Backpacker Magazine – May 2009

America's Best Day Hikes: West

Tick off these life list hikes in Washington, Oregon, California, and Alaska.

by: Nancy Prichard Bouchard

 

 

PLUS

Waihee Ridge, HI
Drop into a jungle thick with tropical blooms and waterfall views on this moderate five-mile round-trip ridgewalk on Maui (rise early for cloud-free valley vistas). Info hawaiitrails.org

Sandstone Peak, CA
Bag the Santa Monica Mountains' 3,111-foot-high point on a three-miler to sweeping views of five coastal islands.
Info (805) 370-2301

Otter Falls, WA
Hike 3.5 miles through cedars to this two-tier cascade–which drops first 1,000 and then 700 feet over sheer granite.
Info (425) 783-6000

Hobbit Trail, OR
Tunnel through lush vines, ferns, and rhododendron blooms on this four-mile loop to a secluded Pacific cove.
Info (541) 547-3416

Palm Canyon, CA
Hike to a fan-palm oasis, complete with a waterfall and cool grotto, on this three-miler in Anza-Borrego. Bonus: Look for desert bighorn sheep.
Info (760) 767-5311

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