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Hiking in California

Piero Scaruffi 		Recommended Charities
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Back to California | Back to Travel | A suggested calendar | Bay Area hikes
Pictures of these hikes | This year's log
Read my suggested calendar before you jump straight to the epic hikes.
For each destination i usually list the easiest route for day hikers.
The pictures of these hikes complement these trail descriptions.
You can request a CDROM with photos of the hikes. I also make Powerpoint presentations that include topomaps and photos to describe how to get there and back. Download one for free (a loop from Lake Sabrina to Evolution Lake to Darwin Canyon to Lake Sabrina). Inquire about others.

Northwestern California

  1. Mt Shasta (Mt Shasta, 20kms, strenuous, 4.200m)
  2. Lost Coast (Garberville, 30kms, easy)
  3. King Range and Lost Coast (Garberville, 30kms, moderate)
  4. Feather Falls (LaPorte, 6kms, strenuous) - sixth tallest waterfall in US
  5. Devil's Punchbowl(Crescent City, 20kms, strenuous) - granite landscape
  6. Stuart Fork (Weaverville, 40kms, strenuous) - lakes and views
  7. King's Castle trail (Yreka, 9kms, strenuous, 2.800m) - great views
  8. Wilderness Falls (Crescent City, 20kms, moderate) - pretty falls
  9. Big Blue Lake (Yreka, 10kms, moderate) - pretty lake
  10. Salmon River South Fork (Callahan, 20kms, moderate) - pretty lake
  11. Canyon Creek Lakes (Weaverville, 20kms, moderate) - pretty lakes
  12. Preston Peak(Crescent City, 18kms, strenuous, 2.700m) - great view
  13. Seven Lakes Basin (Mt Shasta, 8kms, easy) - pretty lakes

Northeastern California

  1. Mt Lassen (Red Bluff, 7kms, moderate, 3.400m) - volcano
  2. Sierra Buttes (Sierra City, 8kms, modrate) - great views
  3. Prospect Peak (Redding, 10kms, moderate, 2.700m) - great view
  4. North Emerson Lake (Alturas, 11kms, strenuous) - Warner Mountains landscape
  5. Summit Lake (Redding, 13kms, easy) - pretty lake
  6. Juniper Lake (Chester, 20kms, easy) - pretty lakes
  7. Indian Meadow (Chester, 10kms, easy) - pretty lakes

San Francisco Bay Area (See the full list)

  1. Pt Reyes coast trail from Palomarin (Bolinas, 28kms, moderate) - waterfalls, lakes, cliffs, beaches
  2. Muir Woods to Stinson Beach to Mt Tamalpais (Stinson Beach, 29kms, moderate) - great views, forest, beach
  3. Waddell Beach to Berry Creek Falls to Chalk Mountain (Big Basin, 25kms, strenuous)
  4. Portola Redwoods to Big Basin to Waddell Beach (Big Basin, 38kms, strenuous)
  5. Portola Redwoods Park to Skyline Ridge Preserve via Peters Creek Grove (Portola Redwoods Park, 28kms, moderate)
  6. Ohlone Wilderness from Sunol to DelValle via Rose Peak
  7. Fremont to Mission Peak to Sunol
  8. Abbott's Lagoon (Olema, 5kms, easy) - lagoon, sand dunes, beach
  9. Three Lakes (Fairfax, 9kms, moderate) - pretty lakes
  10. Murietta Falls (Livermore, 17kms, strenuous) - tallest waterfall in bay
  11. Tomales Point (Olema, 10kms, easy)
  12. Sweeney Ridge (San Bruno, 7kms, easy)
  13. San Pedro Park to Montara Mountain (Pacifica, 12kms, moderate)
  14. Mt Diablo (Blackhawk, 15kms, strenuous) - great view
  15. Berry Creek Falls (Big Basin, 18kms, easy) - voted #1 trail in bay
  16. Alpine Lake to Mt Tamalpais East Peak (Stinson Beach, 12kms, moderate) - great views
  17. Land's End (San Francisco, 5kms, easy) - great views

Sacramento to Lake Tahoe

  1. Lake Tahoe rim trail (also this page)
  2. The Pacific Crest trail at the Echo Lakes in Desolation Wilderness
  3. Mt Tallac (South Lake Tahoe, 16kms, 3.000m) - the highest peak of Desolation Wilderness
  4. Mt Lola (Auburn, 32kms, strenuous, 3.000m) - highest mountain in Tahoe
  5. Sailor Flat (Auburn, 10kms, strenuous) - the American River
  6. Loch Leven Lakes (Sacramento, 12kms, strenuous) - pretty lakes
  7. Beyers Lakes (Auburn, 20kms, moderate) - pretty lakes

