hikespeak

Hikes in Montaña de Oro State Park travel along the coast or delve inland into canyons and up peaks. If you want a mix of hiking environments, consider this four-trail loop, which combines South Dune Trail, Bloody Nose Trail, Hiedra Trail, and Hazard Peak Trail for a 2 2/3 mile round trip hike with a little over 300 feet of elevation change. This loop can be added to the hike up Hazard Peak, adding a loop to summit hike for a just over 6. ...Read more.

Up near the Oregon border, the north coast of California has beautiful unrefined features like driftwood-covered coves and mossy forests. Explore this inviting area on Yurok Loop Trail, a short hike through scenic surroundings. This 1.15-mile circuit passes an ocean vista along a dramatic coastline that faces a cluster of rock islands. The loop crosses a small wooded ridge, overlooking a lagoon. ...Read more.

Oso Flaco Lake Trail in Oceano Dunes SVRA offers a hike with easy-going appeal. The nearly level trail takes a boardwalk over a 75-acre birdlife-boasting lake and across sand dunes to a tucked-away beach and a viewpoint overlooking the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes. These are the largest dunes on the coast of Southern California, but Oso Flaco Lake Trail is a short hike at just 2-miles round trip. ...Read more.

At the west end of Malibu where Mulholland Highway meets PCH, you'll find Leo Carrillo State Park. Well known for its beaches and surfing, this park has offerings for hikers too, like the trek up Nicholas Flat Trail to an oak-wrapped grassland with a small pond, which is 7 miles round trip or more. For a shorter hike, combine the bottom of Nicholas Flat Trail with Willow Creek Trail, for a 2. ...Read more.

Nicholas Flat Trail is a three-mile long 'ocean to mountains' trail beginning within Leo Carrillo State Park, just across PCH from a famous beach at the west end of Malibu. The single-track trail travels up a coastal ridge past two vista points (and lots of other ocean views) to reach Nicholas Flat, where grassy meadows are rimmed by oak trees. A small network of trails offer different routes through Nicholas Flat Natural Preserve. ...Read more.

While it is one of the more inland hikes in Morro Bay State Park, the loop formed by connecting Chumash Trail, Crespi Trail, and Hutash Trail delivers ample coastal views as it leads to a lovely grove of coast live oaks. This lollipop loop covers 2.9 miles with 420 feet of elevation change. Hutash Trail can be trimmed from the circuit to lower the round trip distance to 2. ...Read more.

The Oregon coast is a rugged and wild with evergreen topped sea cliffs. Jagged shorelines hide tucked away beaches and dramatic rocks islands. One great place to witness this beautiful scenery is Ecola State Park, preserving 1,024-acres on Tillamook Head, which is just north of Cannon Beach and about 80 miles northwest of Portland. An 8-mile section of Oregon Coast Trail cuts through the park, including a 1 1/3-mile stretch connecting the park's two main drive-up destinations, Ecola Point and Indian Beach. ...Read more.

A two-for-one special is going on at Cape Meares State Park. Here's the deal – two short hikes for the price of one (which is free). Take one trail to a well preserved more-than-a-century-old lighthouse on the Oregon coast, followed immediately by another short trail to a sprawling spruce worthy of its name, the Octopus Tree. Combine Cape Meares Lighthouse Trail and Octopus Tree Trail for hike that's less than a mile round trip with 180 feet of elevation change and oodles of ocean views. ...Read more.

Cape Kiwanda is the southernmost of the 3 Capes in the Tillamook area on the Oregon Coast. An Oregon State Parks Natural Area protects this short, dramatic point. The park is too small to have a visitor center or hiking trails, but is a scenic spot for a walk in the sand. This short trek is 1-mile round trip (or more), beginning from a large beach on the south side of Cape Kiwanda. ...Read more.

Treat yourself to gargantuan ocean views from the edges of Cape Lookout, hiking 5 miles round trip to a viewpoint at the end of this tall promontory on the Oregon Coast. Cape Lookout Trail passes through a temperate rainforest packed with tall cedars. The forest is wild and beautiful and so is the surrounding coastline. Cape Lookout is probably the most impressive cape on Three Capes Scenic Route and this out and back hike serves up great views. ...Read more.