Cooper Meadow
Cooper Meadow Trail is a 6.3-mile trail in Stanislaus National Forest, California. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. It is open to hiking and horse and pack stock. It enters Emigrant Wilderness.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Stanislaus National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.
Map
One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.
| One end | 38.2402° N, 119.8794° W · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 38.2081° N, 119.8124° W · Directions ↗ |
The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start.
The trail
| Length | 6.3 miles |
| Trail class | 3, developed |
| Type | land trail |
| Surface | native material |
| Typical grade | 12-20 percent |
| Typical tread width | 18-24 inches |
| Motor vehicles | Closed to all motorized use year-round |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| Trail numbers | 20E15 |
| Forest | Stanislaus National Forest (unit 0516) |
| States | California |
| Detail published | management level, with uses |
Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.
Weather by month
Allowed uses
| Hiking | Allowed year-round |
| Horse and pack stock | Allowed year-round |
A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.
Wilderness
- Emigrant WildernessFS · about 88% of the line is insideWilderness Connect ↗
Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.
Trailheads
Coyote Meadows TH Open May to December · listed unreachable Read your Wilderness Permit for regulations. | under 0.1 mi |
Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date.
Trails nearby
Camping nearby
Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedFy27 Hemlock Rx
23 mi from the trail midpoint
- PrescribedBig Trees State Park Broadcast Burn Rx
26 mi from the trail midpoint · 170 acres
- PrescribedD54 Rx Pile Burning
30 mi from the trail midpoint
- PrescribedD51 Rx Pile Burning
34 mi from the trail midpoint
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.
Explore
Historic places nearby
Guidebooks for California
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Cooper Meadow Trail?
The Forest Service records 6.3 miles under this name in Stanislaus National Forest, the sum of 1 segment.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Cooper Meadow Trail?
Hiking and horse and pack stock are allowed. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Where does the Cooper Meadow Trail start?
The line begins at 38.2402° N, 119.8794° W and ends at 38.2081° N, 119.8124° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Coyote Meadows TH, under 0.1 miles from the line. The record does not say which end is the usual start.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Cooper Meadow Trail in a wilderness area?
Yes. It enters Emigrant Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.
Source: Emigrant Wilderness
Where can I camp near the Cooper Meadow Trail?
Herring Creek Campground (2.9 mi), Herring Reservoir Campground (3.1 mi) and Eagle Meadow Horse Camp (3.4 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 5 with site counts and booking links.
Source: Campsite Atlas
How developed is the Cooper Meadow Trail?
Trail class 3, which the Forest Service describes as developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
How steep and how wide is the Cooper Meadow Trail?
The typical grade is 12-20 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Who manages the Cooper Meadow Trail?
Stanislaus National Forest, Forest Service unit 0516. The trail is in California.
Is there a fire near the Cooper Meadow Trail?
The interagency feed shows 4 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Fy27 Hemlock Rx at 23 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 1 segment named Cooper Meadow in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0516. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed November 1, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.