California Hiking

Think exotic. Think oaks in autumn hues, dogwoods, maples, willows, sycamores, San Gabriel, San Bernardino, Santa Monica, Cuyamaca, Palomar mountains. California hiking means legendary destinations of Yosemite National Park, Devils Postpile, Ansel Adams Wilderness and Desolation Wilderness. With bright reds and gold to appease New Englanders, first-timers who associate the Southland landscape with one constant season are in for a surprise. A few of the key locations for California Hiking in the city are listed below.

California hiking has its most famous landmark in the Yosemite National Park. Set aside in 1890 to preserve parts of Sierra Nevada, the Park varies in elevation from 2,000 feet to over 13,000 feet and encompasses spectacular settings of cascading waterfalls to gigantic rock formations. More than 800 miles of hiking trails can be found. The picture perfect Yosemite Valley has some of the best ones that California Hiking offers, with easy ventures around the valley bottom. There are also the more challenging trails rising to the sheer granite walls of the valley. But the breath-taking views at the end of each trail more than compensate. Make sure you pack enough water, food and warm clothes when you leave civilization behind for California Hiking. Some of the areas are only for day trips.

Looming over 8,600 feet is Tuolomne Meadows giving respite from the heat and the increasingly crowded Yosemite Valley. Cloud’s Rest provides some of the most amazing views of the park. A 14 mile round hike from Tenaya Lake, it begins in a meadow where grazing deer can often be sighted. Two streams and a mile later, it comes to a steep rocky hump. Here is where it surprises with part of the path cobbled. A shorter option is the 8 mile trip to Cathedral Lakes for views of lakes and meadows that rival those of Cloud’s Rest.

In the Sierras west of Mammoth town, CA, lies Devils Postpile National Monument, another highlight of California Hiking. With many trailheads and capsites for car, tent and RV and the picturesque San Joaquin River flowing by, the must-see spots include Agnew Meadows, Starkweather Lake, Upper Soda Springs, Pumice Flat, Minaret Falls, Soda Springs, Sotcher Lake, and Reds Meadow. Rainbow Falls and Agnew to Reds Meadow, in particular is among the more popular routes for hiking in California.

The erstwhile Minarets Wilderness, now expanded into Ansel Adams Wilderness adds to the magic of California Hiking. The most sought after routes here are Garnet Lake, Thousand Island Lake and Lake Ediza. The rugged wilderness spans the high country lying east of the Sierra Crest, as well as the North Fork, Middle Fork and Lower South Fork of the San Joaquin River, rich in stunning alpine settings and huge granite gorges. Visitors from the Bay Area are likely to be astounded that the crystal clear headwaters of the San Joaquin transform into the muddy waters of the California Delta, flowing into the San Francisco Bay. The wilderness is teeming with perennial streams, lakes and diverse wildlife. Elevations from 7,000 to 14,000 feet populate the area with many lakes full of trout. Both the Pacific Crest and John Muir trails wind through this territory. A popular destination for photographers, the most photographed locations include 1,000 Island Lake, Garnet Lake and Banner and Ritter Peaks.

California Hiking also boasts of Desolation Wilderness stretching 100 square miles in federal wilderness west of Tahoe. Roadless, the area is also untouched by logging and grazing menace. Despite its relatively small area measuring about 12.5 miles in length and 8 miles in width, it is home to over a hundred small glacial lakes highly populated with trout. Hot favorites for hikes in Desolation Wilderness are Lake Sylvia, Velma Lakes, Dicks Lake, Mt. Tallac, Half Moon and Alta Morris Lakes. All of which add to the magical allure of California Hiking that defies description.