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Crafty mountain bikers have built a playground for themselves in a eucalyptus grove in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains near Cal Poly. It is 1.85 miles from a trailhead on Stenner Creek Road to The Eucs, where bikers can zip down freeride trails with impressive banked turns and jumps. Hikers can enjoy the trail up Stenner Creek Canyon too, taking in views of nearby Bishop Peak and surrounding San Luis Obispo County landscapes. ...Read more.

Of course it is Yosemite Valley that rules the Sierra when it comes to waterfalls, but Kings Canyon has some regal waterfalls of its own, like Roaring River Falls. Located just off Generals Highway in the Cedar Grove Area of Kings Canyon National Park, the short but violent waterfall can be reached on a paved 0.3-mile round trip hike. Roaring River Falls makes a quick, rewarding outing and a worthwhile stop for anyone driving into Kings Canyon. ...Read more.

If you are driving down Generals Highway to the Cedar Grove Area of Kings Canyon National Park, you should feel compelled to check out Grizzly Falls. The obscured view of the 80-foot waterfall from the road should be incentive enough for you to stop, and you can get to the base of Grizzly Falls via a super short and easy 0.1-mile round trip stroll. ...Read more.

The San Gabriel Mountains are graced by several enchanting canyons with sylvan steams flanked by bays and alders. Monrovia Canyon is no exception, complete with a splendid 30-foot waterfall that tops off the experience. Monrovia Falls can be reached from a few different starting points in Monrovia Canyon Park. Falls Trail presents a gradual 1.6-mile round trip hike with 350 feet of elevation gain. ...Read more.

Located on the west end of the San Gabriel Mountains, Placerita Canyon Natural Area (also know as Placerita Canyon State Park) is an interesting park that has something for everyone. There are easy canyon trails and tougher backcountry tracks, along with a nature center and an Ecology Trail that offers an easy loop for those interested in local plants. ...Read more.

How far would you be willing to hike to reach an idyllic swimming hole beneath a 35-foot waterfall - 5 miles, 10 miles? In fact, you will only have to hike a third of a mile round trip to reach Ortega Falls, a refreshing seasonal waterfall just off Ortega Highway in the Santa Ana Mountains. The hike begins from an unmarked turnout on Ortega Highway in a beautiful part of the Santa Ana Mountains that is protected by the Cleveland National Forest. ...Read more.

How is it possible? How is it possible that a perfectly heart-shaped hole could form in the rock wall flanking Seeley Creek Falls? This amazing formation does exist and can be reached via a short, relatively easy one-mile round trip hike in the San Bernardino Mountains near the town of Crestline. The dirt trail to Heart Rock descends 200 feet, following Seeley Creek on a gradual northward descent through a mountain forest of black oaks and Jeffrey pines. ...Read more.

Would you like to try some buttermilk? Take the half-mile round trip hike to Buttermilk Falls in New York's Adirondack Mountains. The short, wide waterfall is a beautiful and easy-to-reach destination on the Raquette River near Long Lake. Buttermilk Falls is one of the area's most popular trails, and rightfully so. The short hike to Buttermilk Falls begins from a trailhead on North Point Road west of Long Lake and north of Blue Mountain Lake. ...Read more.

If Uncle Tom's Trail can be called a trail, then you can just as easily say you are going for a hike any time you take the stairs instead of the elevator. This Yellowstone National Park trail consists of over 300 steel steps built down the south wall of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River next to the park's most impressive waterfall. The up-close views of Lower Falls are electrifying and this 0. ...Read more.

No trip to Yellowstone National Park is complete without a visit to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, a deep chasm with two fetching waterfalls. You can get numerous memorable views of the canyon by hiking along North Rim Trail, which stretches 3.8 miles over a paved and unpaved path crossing the northwest wall of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River (with just 250 feet of elevation change). ...Read more.