Trailspotting California

. See the latest California trail reviews

     
 5★ 
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 4★ 

 3★

See our reviews for trail conditions, photography and a variety of map downloads. Locate your next adventure on the map, using the Best Trails articles or by selecting a region from the categories at the bottom of the page. You can also follow us for new trail reviews weekly.

Features

Waterfall on a beach at a sheltered ocean cove.

Best Trails: California
The best day hikes in each of the state's best hiking regions.

Northern California Spotlights

A long line of hikers climbing Yosemite's Half Dome

Half Dome
5★ hike
16 miles · Hard
Yosemite, CA

Several people looking up at very tall redwood trees, within a forest.

Henry Cowell Redwoods
5★ hikes
1-6 miles · Easy & Moderate
Santa Cruz, CA

People jumping off bare rocks into water, with a small waterfall in the background.

The Potholes
5★ hike
1 mile · Easy
Lake Tahoe, CA

McArthur Burney Falls
5★ hike
1 mile · Easy
Four Corners, CA

Golden gate bridge at dusk, silhouetted by trees in the foreground.

Presidio Ecology Trail
4★ hike
2 miles · Easy
San Francisco, CA

A hiker climbing a mountain, with other snow-clad peaks behind.

Sonora Peak
4★ hike
4 miles · Hard
Sonora Pass, CA

Southern California Spotlights

A person sitting on a slender piece of rock, with distant mountains visible.

Potato Chip Rock
5★ hikes
4-8 miles · Moderate
San Diego, CA

View from behind the Hollywood sign looking out on green hills and a distant city skyline.

Hollywood Sign
5★ hikes
3-6 miles · Easy & Moderate
Hollywood, CA

Rusted old stamp-mill mining equipment on a rocky hillside

Lost Horse Mine
5★ hikes
4-7 miles · Moderate
Joshua Tree, CA

Hikers on a trail heading downhill in the direction of the sparkling ocean.

Solstice Canyon
5★ hikes
3-6 miles · Easy & Moderate
Malibu, CA

A prominent mountain peak, covered with green vegetation. The sky is blue and there's a bird-of-prey in the sky.

Bishop Peak
5★ hike
3-4 miles · Moderate
San Luis Obispo, CA

Categories:

• Rating	5 stars 4+ stars 4 stars 3 stars
• Difficulty	easy moderate hard
• Mileage	0-3 miles 3-5 miles 5-7 miles 7-10 miles 10+ miles
• Features	beaches caves coastlines fire towers geology lakes petroglyphs summits swimming holes volcanoes waterfalls
• Regions	Eastern Sierras Joshua Tree Lake Tahoe Lassen Los Angeles San Francisco San Diego Yosemite
• 4+Star Hikes	0-3 miles 3-5 miles 5-7 miles 7-10 miles 10+ miles