hikespeak

Point Mugu State Park preserves a stunningly picturesque portion of the Santa Monica Mountains at the west end of Malibu. When you see park trails with names like Scenic Trail and Overlook Trail, you anticipate first class ocean views. Scenic and Overlook Trails Loop delivers the goods! This 2.7-mile hike climbs 425 feet to tremendous vistas atop a ridge west of Big Sycamore Canyon. ...Read more.

Hahn Park's Community Trail is quite well named. It isn't the type of hike you would travel a long distance to visit, but if you live nearby, you are lucky to have it. The highlight of this 2.5-mile hike in the Baldwin Hills is a string of ridge-top viewpoints that looks north over Los Angeles. The 319-acre park is bordered by oil fields that limit the natural charm. ...Read more.

Next to Will Rogers State Historic Park is a shady canyon with a shady past. The ruins of Murphy Ranch, a compound built by Nazi sympathizers in the 1930s have been left behind to decay in Rustic Canyon. For adventuresome hikers, a trail enters Rustic Canyon from the east side of Will Rogers SHP. Beyond the end of the trail is a long unmaintained path up an overgrown canyon to the ruins. ...Read more.

In addition to a rare polo field, renown ranch house, and a lawn that begs to be picnicked on, Will Rogers State Historic Park has plenty to offer to hikers. This is the eastern end of the 65-mile long Backbone Trail, which crosses the Santa Monica Mountains all the way to Point Mugu, and Will Rogers SHP is also home to a delightful short hike to a popular overlook. ...Read more.

Nine principle volcanic plugs are spread between the central coast cities of Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo. The 911-foot Cerro Cabrillo (or Cabrillo Peak) is the third of the Nine Sisters from the west after Morro Rock and Black Hill. The summit of Cerro Cabrillo is the highest point in Morro Bay State Park, offering panoramic oceanfront views.  The unmaintained trail to the summit passes Tiki Rock, an unmistakable boulder near the top of the peak resembling those carved by Polynesians. ...Read more.

If you are looking for an easy 45-minute hike to the top of a pimple of a hill between two of San Luis Obispo's Nine Sisters, take Chorro Trail to Turtle Rock in Morro Bay State Park. This 2.1-mile round trip hike begins with views of the estuary feeding Morro Bay and ends atop a small rise between Black Hill and Cerro Cabrillo. There is only 200 feet of elevation gain along the way, making this a quick hike that can be easily connected to other trails in the park. ...Read more.

It can feel like stealing when you snag great views from an easy hike. This is the situation on the 2-mile loop to Portola Point in Morro Bay State Park, which ascends 315 feet to panoramic views over Morro Bay. The view-to-effort ratio on this hike is quite favorable, almost criminal. Portola Hill is a dome-shaped volcanic rise on the eastern edge of Morro Estuary. ...Read more.

Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook provides a grand view over LA from a steep hill south of Culver City. The unique perspective looks north over the Los Angeles Basin that extends from Santa Monica Bay to the west, across the Hollywood Hills toward downtown Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Mountains to the east. At Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook State Park you don't choose between taking the elevator and taking the stairs. ...Read more.

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.