Day Hikes in CA National Parks

One of the best hikes in Channel Islands National Park is also one of the most accessible: The 2-mile Cavern Point Loop Trail will get your eyes jazzed on vivid sea vistas as it traces the cliffs west of Scorpion Cove.

Itchin’ to climb to the top of the tallest waterfall in North America? Goodonya! The 3.5-mile (one-way) hike to Upper Yosemite Falls is challenging, misty, and mystifying!

[sponsored-story]

Giant sequoias are the main attraction in Kings Canyon National Park, but the granite peaks around here aren’t too shabby either. Hike to the area’s highest point, Big Baldy (8,209 feet), for a grand panorama of the Sierra Nevada and the Great Western Divide’s epic peaks.

Times change, but the tallest living trees in the world still tower over the grasslands of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (one of three state parks located within the jurisdiction of Redwoods National and State Parks). Transport to the Jurassic Era on a 6-mile loop hike.

You want the grand slam of adventures? This three-part adventure in Mammoth Lakes combines mountain biking, hiking, lakes, waterfalls, epic views, and Devil’s Postpile National Monument, a popular stop-off for Pacific Crest Trail trekkers.

Check out all of our recent national parks coverage celebrating the Centennial.

Week: 05.26.2016
Regions: Southern CA

Loop Scoop

One of the best hikes in Channel Islands National Park is also one of the most accessible: The 2-mile Cavern Point Loop Trail will get your eyes jazzed on vivid sea vistas as it traces the cliffs west of Scorpion Cove.

cavernpoint1-image-jpeg

Yodel for Yosemite Falls

Itchin’ to climb to the top of the tallest waterfall in North America? Goodonya! The 3.5-mile (one-way) hike to Upper Yosemite Falls is challenging, misty, and mystifying!

img_2228-jpg-image-jpeg

[sponsored-story]

King of the Canyon

Giant sequoias are the main attraction in Kings Canyon National Park, but the granite peaks around here aren’t too shabby either. Hike to the area’s highest point, Big Baldy (8,209 feet), for a grand panorama of the Sierra Nevada and the Great Western Divide’s epic peaks.

bigbaldy_med-image-jpeg

Jurassic Redwoods

Times change, but the tallest living trees in the world still tower over the grasslands of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (one of three state parks located within the jurisdiction of Redwoods National and State Parks). Transport to the Jurassic Era on a 6-mile loop hike.

prairiecreek4-image-jpeg

Dare Devil

You want the grand slam of adventures? This three-part adventure in Mammoth Lakes combines mountain biking, hiking, lakes, waterfalls, epic views, and Devil’s Postpile National Monument, a popular stop-off for Pacific Crest Trail trekkers.

img_0576-image-jpeg

National Parks BONUS

Check out all of our recent national parks coverage celebrating the Centennial.

onthewaytotheglacier-image-jpeg

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. A man takes a break at a temple spot on a hike at Dragon Mountain in Milptas

    Dragon Quest

    The newly reopened, 4-mile out-and-back hike at Dragon Mountain in Milpitas mixes the physical with the spiritual for a serene hiking experience.

    View
  2. Keough's Hot Springs

    Soaking Up History

    When you slide into the soothing water of Keough’s Hot Springs, you’re bathing in a piece of Owens Valley history.

    View
  3. woman hiking Buck Gulch Falls Novato

    Buck Wild!

    Tucked back beyond the residential ranch-style homes and golf courses of Novato in the North Bay is a wild and wondrous 30-foot waterfall that springs to life in the rainy season. Buck Gulch Falls in Novato’s Ignacio Valley Preserve is in peak flow right now, and it’s a short and Middle-earthy hike to reach it.

    View
  4. Grover Hot Springs

    State Park Soaker

    Set in an alpine meadow at 6,000 feet and surrounded by the 10,000-foot granite peaks of the Sierra, Grover Hot Springs State Park—just outside the town of Markleeville—has its very own hot springs.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. A woman stands at Dante's View in Death Valley, looking out to Telescope Peak and Manly Lake, Badwater Basin below.

    Sunset Hike at Dante's View

    It’s one of the world’s best places to watch a sunset. Dante’s View is a 5,476-foot vantage of the whole southern basin of Death Valley from the top of the Black Mountains. Right now there's a banner and bonus view of a rare lake formation that appears only after big rains.

    View

  2. Hot, Wet, and Wild!

    At Wild Willy’s Hot Springs, you can soak up a primeval landscape that’s amazingly close to Mammoth Lakes and Highway 395—it just feels a few geological epochs away.

    View

  3. It's a Waterfall Life

    Tahquitz Canyon’s crystalline stream and lush stands of desert lavender, honey mesquite, and leafy sycamores is home to an easy day hike with a big bonus: a 60-foot waterfall that runs with remarkable gusto after winter rains.

    View

  4. Oh Snow Nice

    Live in California long enough, and you’ll come to know the rite of passage called “going to the snow”–when we ditch our fair-weather cities and towns in search of winter weather. Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks deliver a winter wonderland worth a visit if there’s been a good dose of snow.

    View