hikespeak

Calabasas Peak offers panoramic views of the Santa Monica Mountains, Red Rock Canyon Park, and a sliver of the Pacific Ocean. To the north, the peak looks down on the city of Calabasas and a wide stretch of the San Fernando Valley. The 3.6-mile round trip hike to Calabasas Peak travels an easy-to-follow fire road. There is 900 feet of elevation gain along the way, but that effort is rewarded... Read more.

Stunt High Trail begins with a gentle walk along Cold Creek, and then ascends through meadows and chaparral up the northern slope of Saddle Peak to offer great views of the Santa Monica Mountains. Stunt High Trail ends at a road, 2.17 miles from the start, which is a rather anti-climactic high point. From there, pick up the Backbone Trail and hike to the top of Saddle Peak, the sixth... Read more.

The Gaviota Wind Caves are a sandstone formation located a mile from the Pacific Ocean in the Santa Ynez Mountains west of Santa Barbara. The hike to the wind-swept caves is 2.5 miles round trip with 600 feet of elevation gain. One good thing about the Gaviota Wild Caves is that they are easy to get to from the 101. In fact, the wind caves can be seen from the freeway. The bad thing... Read more.

Lizard's Mouth is a mountain top rock formation overlooking Santa Barbara. Wind-carved pockets on the underside of this sandstone outcropping give the rock a resemblance to a frog or lizard's mouth. The short hike to Lizard's Mouth offers sensational views and is a quick excursion for anyone traveling the 154 between Santa Barbara and Lake Cachuma or Los Olivos. A path from West Camino... Read more.

After a spring rain, the 100-foot Tangerine Falls blooms into the most beautiful waterfall in Santa Barbara. The seasonal waterfall dries out for much of the year, but is spectacular at the peak of the rainy season. The 2.5-mile excursion to Tangerine Falls has 875 feet of elevation gain and everything a hiker could want — a soothing creek, plenty of shade, ocean views, and even a bit of... Read more.

Hondo Canyon Trail is a well maintained section of the Backbone Trail that crosses fields of grains and forests of bays as it climbing 1,550 feet over 3.8 miles. The trail passes through a quiet section of the Santa Monica Mountains west of Topanga Canyon. Hondo Canyon Trail meets roads at both ends and can be hiked as a one-way trek with a car shuttle or a 7.6-mile out and back hike without... Read more.

A secluded palm tree oasis is tucked away on the north end of Joshua Tree National Park. To reach the awesome oasis, you'll hike 3 miles round trip with 350 feet of elevation gain, passing through a variety of desert scenery and panoramic views. The trail leads to a collection of palm trees wrapped around a rare spring, an out-of-place desert destination that's a perfect target for hikers. ... Read more.

The New York Mountains are a micro-range in the northeast corner of Mojave National Preserve. The highest peak in the range (7,533 feet) offers a sprawling desert vista, and is considerably easier to reach than other peaks in Mojave, which require slower hiking around cacti and other obstacles. Those driving a low clearance vehicle will not be able to make it all the way up the dirt road... Read more.

Teutonia Peak is a rocky 5,755-foot mountain on the edge of Cima Dome in Mojave National Preserve. The dome, which is 1,500 feet tall and covers seventy square miles, is the most symmetrical dome of its type in the United States. If that geological geometrical fact doesn't strike your fancy, the hike to the panoramic rocky summit will. It is 3.4 to 4 miles round trip with 700 feet of... Read more.

Beyond the trails maintained by the park, numerous peaks in Mojave National Preserve can be reached with off-trail hiking and scrambling. One worthy candidate is Fountain Peak. Fountain Peak is located near Mitchell Caverns whose parking lot in the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area provides a serviceable base camp. Before setting out, download the USGS topographical map of... Read more.