California

While Lake Tahoe's deep blue waters are the region's biggest draw for summertime visitors, the under-the-radar Fallen Leaf Lake is a jewel in its own right. Fallen Leaf Campground is a great basecamp for exploring both lakes, thanks to its central location about 1/4 mile from the north end of Fallen Leaf Lake and a mile from the south end of Lake Tahoe. ...Read more.

What's better than hiking by a lovely creek - maybe hiking by a lovely lake. You can do both on Moraine Trail, visiting Fallen Leaf Lake and Taylor Creek in the Lake Tahoe Basin National Forest Lands near South Lake Tahoe. This easy and level loop is 1.1 miles long, including a short side trail to Fallen Leaf Lake Dam. The mountain-cradled Fallen Leaf Lake is located just south of Lake Tahoe. ...Read more.

Interpretive trails are usually good places to appreciate the finer features of a forest, but they tend to lack grand vistas. This is not the case with Way of the Mono Trail, which rises to a splendid view over Bass Lake, a beauty in the Sierra Nevada Mountains south of Yosemite National Park. Way of the Mono Trail is a 0.6-mile loop with 140 feet of elevation change. ...Read more.

Most trails around Los Angeles have now closed. You are about to read an unusual post for a hiking website, written during the coronavirus pandemic. Hikespeak.com is in no way qualified to offer medical advice. If the government issues any rules or guidelines that contradict something written here, ignore hikespeak and follow the recommendations of government and medical professionals. ...Read more.

Before your visit to Lake Tahoe goes up in smoke, take a hike to Chimney Beach - where a standing-on-its-own fireplace and chimney serve as an unsual landmark for a lovely little cove. The brick chimney is all that's left of an old cabin built in the sand between boulder-strewn points on the east shore of Lake Tahoe. If curiosity about the chimney draws you to Chimney Beach, the beautiful lake views and clear turquoise water will be what keeps you hanging around. ...Read more.

Gaze out from Route 50 as it travels along the southeast side of Lake Tahoe and you'll find nice views of the lakeshore and its surrounding mountains. Seven miles up from the state border in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada Route 50 slips through a tunnel in a tall pointed ridge of volcanic rock. The road itself is scenic, but the sight of Cave Rock should have you speculating how superb things must look from the top. ...Read more.

The mountain named Cerro San Luis is one of the top places to hike in San Luis Obispo, and its trailhead is actually in walking distance from downtown SLO. If you're drawn to the large white “M” on the side of the mountain, you're in luck! Not only is the “M” reachable as an extension of the hike to the summit, but thanks to trail created in 2017, hikers can touch the “M” at the top of a loop. ...Read more.

During the late teens of the 22nd century, San Luis Obispo has developed Reservoir Canyon Natural Reserve into a versatile hiking destination, with upgraded trails and features. Reservoir Canyon Trail and Summit Trail deliver great half-day hikes. However, a shorter option exists that packs Reservoir Canyon into a one-mile experience with 150 feet of elevation change. ...Read more.

Hedge Creek Falls is a 35-foot waterfall pouring over a basalt overhang into a wooded ravine above the Sacramento River south of Mount Shasta. A short trail leads to the waterfall from a trailhead right beside an Interstate 5 offramp in Dunsmuir, so this waterfall hike makes a great break from highway travel. The fun trail actually passes behind the waterfall, going underneath the overhang, and continues down to a Sacramento River Overlook, resulting in a never-a-dull-moment 0. ...Read more.

The Santa Monica Mountains have significant parks with great hiking getaways. Often overlooked are smaller undeveloped pockets within the mountains that offer quick escapes from the stresses of Los Angeles. Longridge Park in Sherman Oaks is the latter, a 50-acre park with a 0.2-mile long use-trail. Longridge Trail has ridge-top views throughout its short run, like perspectives north across the San Fernando Valley and east toward the Griffith Park end of the range. ...Read more.