Hikes in California

Normally when you hike a trail, you don't spend your time speculating what motivated the trail builders to put the path where the did. Perhaps the CCC was eager for work when it designed Woodland Trail in Richardson Grove State Park. The east side of this 1.25-mile lollipop loop is sensible, passing through pockets of redwoods at the base of a hill. ...Read more.

Richardson Grove Redwoods State Park protects approximately 2,000 acres of woodlands in Humboldt County on the North Coast of California. Outside the main redwood grove near the park visitor center, the park is less impressive than its sister parks to the north. Instead of a rainforest of redwoods and ferns, most of Richardson Grove Redwoods State Park consists of oak-dominated forest with coast redwoods scattered throughout. ...Read more.

Avenue of the Giants runs for 32 miles down Humboldt Redwoods State Park, providing a scenic passage through an enchanting wilderness. About halfway through this autotour, the road passes the park visitor center, which sits directly across from a grove of old growth redwoods. Gould Grove Loop Trail is half a mile long with just 50 feet of elevation change. ...Read more.

The driving force in the creation of the redwoods state and national parks on California's North Coast was the Save-the-Redwoods League. Founders Grove was selected to memorialize the originators of that league. Expect something special on this easy half mile hike. A guide accompanying this trail is packed with useful information, allowing hikers to thoroughly experience a redwood forest on Founders Grove Nature Trail. ...Read more.

For a stroll through an old growth grove of coast redwoods, head to the heart of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park - Stout Memorial Grove. At just over half a mile in length with 75 feet of elevation change, Stout Memorial Grove Loop Trail offers an easy and enthralling hike through an ancient forest. Century old trees rise hundreds of feet above a lush carpet of ferns to create a enchanting hiking experience. ...Read more.

If you've never walked between fifty foot walls of ferns, than you haven't experienced a hike like Fern Canyon Trail. This short trek transports you through a cool moist canyon with fortress-like walls covered top to bottom in enchanting ferns. The trail starts just inland from a vacant stretch of the North Coast of California, and then turns inland into the lush shady forest housing Fern Canyon. ...Read more.

Located three miles north of Fort Bragg in Mendocino County, MacKerricher State Park is an excellent place to step out and enjoy the North Coast of California. At the center of the park is Lake Cleone, a small freshwater lake within crawling distance of the Pacific. In addition to the 1.3-mile trail around that lake, a short enjoyable boardwalk goes to Laguna Point Seal Watching Station. ...Read more.

On the Sonoma County coast north of San Francisco, you will find an exceptional stretch of waterfront going under the name Salt Point State Park. This 6,000-acre park includes a marine reserve that is popular with divers and great oceanfront trails for hikers. The 3-mile round trip Salt Point Trail is level with nonstop views. It crosses grassy bluffs along a jagged shoreline to deliver a classic NorCal hiking experience. ...Read more.

On the east side of the Irish Hills, there is a canyon with a surprisingly southwestern feel. Though surrounded by traditional coastal chaparral, the trail follows an old road up a canyon akin to the old mining roads converted into hiking trails found in the California desert. Above the canyon, there are broad views of San Luis Obispo's most prominent Morros, Bishop Peak and Cerro San Luis. ...Read more.

An expansive network of trails explore the thousand-foot ridges that make up the Irish Hills southwest of San Luis Obispo. While the regions notable chain of volcanic peaks gather greater attention from hikers, you can actually get a great view of the Morros from the Irish Hills, with smaller crowds. From Prefumo Canyon, one of the two main trailheads in the Irish Hills Natural Reserve, take Mariposa Trail to Morro View, a landing on the hillside where you can gaze seaward to the westernmost Morro, Morro Rock in Morro Bay. ...Read more.