hikespeak

The heart pounding on Heartbreak Hill comes from the heavy dose of elevation on this short trail, which climbs 600 feet in a little over a mile. The trail is steep from the start, but does taper out before a rapid rise to Heartbreak Ridge, just below a summit crest. The hike is easy-to-reach, setting out from Agoura Road near the Liberty Canyon Exit of the 101 Freeway. The top of the hike... Read more.

In a rolling, grassy stretch of the Santa Monica Mountains near the 101 Freeway, Anza Loop Trail plots a course through history. Pause along the trail to study panels and plaques about the past - or just breeze through the loop and enjoy the present sights and sounds. Like Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Anza Loop Trail takes its name from Juan Bautista de Anza who led an expedition up... Read more.

Do you want to combine a hike with a stair workout? If the answer is yes, head for the Calabasas Stairs, a long, straight flight of 375 steps that climb a slope in the Santa Monica Mountains below a Calabasas neighborhood. It is a 0.6-mile hike from Calabasas Road (just off Highway 101) to the base of the steps. Venturing to the top of the steps and back to the road is 1.4 miles round trip... Read more.

Tenaja Falls pours over a sandstone staircase in the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness of the Santa Ana Mountains. Even through the waterfall's setting is picturesque and remote, the hike to the waterfall is a short and easy, following Tenaja Falls Trail for 1.5 miles round trip with 275 feet of elevation change. Totaling 150 feet in height with multiple tiers, this Southern California waterfall... Read more.

The beautiful Santa Monica Mountains can be a busy place to hike. One trail you can take to feel like a ghost (not see any other hikers) is Phantom Trail. Located on the north side of Malibu Creek State Park, this scarcely visited single track is not as popular as neighboring trails, but you'll be dumbfounded as to why when Phantom Trail provides early panoramas over the rest of the... Read more.

Yosemite National Park's waterfalls are the most famous in the Sierra, but they aren't the only gushers around. Falling close to the south entrance of Yosemite National Park is Corlieu Falls in Sierra National Forest. Heralded as the tallest waterfall Madera County, Corlieu Falls is an enthusiastic cascade, with several tiers dropping around 150 total feet. The hike down Lewis Creek Trail to... Read more.

Within the Nelder Grove of Sierra National Forest, Shadow of the Giants Trail provides an informative stroll through a partially logged sequoia grove. Shadow of the Giants Trail is a self guided nature trail loaded with a couple dozen panels that describe giant sequoias and other surrounding plants. Shadow of the Giants Trail is 1.1 miles round trip with 200 feet of easy elevation change. ... Read more.

Want to see a giant sequoia that's really well grounded? Bull Buck Tree flares out toward the ground so dramatically that its base circumference rivals that of General Sherman Tree( the world's biggest giant Sequoia). Bull Buck Tree cannot compete with the largest giant sequoias by total volume, but it is still something to see! Like nearby Big Ed Tree Trail and Shadow of the Giants Trail,... Read more.

Seeing the big trees doesn't mean you have to go on a big hike. Big Ed Tree Trail is quick an easy, reaching its namesake giant sequoia after a tenth of a mile. Big Ed Tree stands within the Nelder Grove in Sierra National Forest, in the mountains south of Yosemite National Park. If this 0.2-mile round trip hike with 25 feet of elevation change leaves you wanting more, check out the... Read more.

The pristine Cascadian jewel called Clear Lake, was forged in the fires of a volcanic eruption, 3,000 years ago. The lave flow that dammed the lake still occupies stretches of the shoreline. A loop trail around Clear Lake weaves through resilient old growth forests and fields of volcanic rock, offering beautiful lake views around almost every turn. The 5-mile loop hike combines Clear Lake... Read more.