Guided Sunset Hikes to Cougar Rock
Date/Time
Date(s) - 05/10/2025
5:45 pm
Location
Highway 4 at Lakemont Drive
Categories
Watch the sunset from the top of Cougar Rock on this intermediate hike led by members of the Arnold Rim Trail Association. Distance is about 4 miles total, with 730 feet of elevation gain. If you haven’t done one of these hikes, you owe it to yourself to join the fun. They are scheduled on weekends near or on the day of the full moon each month, and they are special!
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1) This is an intermediate level four-mile hike with 730 feet of elevation gain, the equivalent of a seventy-three-story building. We take plenty of time with frequent stops. That said, it is not a hike for beginners. Please assess your level of conditioning. If you would struggle with a seventy-three-story building, even with stops, please take a few weeks of regular training to make yourself ready. It’ll be worth the investment!
2) If this is your first time driving to the parking area, please do not approach on Valley View Drive from Avery Sheep Ranch Road. Instead approach by starting in Arnold and turning off Highway 4 onto Lakemont Drive, followed by a quick left turn onto Valley View Drive. More travel instructions are below.
3) Bring a headlamp or flashlight, bug repellent, a snack, water, and layers.
No sign-up needed, hike proceeds even if cloudy, but rain cancels. (And if the weather has been wet, please see caution below about road condition on the half-mile dirt portion of Valley View Drive.) Again, please bring layers, snack, water, bug repellant and flashlight as return hike is in the dark.
Please arrive at the parking lot at least fifteen minutes before departure time for introductions and a brief orientation by the hike leader, as departure times are prompt:
Saturday May 10 – arrive at trailhead by 5:55pm, departs promptly at 6:10
Saturday June 7 – arrive by 6:15pm, depart 6:30
Saturday July 5 – arrive by 6:20pm, depart 6:35
Saturday August 9 – arrive by 5:55pm, depart 6:10
Sunday August 31 (on Labor Day weekend) – arrive by 5:25pm, depart 5:40p
Saturday Oct 4 – arrive by 4:30pm, depart 4:45
(Return to vehicles about two and a half hours after departing.)
The trailhead is at the intersection of Valley View Drive and Forest Rte 5N95Y.
Here’s a link to Google Maps of this intersection.
Drive 1.50 miles on Valley View Drive from the intersection of Lakemont Drive and Valley View Drive in Arnold. The first mile of Valley View Drive is paved, and the last 0.45 miles is dirt. There is no sign at the intersection of Valley View Drive with Forest Rte 5N95Y, but you will see a parking area on the right with a picnic table at that location. Here’s a link to Google Maps that shows the drive from the intersection of Lakemont Drive and Valley View Drive in Arnold to the intersection of Valley View Drive and Forest Rte 5N95Y.
Caution about wet weather driving: Please note that in wet weather, the half-mile dirt portion of Valley View Drive can be very slippery. Two-wheel drive vehicles have difficulty driving back up the hill after the hike. All-wheel drive vehicles highly recommended in wet-weather.
The GPS coordinates of the trailhead:
38.21938, -120.37873
Questions? Email info@arnoldrimtrail.org. Pictures of the sunset hikes are often posted to the ARTA Facebook page.
