Easy Hikes

Take a leisurely hike among the giant redwoods to Tiptoe Falls at Portola Redwood State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Ahoy matey! Come along on a foggy, mysterious hike to Pirates Cove in Golden Gate National Recreation Area just outside of San Francisco, California.

Backpack into California’s history to Stewartville Backpackers Camp, when Black Diamond Mines was the largest coal mining operation in the San Francisco East Bay Hills.

Squeeze this 4.3-mile dayhike in before the ferry departs for the mainland. Highlights: super rare pine trees and breezy views of the mighty Pacific.

Explore 4.4 miles through old growth timber to a glacier-carved lake on this family-friendly hike in the Cascade Mountains.

This 6.6-mile loop features a coastal bluff with dazzling wildflower displays and a wild beach with exceptional views of the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Trace the rugged, uninhabited coastline of Crystal Cove on this 5.2-mile out-and-back to sunbleached bluffs, swirling tidal pools, and a deserted settlement of old beach villas.

Solitude rules on this 9.4-mile out-and-back hike along Little Kachess Lake to rock gardens ablaze with wildflowers,giant green forests, and a quiet lakeside hideout.

This 4.1-mile hike exposes the wilder side of northern Illinois, an untouched 3,000-acre tract filled with wildlife and a gravel cone formed by an ancient stream.

Cruise 5.2 miles along gentle foothills, Ireland-esque pastures, and past an old sawmill to a vista overlooking Boulder Canyon and the Front Range.

This 5-mile loop wanders through huge redwood stands along the western slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Extend the trip with an overnight at a Sierra Club hut.

There are no car horns blowing on this pleasant 5-mile loop--just the therapeutic hum of mountain streams and a peaceful lake in the woods.

This easy 4.7-mile route loops past Sycamore Canyon Falls and the shady bottom of Big Sycamore Canyon.

This all-season, 7-mile loop in the Boulder River Wilderness gently ascends through fast-growing (and fast-falling) alders, fragrant cedars, and rugged Douglas firs.

Paddle this 11.5-mile loop through open bays and protected salt marshes to beaches with giant sand dunes and historic buildings from the late 1700s.

This 6.4-mile dayhike is a tour de force: You'll be rewarded with magnificent views, an isolated arch, and unusual plant life in Coconino National Forest.

Waterfalls, lush forests, and magnificent creekside views make this 5-mile out-and-back through Cliff Falls Wilderness a superb dayhike in northern Georgia.

This lovely 5.4-mile loop shaded by oaks, pines, and birches leads to the rushing headwaters of Flat Creek in Chattahoochee National Forest.

Wildflower pockets and piles of granite boulders punctuate this mellow 7.4-mile route to two alpine lakes with primo campsites.

Hike saguaro-covered hillsides to a small desert spring on this 5.2-mile loop encircled by mesas and red sandstone cliffs.