Highline + Midline Trail

Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 12.9 km
Elevation Gain: 433 m
Parking: Quarry Lake
Trail Report: Highline
Combine With: Grassi Lakes, Cloudline
Download GPX File

Extend your Run

Local Tips

  • Highline trail can be accessed via four different connector trails through the wildlife corridor. The variation of the route that is described here ascends the farthest west connector and descends the farthest east connector, but you can use two different trails in between to shorten the loop.

  • The trail does not see a lot of sunlight in the winter, making it one of the icier options during late winter and early spring. The packed down snow quickly turns to ice during melt/freeze periods which can make the descents down to valley bottom treacherous. Microspikes or shoes with studs are highly recommended in these conditions.

  • During heavy snowfall years, avalanches can run off of Miner’s Peak and Mount Lawrence Grassi and cover some of the drainages. It’s worth looking out (and up) if you are on the trail early in the spring during major snowfall events, but is not a big cause for concern most of the year.

  • Most people start and end this loop from Quarry Lake where parking costs $10 per hour with a 2-hour minimum during peak season (as of 2026). For free parking, start the loop from the cul de sac at the east end of Peaks of Grassi (Wilson Way) or extend your run from downtown.