hikespeak

Above Stenner Creek Road near the Cal Poly Campus, a freestyle bike course is hidden within a eucalyptus grove. The easiest route to The Eucs is to head up and back on Stenner Creek Trail. For a longer hike that explores neighboring grassland on slopes below the Santa Lucia Mountains, consider this 4.25-mile loop with 550 feet of elevation change. This hike takes Stenner Creek Trail up to... Read more.

With high summit-reflecting waters, Ediza Lake is beautiful to behold. The lake is wrapped by meadows and trees and sports massive views of Mount Ritter and Banner Peak, making it a popular destination for hikers in the Ansel Adams Wilderness of Inyo National Forest. Starting from Agnew Meadows near Mammoth Lakes, Ediza Lake is reachable on a rewarding full day hike of over 14 miles round... Read more.

Get ready for Shadow Lake to step out of the shadows on this scenic hike in the Ansel Adams Wilderness of Inyo National Forest. Shadow Lake is a beautiful mountain lake on Shadow Creek Trail about halfway between the trailhead at Agnew Meadows and Ediza Lake, a popular destination for backpackers and folks committing to a day hike of over 14 miles. Shadow Lake is a worthwhile target on its... Read more.

Root Creek Trail presents an easy 2.2-mile round trip hike, starting in Castle Crags State Park. Most of the trail is wheelchair-friendly, until it passes into Castle Crags Wilderness in Shasta-Trinity National Forest where the trail gets just a bit less maintained on the final push to Root Creek. When you reach the creek, you can relax and watch tumbling water cascade past mossy boulders... Read more.

Coon Creek Trail explores a coastal canyon at the south end of Montaña de Oro State Park. The trail heads inland for 2.5 miles to a pleasant grove of Monterey cypress at the site of an old homestead that has since disappeared. Take a break in the shade of the cypress trees before turning around for a 5-mile round trip hike with 250 feet of elevation gain. Junctions with Rattesnake Flats... Read more.

Big Sur River Gorge is one of the big draws at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, facilitating a romp to a swimming hole in the wilds of Big Sur. An unmaintained trail connects the park's campground to a inviting pool of clear river water in a granite-walled gorge. Multiple river crossings along the way make for a rock-hopping hike of half a mile round trip. Persistent adventurers can continue... Read more.

For pleasant hiking along creeks in canyons shaded by coast redwoods, you can't do much better than Limekiln State Park in Big Sur. A trio of short trails in the park provide variety and great scenery on a 2.65-mile round trip hike with 250 feet of elevation gain. Hare Creek Trail is a supremely peaceful creekside stroll, as is Limekiln Trail, which heads to historic lime kilns that the... Read more.

You would not expect to find a Whitewater River in the vicinity of Palm Springs, but this surprising river is vital for the fertility of the Coachella Valley, bringing wonderful water from the San Bernardino Mountains to the desert below where it empties into the Salton Sea. Journeyman hikers can pass through Whitewater Preserve on the Pacific Crest Trail and day hikers can get in on the... Read more.

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... Read more.

Located in the Cleveland National Forest near Warner Springs, The live oak-shaded Atáxam Mámta'ash Campground (formerly know as Indian Flats) is the start of a short trail to a trickling river fork. It is a 0.5-mile round trip hike from the campground goes down to the East Fork of the San Luis Rey River, which flows down a mountain slope covered in granite boulders. The river is filled... Read more.