information.

Devil's Backbone Loop. I recommend going clockwise on this loop, otherwise you will have to descend a much steeper route. No truly exposed sections on this route. The Ski Hut partway up is worth checking out if it's open. First-timers should only do this hike during the snow-free months. Winter conditions turn it into a different hike and can get genuinely dangerous.

The permit is only required at the base of the sub-dome. Everything up to that point (Mist Trail, Nevada Falls, Little Yosemite Valley) is open to anyone inside the park.

Vivian Creek gains hard right out of the Mill Creek wash, then the grade settles into a long, steady climb. High Creek camp at about mile five is the last reliable water, so fill up there. Above it the trail breaks out of the trees onto an exposed ridge that bakes in summer. Start before sunrise. The summit is the highest point in Southern California, and on a clear day you can see from the desert to the ocean.

The quiet way up the mountain. Deer Springs climbs at a steadier grade than Devil's Slide and sees a fraction of the traffic. Water is seasonal the whole way up, so ask what's running when you grab your permit in Idyllwild. Little Round Valley is the last camp below the summit. The final stretch is an easy boulder scramble past the stone shelter to the summit blocks, and the view drops almost two miles straight down to Palm Springs.

The biggest single-day gain of any trail in the country, and the desert section is genuinely dangerous in heat. October through April only, with an alpine start. Ride the tram down. One-way tickets are sold at the window, not online (round trip runs $36.95).

Quota season runs May 1 through November 1, but the comfortable window is narrower. Aim for mid to late June through late September. The actual safe range shifts year to year based on snowpack and weather.

The approach is the test. You climb out of Symmes Creek, give back 500 feet at the saddle, and earn it all again. No reliable water between the Symmes Creek switchbacks and the Shepherd Creek drainage, so load up. Early season the creek crossings can run high.

The easiest 14er in the state, but not easy. The entire hike sits above 11,600 feet, so altitude does the work. It is a road walk the whole way, past the Barcroft research station. No shelter anywhere, so watch the weather.

The gateway 14er for backpackers. New Army Pass is the standard route (~20 miles round trip). Old Army Pass is shorter but holds snow late and the trail is falling apart. Walk-in campground at the trailhead makes the alpine start easy.