hikespeak

On a hot summer day in the Sierra, what could be better than a cool water slide? Answer: a natural water slide. Fortunately, Giant Sequoia National Monument is nice enough to offer one. However, you wouldn't know it from the park literature. Nature's slip-n-slide goes unmentioned in handouts and websites. For that reason, many visitors miss out on this unadvertised attraction. North of the... Read more.

As the straightforward name implies, Dome Rock is a large dome... made of rock. The granite dome offers easy-to-reach views of Sequoia National Forest and Golden Trout Wilderness. A short dirt road ends alongside the 400-foot tall, 800-foot wide protrusion. From there, a quick trail takes hikers to the top. Dome Rock is similar to other granite domes common the Sierra Nevada Mountains.... Read more.

For an overview of Giant Sequoia National Monument, hike the 5-mile round trip trail to Needles Lookout, where a watchtower built atop a formation of rocky spires provides an amazing view. A ranger is stationed in the lookout during the dry months to keep watch over the forest. You could spot a far-off fire from here, and the panoramic view from 8,254 feet is well worth the hike. An... Read more.

Salmon Creek Trail is a popular track with backpackers venturing deep into the Silver Peak Wilderness in the Monterey District of Los Padres National Forest, but you only need to hike a quarter mile round trip from Highway One to see a beautiful 120-foot waterfall. Unlike the trail overlooking beautiful McWay Falls farther up the Big Sur Coast, this hike brings you up close and person with a... Read more.

Along the bluffs of the Big Sur Coast protected by Los Padres National Forest is a scenic and easy ocean-view hike. Jade Cove and Plaskett Rock Point are just south of Plaskett Creek Campground on the west side of Highway One. Visited together, they form a 1.5-mile hike. This hike has two trailheads. Both are unmarked a somewhat difficult to spot. From Plaskett Creek Campground drive a... Read more.

A great way to explore the dramatic waterfront on the Big Sur coast is to take a hike down the action-packed Partington Cove Trail. Partington Cove is part of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park begins from Highway One, just north of McWay Falls. Partington Cove Trail The 1.5-mile hike to Partington Cove begins at the top of a gated fire road on the west side of Highway One and descends... Read more.

The overlook trail for McWay Falls is a must-stop for anyone taking the scenic drive up Highway One along the Big Sur Coast. The waterfall is stunning, dropping some 80 feet onto a pristine beach in an enchanting cove. It is a short 0.6-mile round trip hike to a viewpoint for McWay Falls, which can be reached directly from Highway One or from parking areas withing Julia Pfieffer Burns State... Read more.

Visitors driving though Mojave National Preserve between Baker and Kelso Depot may wish to stop near Seventeen Mile Point for a quick walk to simple petroglyphs drawn into the volcanic rock outcroppings along the road. While certainly not the only petroglyphs in the preserve, these might be the easiest to get to. A petroglyph engraved into the rock On Kelbaker Road, 13.4 miles from... Read more.

This 8.5-mile hike ascends 2,500 feet to summit a 6,365-foot peak in the small range of mountains in the southwestern corner of Mojave National Preserve. Silver Peak looks out across the Granite Mountains toward the Kelso Dunes, Cima Dome, and the peaks of the Providence Range - a worthy view of Mojave National Preserve to be sure. Nearby Granite Peak is the tallest mountain in the range... Read more.

A field of cinder cones stands out dramatically from the surrounding Mojave Desert between the city of Baker and Kelso Depot Visitor Center in Mojave National Preserve. Within the lava field is a short trail leading to a tube formed long ago by molten lava. A ladder takes hikers down into the tube where skylights (holes in the rock ceiling) illuminate a subterranean world. From the... Read more.