This rigorous but rewarding 9.8-mile out-and-back on the Pacific Crest Trail climbs more than 2,000 feet to a summit with splendid high-desert views.

Hike one of SoCal's highest peaks on this 10.4-miler that serves up magnificent views and plenty of high-country beauty in Mt. San Jacinto State Park.

SOUTHERN TERMINUS to BOULDER OAKS CAMPGROUND: From the US-Mexico border, begin this 21.2-mile leg with a traverse of Hauser Mountain's broad slopes before descending into the lowlands near Lake Morena.

CA 2 to THREE POINTS: This 25-mile leg has a mad list of peaks. Start by climbing 2,000 feet up Mt. Baden-Powell with views unfolding to the Sierra Nevada. Then zigzag the swelling ridges of the San Gabriel Crest.

LAGUNA MEADOW to CA 78: Starting on the Laguna Rim, this 25.7-mile leg passes over granite knobs with long views into the undulating desert.

WARNER SPRINGS to CA 74: Horned lizards are just one of the oddly adapted desert creatures and plants you'll see on the 35-mile leg over Bucksnort Mountain. Pack plenty of water.

I-10 to BIG BEAR CITY: This 48.9-mile segment offers plenty of crowdfree miles through twisty canyons, past wind farms and into fragrant fir groves.

BIG BEAR CITY to CRAB FLATS ROAD: Follow the forested high ridges across the San Bernardino Mountains to creekbeds tangled in sagebrush on this 21.6-mile leg.

This 49.8-mile traverse passes through all six California life zones, from scrubby deserts of chaparral and shaggy Mojave yucca to the frosty spine of the San Jacinto Range.

String together two 10,000-foot peaks on this 19.4-mile loop with a mix of trail and off-trail pursuits. Enjoy fine campsites and views of Southern California too.