Trails

Tongariro National Park has many wonders. Some are impossible to miss, like massive volcanoes, and other, like beautiful waterfalls, are waiting to be discovered. Mangawhero Falls plunges 25 meters (80 feet) in a beautiful setting. The waterfall is below Mount Ruapehu, New Zealand's largest volcano and the highest peak on the North Island. Reach the waterfall on an easy 300-meter round trip walk that will only take about 10 minutes. ...Read more.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing is widely consider one of the greatest day hikes in New Zealand, which puts it on the shortlist of the world's greatest hikes. This 19.4-kilometer long track rises to its reputation and then some, crossing through an active volcanic area in Tongariro National Park at the center of New Zealand's North Island. It is one of the most dynamic and dramatic hikes that you will come across, with stunning scenery that reinvents itself over every leg of the journey. ...Read more.

Cherry Canyon Park preserves over 130 acres in the San Rafael Hills, a small mountain range east of the Verdugo Mountains and south of the San Gabriel Mountains in the city of La Cañada Flintridge. The park has many trails, including wide fire roads suitable for horses and mountain bikes and single tracks strictly for hikers. For a good overview of the area, consider hiking to an old lookout tower at the high point of the park along with Ultimate Destination Vista Point, which offers a panoramic view east over the San Gabriel Valley and north toward the grand San Gabriel Mountains. ...Read more.

While many national park nature trails are short, level, and informative, High View Nature Trail offers a bit more for hikers, 325 feet of elevation gain on a 1 1/3-mile loop. The trail ascends a desert ridge with views over Yucca Valley and toward Southern California's tallest peak, San Gorgonio Mountain, in the mountains to the west. The loop starts near Black Rock Campground on the west side of Joshua Tree National Park, making it one of the easiest trails to reach for travelers coming from Los Angeles. ...Read more.

Coon Creek Trail explores a coastal canyon at the south end of Montaña de Oro State Park. The trail heads inland for 2.5 miles to a pleasant grove of Monterey cypress at the site of an old homestead that has since disappeared. Take a break in the shade of the cypress trees before turning around for a 5-mile round trip hike with 250 feet of elevation gain. ...Read more.

If you think being a prisoner at a Tasmanian penal colony sounds bad, add coal mining to that prison sentence and you get something truly awful. Such was the case in the 1830s and 40s when, just after the famous Port Arthur Penal Colony was established, convict laborers were sent to another part of the Tasman Peninsula to work in coal mines (and you can imagine that working conditions in the mines were not a top priority). ...Read more.

With some of the tallest sea cliffs in Australia, Cape Raoul is a daunting promontory jutting south from the Tasman Peninsula. While it is listed as one of Tasmania's 60 Great Short Walks, this hike is longer and harder than other tracks on that list at 12 to 14 kilometers (7.45 to 8.7 miles) round trip. The out and back bushwalk follows a track through wild vegetation in Tasman National Park, first ascending 200 meters (655 feet) and then descending 240 meters (790 feet) to reach Cape Raoul. ...Read more.

The Tasman Peninsula extends into the Tasman Sea in the southeast corner of Tasmania. While the peninsula was once used as a penitentiary, a visit to the peninsula's impressive coastline today will feel like anything but prison. Just south of the narrow isthmus at Eaglehawk Neck, the east coast of the peninsula has several easy-to-reach wonders, including Tasmans Arch and Devils Kitchen (as well as nearby Fossil Bay Lookout and the Blowhole). ...Read more.

The Tasman Peninsula extends into the Tasman Sea in the southeast corner of Tasmania. While the peninsula was once used as a penitentiary, a visit to the peninsula's impressive coastline today will feel like anything but prison. Just south of the narrow isthmus at Eaglehawk Neck, the east coast of the peninsula has several easy-to-reach wonders, including the Blowhole and Fossil Bay Lookout (as well as nearby Tasmans Arch and Devils Kitchen). ...Read more.

Wineglass Bay is one of the top-rate beaches in Australia, and a premier destination for hikers in Freycinet National Park. A great way to see Wineglass Bay and the beautiful beach on the opposite side of the peninsula is to hike Wineglass Bay and Hazards Beach Circuit. This loop loop is 11.5 kilometers (7.15 miles) long, or a bit farther if you walk out along the beach at Wineglass Bay and take a pair of side trails to scenic overlooks. ...Read more.