Central western California

  1. Monterey
  2. Condor Gulch to High Peaks to Balconies to Bear Gulch cave (Pinnacles, moderate)
  3. Pfeiffer State Beach (Big Sur)
  4. Partington Canyon (Big Sur)
  5. Sykes Hot Springs (Big Sur 32 kms, moderate)
  6. From Santa Lucia Memorial to Arroyo Seco (34/40 kms, strenuous)
  7. China Camp to Big Sur in the Ventana Wilderness (37 km, moderate)
  8. Junipero Serra Peak in the Los Padres National Forest (30 km, moderate)
  9. Bottchers Gap to Double Cone, Ventana Wilderness (50 km, strenuous)

Yosemite and Mammoth

  1. Misty Trail to Half Dome (Yosemite, 24kms, strenuous) - waterfalls, great views
  2. Ten Lakes Trail & May Lake (Yosemite, 38 kms)
  3. Tenaya Canyon (Yosemite)
  4. Mt Dana - second highest mountain in Yosemite (Yosemite, 19 kms)
  5. Mt Conness (Yosemite)
  6. Mt Lyell - highest mountain in Yosemite (Yosemite, 46 kms)
  7. Mirror Lake to Snowcreek Falls to North Dome to Upper Falls (Yosemite, 26 km)
  8. Clouds Rest (Yosemite, 25 kms)
  9. El Capitan trail and Upper Falls (Yosemite)
  10. Bridalveil Falls to Chilnualna Falls (Yosemite, 22kms, moderate) - waterfalls
  11. Lake Sabrina to Blue Lake (Bishop, 21kms, moderate) - pretty lakes
  12. Convict Lake to Lake Genevieve (Lee Vining, 26kms, strenuous, 3.300m) - pretty lakes
  13. Silver Lake to Waugh Lake (Lee Vining, 32kms, moderate, 3.000m) - pretty lakes
  14. Pohono (Merced, 36kms, moderate) - waterfalls, views
  15. Upper Yosemite Falls (Yosemite, 11kms, strenuous) - tallest waterfalls in the Us
  16. Bishop Pass (Bishop, 17kms, moderate)
  17. Mt Ritter, Ansel Adams Wilderness (Mammoth, strenuous)

Kings Canyon to Death Valley

  1. Mt Whitney/ North Fork (Lone Pine, 27kms, strenuous) - highest mountain in the contigous US, three lakes
  2. Mt Whitney (Lone Pine, 33kms, strenuous) - highest mountain in the contigous US, four lakes
  3. Mt Russell (Lone Pine, 26kms, strenuous) - not much shorter than Whitney
  4. Mt Muir (Lone Pine, 28kms, strenuous) - not much shorter than Whitney
  5. Mt Langley (Lone Pine, 33kms, strenuous) - not much shorter than Whitney
  6. Hiking across the Sierras from Roads End to Onion Valley
  7. Shephard Pass (Independence, 36kms, strenuous)
  8. Telescope Peak (Death Valley, 22kms, strenous) - great view
  9. White Mountain (Bishop, 26kms, strenuous) - third highest mountain in the contigous US
  10. Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (Big Pine, easy)
  11. Sphinx Lakes, Kings Canyon
  12. East Lake, Kings Canyon
  13. Seven Lakes circuit
  14. Palisades glacier
  15. Thunderbolt via Bishop Pass
  16. Mt Darwin from Lake Sabrina
  17. Split Mt
  18. Edison Lake to Silver Pass & Goodale Pass
  19. Hiking across the Sierras from Lake Edison to Mosquito Flat
  20. Hiking across the Sierras from Lake Florence to North Lake
  21. Lake Florence to Lake Edison via Selden Pass
  22. Florence Lake to North Lake via Piute Pass
  23. My Brewer
  24. Hell's Hole (Brown, 35kms, strenuous) - waterfalls
  25. Sirretta Peak (Kernville, 16kms, moderate, 3.300m) - views

Southern California

  1. San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek (Redlands, 20kms, strenuous) - highest San Bernardino mountain
  2. Sespe Gorge
  3. San Jacinto via (Idyllwild, 15kms, strenuous) - great view
  4. Buckhorn (Pasadena, 5kms, easy) - waterfalls
  5. Rattlesnake Canyon (Joshua Tree, 5kms, easy) - Wonderland of Rocks
  6. 49 Palms (Joshua Tree, 5kms, easy) - oasis
  7. Arroyo Tapiado (Ocotillo, 12kms, moderate) - caves
Most spectacular views

