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3.8 miles
Distance
480 ft
Climb
-2,289 ft
Descent
01:01:46
Avg time
-1,809 ft
Altitude change
5,073 ft
Altitude min
6,891 ft
Altitude max
6,883 ft
Altitude start
5,073 ft
Altitude end
-49.351%
Grade max
43.138%
Grade min
4,862 ft
Distance climb
3 miles
Distance down
240 ft
Distance flat
01:01:46
Avg time
Nelson Trail Details
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Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
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Riding AreaNorthern Sequoia National Forest
Kernville, California -
AKANelson
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Difficulty Rating
-
Voted DifficultyBlack Diamond (1 vote)
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Local Popularity90 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 5 in Trail Running
- 5 in Hiking
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Global Ranking
-
State Ranking
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Trail TypeSingletrack
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Bike TypeDH, AM
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DirectionDownhill PrimaryPopular Direction Shown
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SeasonApril-December
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Dogs AllowedYes
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TTFs on TrailBridge, Drop, Jump
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Land Owner
The top of the Camp Nelson trail is located right off highway 190 at the turn-out where the Summit Trail crosses the road. The trailhead is at the meadow/turn-out about 1/2-mile below Quaking Aspen Campground. The trail ends in the McIntyre Tract at the end of Nelson Drive in Camp Nelson. The uppersection of the trail is rocky, steep and there are a lot of roots, making it more difficult and technical than the lower section.
There are a couple small climbs and about a dozen creek crossings along the way. Some are ridable, others you must carry your bike across a fallen tree that spans the creek. Trail speed on Camp Nelson will put a big smile on your face, but be aware that this is the most popular trail in the area for all visitors and it's not unlikely to see a family hiking or a group of equestrians coming up the trail. This it the kind of trail that makes you want to do it again and again.
Trail Supporters
USFSLand Manager
Local Trail Association
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Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to supportDonate to earn trail karma!
trail development & maintenance.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 0 rides
6 Months
- 1 rides
- 14 miles avg distance
All
- 19 rides
- Last: Jul 1, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Nelson Trail Trail Reports
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Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Partial
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
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The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Used
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- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
- Downhill Only
- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
- One Direction
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- Description & Photos
- Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months.
Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades.
Think of this as a heatmap, more activities = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
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Activity Recordings
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Winter Trails
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Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
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BC Backroad Status
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Directions to nelson-trail trailhead
(36.123390, -118.550030)
Photos
170 more »
Videos
5 more »
mtb
4:07 |
1089 |
Sep 5, 2019 , Kernville
mtb
0:06 |
423 |
Feb 15, 2019 , Kernville
mtb
0:06 |
427 |
Jan 18, 2019 , Kernville
mtb
2:49 |
13080 |
Feb 23, 2016 , Kernville
Routes with this trail
★ 4.0 • 5 miles • 61 ft • 3 • Shuttled •
A common extended route for shuttling the .
5 miles • 50 ft • 2 •
Park one vehicle in the campground and another at the trailforks designated shuttle drop off. Ride quaking...
5 Reviews & Comments
tommyriddle
Overgrown in spots but it’s running! So stoked.
JustincL7RJ
Tried to ride this trail over the weekend, unfortunately the recent fires really messed it up. Downed trees everywhere and deep ash basically made it unrideable. I’d recommend waiting until spring at least to attempt.
KarlMW1dku
It Burned in Sequioa Complex Fire. It looks like the surface of the moon with black sticks. Trail gets lost quickly from either side. Bummer.
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Nearby Trails
- Forest Road 21s50 1,555 ft
- Quaking Aspen Trail 2,897 ft
- Woody's 3,159 ft
- Freeman Creek Trail 3,205 ft
- Summit Trail (south) 3,566 ft
Northern Sequoia National Forest
- By aoneal & contributors
- #28816 - 8,016 views
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