The Forest Service requires you to display an Adventure Pass in your parked car at many of the trailheads used for our hikes on SoCalHiker. The rule of thumb is that if there are any improvements at the trailhead (pit toilets, picnic tables, etc.) an Adventure Pass is required.
The following interactive map will let you know if an Adventure Pass is required for the trailhead you want to use. Click a cluster to zoom in on that area. Click on a pin to get a link with driving directions to that trailhead.
Need to buy an Adventure Pass? The Adventure Pass can be purchased as a day pass for $5 or an annual pass for $30. Here’s an interactive map of all the locations that sell Adventure Passes.
If you have a you already have an America the Beautiful annual pass for the National Parks, that will work in lieu of an Adventure Pass — just make sure you pick up a free Interagency Passport hang tag from a forest service office.
Data for this map comes directly from the Forest Service. Let us know if you run across any errors!
The map seems to be missing data for Angeles NF.
You are correct, Robb! Thanks for noticing. We’ve added in Angeles and Los Padres NF.
They *say* they require a pass, but the barrier to acquiring one is insane, I don’t understand. Last time I went hiking, I spent all morning driving around town to all the designated sellers (according to the forest service) that were open at that hour (per their hours listed online AND posted physically to their door) and none of them were actually open. Except one guy was open, but he said he wouldn’t sell it to me until 8AM, and it was 7:30AM. Like….is that a thing? It gets hot and crowded the longer you wait to go hiking. We’re not allowed to do Adventure Pass hikes in the mornings? I’ve never heard of any kind of time limit on how early you’re allowed to use the pass. Why do the other ones say they’ll be open and selling passes if they’re not going to be open? It’s like they WANT me to break the law. I actively try to follow the rules and I just end up parking illegally anyway.
The “temporary” Adventure Pass has became permanent? It is extortion to extract money from citizens who own these public lands and already paid taxes to maintain them. Threaten them with fines unless they pay up … like a protection racket.