hikespeak

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.

Driving up Highway 101 through the Gaviota Tunnel west of Santa Barbara, you might be unaware that a natural hot springs is less than a mile from the roadway. Gaviota Hot Springs is more warm than it is hot, but the blue sulfery water attracts its share of bathers. The springs are half a mile from the trailhead and only a tenth of a mile off the trail to Gaviota Peak, making it a nice detour if you have tired legs to soak. ...Read more.

Parker Mesa Overlook is one of the best vista points in the Santa Monica Mountains, serving up panoramic views over Santa Monica Bay from a 1,525-foot oceanfront ridge in Topanga State Park. The overlook is located along East Topanga Fire Road, a north-south running ridge trail spanning between Trippet Ranch, the park's main trailhead in the north, and Paseo Miramar in the Pacific Palisades to the south. ...Read more.

With its unique craggy surface and panoramic views, Eagle Rock is one of the most exciting hiking destinations in Topanga State Park. There are several ways to get to the 1,957-foot summit. For hikers leaving from the park's main trailhead at Trippet Ranch, Musch Trail is an excellent route. The narrow trail is half a mile longer than the more traveled Eagle Springs Fire Road, and is off limits to bikers as it cuts through sagebrush terrain. ...Read more.

Temescal Peak rises over a wide region of the Santa Mountains triangulated between the Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Calabasas. The peak sits on Temescal Ridge, which runs north to south between Santa Ynez Canyon and Temescal Canyon in Topanga State Park. Only seventy vertical feet separate the summit from Temescal Ridge Trail, a service road running down the ridge, making the final climb to the top a near effortless ascent. ...Read more.