Category Archives: California

Washburn Trail (Yosemite National Park, CA)

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Andrew Wojtanik

There are many spectacular hiking trails in California’s Yosemite National Park—but the Washburn Trail is not necessarily one of them. Although the two-mile walk through a coniferous forest with some modest views is nice, the purpose of this trail is … Continue reading →

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Balconies Cliffs – Balconies Cave Trail Loop (Pinnacles National Park, CA)

Posted on May 25, 2022 by Andrew Wojtanik

Talus caves—formed when crashing boulders fall into chasms, flooding the canyon with darkness—are an intriguing feature of central California’s Pinnacles National Park, which boasts two such pseudo-karst caverns. The most popular of the two is Bear Gulch Cave, most easily … Continue reading →

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Juniper Canyon Trail to High Peaks Loop (Pinnacles National Park, CA)

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Andrew Wojtanik

So jagged, sharp, and forbidding are the towering spires of central California’s Pinnacles National Park that there is no road able to bisect it, leaving visitors to drive up to the base of the breccia wonderland—and then hike the rest. … Continue reading →

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Ridge – Panorama – Bluffs Trail Loop (Andrew Molera State Park, CA)

Posted on May 23, 2022 by Andrew Wojtanik

Traversing a scrubby escarpment above the Pacific Ocean, the Ridge – Panorama – Bluffs Trail is a pleasant 8-mile jaunt in the Big Sur area and one of the best hikes in Andrew Molera State Park. Don’t be fooled by … Continue reading →

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Pfeiffer Falls Trail (Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, CA)

Posted on May 22, 2022 by Andrew Wojtanik

More than 12 years after suffering significant damage in the 2008 Basin Complex Fire, the Pfeiffer Falls Trail in California’s Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park reopened for the first time in June 2021. The new and improved route—with its fresh … Continue reading →

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Point Lobos Loop (Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA)

Posted on May 20, 2022 by Andrew Wojtanik

On area maps, at least in comparison to the much larger Monterey Peninsula to the north, Point Lobos appears as little more than a minor jut – a triangular peninsula between Carmel Bay and the rest of the central California … Continue reading →

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Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail (Joshua Tree National Park, CA)

Posted on April 10, 2022 by Andrew Wojtanik

Why settle for Twentynine Palms when you can see Fortynine? While the exact count is likely no longer quite right, Fortynine Palms Oasis is one of five desert fan palm oases in California’s Joshua Tree National Park. Here, secluded in … Continue reading →

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Rattlesnake Canyon (Joshua Tree National Park, CA)

Posted on April 10, 2022 by Andrew Wojtanik

Rattlesnake Canyon in southern California’s Joshua Tree National Park is a rough-and-tumble, off-trail route that is well-known and advertised in Joshua Tree guidebooks—although perhaps it should not be. Despite its short length—the entirety of Rattlesnake Canyon upstream from the trailhead … Continue reading →

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Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Trail (Joshua Tree National Park, CA)

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Andrew Wojtanik

Situated in the transition zone between the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, the Cholla Cactus Garden in southern California’s Joshua Tree National Park boasts one of the area’s most impressive stands of teddy bear cholla, a species of cactus known for … Continue reading →

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Cerro Este & Little Yosemite Loop (Sunol Regional Wilderness, CA)

Posted on January 20, 2022 by Andrew Wojtanik

Spanning 6,859 acres of the northern Diablo Range, Sunol Regional Wilderness is a hiker’s paradise close to home in the East Bay, wedged between the massif of Mission Peak (2,517’) to the west and Ohlone Wilderness and Rose Peak (3,817’) … Continue reading →

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