A selection of mountain trails

My favorite hikes in California

(in parenthesis the degree of difficulty)
  1. Mt Whitney/ North Fork (10)
  2. Tenaya Lake to Cloud's Rest to Misty Trail (9)
  3. Roads End to Onion Valley via Kearsarge Pass (7)
  4. Williamson Bowl (10)
  5. Sphinx Lakes and Pass (8)
  6. Mt Langley (8)
  7. Mt Whitney/ Regular trail (9)
  8. Thunderbolt via Bishop Pass (10)
  9. Mt Tyndall (9)
  10. Mt Keith (8)
  11. Mt Russell (10)
  12. Pt Reyes coast trail from Palomarin (6)
  13. Florence Lake to North Lake via Piute Pass (7)
  14. Silver Pass & Goodale Pass (8)
  15. Muir Woods to Stinson Beach to Mt Tamalpais (7)
  16. Golden Canyon to Zabriskie Point in Death Valley (6)
  17. Portola Redwoods to Big Basin to Waddell Beach (7)
  18. Palisades Glacier via Sam Mack Meadow (8)
  19. Split Mt (8)
  20. Mt Conness (8)
  21. Mt Lyell (8)
  22. Half Dome via Misty Trail in Yosemite (7)
  23. Waddell Beach to Berry Creek Falls to Chalk Mountain in Big Basin (7)
  24. McClures Beach to Kehoe Beach in Pt Reyes
  25. China Camp to Big Sur in the Ventana Wilderness (7)
  26. Three lakes to Mt Tamalpais (6)
  27. Loop from Sam McDonald Park to Portola Redwoods Park (7)
  28. Telescope Peak in Death Valley (6)
  29. Mt Shasta, south side (9)
  30. Mt San Gorgonio (7)
  31. Ohlone Wilderness from Sunol to DelValle via Rose Peak (7)
  32. Land's End in San Francisco (4)
(10 = mission impossible, 0 = piece of cake)

Most spectacular views

:
  1. Williamson Bowl from Mt Tyndall, Eastern Sierras
  2. Mt Keith, Eastern Sierras
  3. Mt Langley, Eastern Sierras
  4. Mt Russell, Eastern Sierras
  5. Sphinx Pass, Kings Canyon
  6. Thunderbolt Peak, Eastern Sierras
  7. Kearsarge Pass, Eastern Sierras
  8. Split Mt
  9. Crest of Mt Whitney's regular trail, Eastern Sierras
  10. Clouds Rest, Yosemite
  11. Mt Tamalpais
  12. Mono Lake from Mt Dana, Yosemite
  13. Glacier Point, Yosemite
  14. Half Dome, Yosemite
  15. Sphinx Pass
  16. Bishop Pass
  17. Mt Brewer
  18. Mt Ritter
  19. Mt Shasta

My favorite lakes

:
  1. Sphinx 3 and 4 (Kings Canyon)
  2. Cottonwood 4 and 5 (Army Pass)
  3. East Isosceles (Bishop Pass)
  4. Long Lake (Bishop Pass)
  5. Cathedral Lake (Yosemite)
  6. Evolution Lake
  7. Upper Kearsarge Lake
  8. Thousand Island Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness
  9. Potluck Lake (west of Potluck Pass, south of Scimitar Pass)
  10. Garnett Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness
  11. Bass Lake (Point Reyes)
  12. Mono Lake
  13. Lake Tulainyo
  14. Lake Tahoe

Easiest of the high Sierras:

  1. White Mountain
  2. Mt Whitney's main trail (the high number of failures is only due to the high number of inexperienced hikers who try this one)
  3. Mt Langley

Toughest of the high Sierras (that can be hiked without climbing gear), as measured in the number of hours it takes me from the nearest parking lot:

  1. Mt Williamson (11h)
  2. Mt Sill (10h)
  3. Split Mt (9h)
  4. Thunderbolt Peak (9h)
  5. Mt Russell (8h30')
  6. Mt Keith (8h)
  7. Mt Tyndall (8h)
  8. ....
  9. Mt Whitney's mountaineering route (6h30')
  10. ....
  11. By comparison: Half Dome (3h)

Most epic hikes of my life

Highest mountains in California

General links about hiking

  • My pictures
  • Summit Post
  • Great Outdoor Recreation
  • Backpackers forum
  • National Park Service
  • Sierra National Forest
  • Directory of trailheads
  • Campgrounds in the Bay Area