Shuteye Peak Trail

Shuteye Peak Trail climbs to one of California's last active fire lookouts, perched at 8,355 feet on Chiquito Ridge in the Sierra National Forest just north of Oakhurst. It's a serious full-day hike — 13.5 miles round trip with 2,437 feet of elevation gain, rated hard, with most hikers budgeting 6.5 to 7.5 hours car to car. The payoff is a working lookout tower and sweeping views over forested ridgelines that stretch toward Yosemite's southern boundary.

The Lookout at the Summit

Fire watch on Shuteye Peak dates back to the early 1900s, the first lookout of its kind built in the Sierra. The current steel cab went up in 1957, and it remains one of the last actively staffed lookouts in California, so don't be surprised to find a lookout ranger on duty when you top out. The surrounding upper-montane forest is also the only known home of the endangered Shuteye Peak fawn lily, a wildflower found nowhere else on earth.

Before You Go

• The main trailhead sits north of Central Camp on Sierra National Forest roads — check current road conditions before you drive in.
• Footing is steep and rocky most of the way, and the trail is shared with mountain bikers, so watch for riders on the switchbacks.
• This is Forest Service backcountry, not a maintained park trail — there are no facilities at the trailhead or summit, and cell service is unreliable.