Redding: Lost Coast Trail to Cooskie Creek
Unspoiled black-sand beaches, rogue breakers, and craggy mountains form a remote backdrop to this 13.4-mile weekend adventure along the Lost Coast.
| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
California featured hikes / reader trips
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Los Angeles: Echo Mountain via Sam Merrill TrailTrek into history on this 7-mile out-and-back in the San Gabriel foothills. You'll visit the ruins of a luxurious hotel and cog railway that date back to the early 1900s. Pacific Crest Trail: CA Section 19WALKER PASS to KENNEDY MEADOWS: Go 48.5 miles on the Kern Plateau, a slanted wilderness that connects foxtail pine country to the crumbling granite obelisks of the Sierra foothills. Pacific Crest Trail: CA Section 22SONORA PASS to EBBETTS PASS: Curve between sharp ice-hewn boulders on this 27.2-mile stretch surrounded by red volcanic peaks.
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San Gorgonio MountainPhil and I will scout the trail for a future extended hike with a larger group. We will hike as far as we can in a half-day, and the hike back the same way, unless a more beneficial route can be found. Azalea Glen-Cuyamaca Peak, Cuyamaca Rancho State ParkGreat hike for a long afternoon! 9 Miles. Combined Azalea Glen loop hike with an out and back to Cuyamaca Peak. Joshua Tree National Park: California Riding and Hiking TrailClocking in at 36.5 miles, this trail is a fine choice for hikers to see high desert landscapes, mind-blowing rock formations, and absolutely no one.
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Quick Escapes: 10 Trails Near Major CitiesThe perfect metro-area trail: close, wild, uncrowded. Here are 10 major city options. 
America's Scariest Trails: What are You Afraid of?Haunted mountains? Vanished campers? Bloodthirsty creatures? An evil wind that lures hikers over a waterfall? We dare you to hike America's scariest trails. America's Scariest Trails: Yosemite's Supernatural WindGo ahead and hike to this park's famous lakes and waterfalls. Just watch your step–and your back. |
Your Daily Tread: Local Hikes Across the U.S.What's better than hiking every weekend? Hiking every day. Here are the best big-city escapes from New York to Los Angeles. Plus: Bill Donahue explores the remote reaches of Portland's Forest Park and discovers secrets even locals don't know. Vote on America's Best TrailFor our 2010 Readers' Choice issue we want to know your favorite trail in America. |
Don't Pay at the Pump: Bus to the TrailFollow Dan Koeppel and photographer Michael Darter as they jump a magic bus in L.A. and camp in Angeles National Forest. You may never drive again. 
August 2008 Reader PhotosWaterfalls and sunsets rule in this summer batch of BACKPACKER reader photos. |
Santa Cruz Island AdventureAssociate editor Shannon Davis's photo diary of his hiking and paddling trip to Santa Cruz Island. 
Channel Islands National ParkView photographer Michael Darter's outtakes from his trip to Santa Cruz island for the July Adventures story "Return of the Natives" (Photos by Michael Darter, www.michaeldarter.com) |
Channel Islands AdventureJoin associate editor Shannon Davis as he hikes and paddles through Channel Islands. |
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Photos + Videos
Gear Lab: Boots Torture TestCan any hiking boot survive 15 minutes in a cement mixer filled with rocks, sticks, dirt, and bricks? Gear Lab aims to find out. |
Gear Lab: Tents Torture TestWho wants a mountain tent that buckles under pressure? Not us--so we blasted four top tents with a carwash pressure washer to see which one comes out on top. |
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Adventure Weekends: Luxury Hiking and Camping
We've got a selection of cozy shelters and trail-side restaurants from Washington to Maine. Check out these hikes in the Rockies, the Northeast, and the Northwest.
Hiking The Annapurna Circuit: Q&A With Shannon Davis
Associate editor Shannon Davis tells us more about the highs and lows of his honeymoon trek (featured in March 2009's "The Perfect Circle") on the sky-scraping Annapurna Circuit in Nepal.
American Classic: Hiking the Appalachian Trail
In this ultimate guide to the country's favorite footpath, you'll find our picks for the best hiking and camping, and a complete plan for thru-hikers. Plus, meet a man who has made it his job to help AT hikers.
Mt. Adams: Solitude On Ice
Test your self-arrest skills on Mt. Adams's 12,276-foot fractured glacier.
Hiking Hip Deep in Florida's Swamps
Get your feet (and more) wet on the Florida Trail's best section.
California
| Most Popular |
Sequoia National Park: High Sierra Trail Reno: Penner Lake San Diego: Iron Mountain Trail |
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