hikespeak

To walk through Hawaiian history, head to Pu‘uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park, located on the west coast of the Big Island of Hawai‘i, south of Kona. A convenient hiking trail weaves through the park's Royal Grounds and the Pu‘uhonua (place of refuge). This half-mile long loop passes sixteen numbered markers that correspond with entries in a park brochure to put an... Read more.

Hikers pack the slopes of Dog Mountain to see spring wildflowers, but tackling a lot of elevation is not required to see one of the best blooms in Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Instead, visit Catherine Creek, where an easy, paved 0.9-mile loop (with just 100 feet of elevation change) floods with wildflowers in the spring and early summer. Catherine Creek Interpretive Trail... Read more.

Wawona Meadow Loop Trail weaves through the forest surrounding a large meadow at the south end of Yosemite National Park, offering a relaxing hike that receives less attention than those in Yosemite Valley. Starting from trailheads on two sides of Wawona Hotel (Big Trees Lodge), Meadow Loop Trail follows an old road for 3.3 miles and can be connected by paths across the hotel ground for a... 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.

Potholes aren't always bad. The creatively carved-out bedrock at Pothole Falls adds to the allure of the cascades. Pothole Falls is just a stone's throw from Round Lake, a 26-acre body in Lacamas Lake Regional Park in Camas, Washington. Round Lake Loop Trail offers a relaxing nature trail through lake-edge forest. Circle Round Lake and check out Pothole Falls on a 1.6-mile outing with 200... Read more.

Oak Creek Canyon Trail is a rather special trail in Los Robles Open Space that is designed for the blind as well as the sighted. The all-access nature trail has a dozen and a half signs in English and Braille. While blind hikers will probably want to turn around at the end of the guide fence, for a 0.55 mile hike with 50 feet of elevation change, others may continue on to a loop trail for a... Read more.

Want to learn about the native plants growing in Tryon Creek State Natural Area and elsewhere in the forests around Portland? Take an easy stroll (or roll a wheelchair) around Trillium Trail. This pair of paved loops is located next to Tryon Creek Nature Center and totals just 0.37 miles in length. Markers identify the green things growing along the trail and viewing decks peer into... Read more.

Get to know the plants, animals, and natural history of Southern California at Heaps Peak Arboretum. Located near Lake Arrowhead, the arboretum is a developed piece of San Bernardino National Forest. Sequoia Trail is the main trail through Heaps Peak Arboretum, covering 3/4 of a mile with 90 feet of elevation change. The star of the trail is a planted grove of sequoiadendron giganteum, or... Read more.

You'll be grateful to find pavement and not melting hot lava on Trail of the Molten Land. This impressive trail is built atop a barren landscape of dark volcanic rock, the Lava Butte Lava Flow in Newberry National Volcanic Monument, which is part of Deschutes National Forest. Panels along the trail provide information about how the lava flow began at Lava Butte, a cinder cone above the... Read more.