Never hike alone. That message has been drilled into my head since I first learned about the buddy system as a lowly Tenderfoot.
Few places on Earth boast such a variety of fantastic hiking trails. Here are some of the best. All distances are round trip.
CAMPING
No matter how many times I visit Tuolumne Meadows, it always feels like the first time.
Difficult to spell but beautiful to track, the Tuolumne River is one of California's treasures.
Summer's here, and the mountains are calling. Problem is, you're not in good enough shape (or have no inclination) to be trudging for 15 miles over terrain that would make a llama whimper.
Hiking the Ladybug Trail, tucked into a remote corner of Sequoia National Park, is a study in contrasts.
No matter how pretty, wildflowers cannot truly be appreciated from the seat of a moving car.
Although they occupy less than 10% of the Sierra Nevada, meadows always leave a large impression.
At first glance, Lemarr Treadwell and Swee-Keng Eng would seem to have little in common.
In a land of 13,000-foot peaks and trees with bases as wide as city streets, the little things are overlooked easily.
Hikers visiting the Cedar Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park are faced with two options:
Seeking a respite from summer's stifling air and scorching temperatures? Fresno Dome may be your sanctuary.
Imagine a place where lake and sky shimmer in breathtaking blue. Where gin-clear streams gently tumble into the greenest of meadows. Contained in a saucer of smooth, white granite.
With waters fed by underground hot springs, Doris Lake is an unexpected haven for swimmers.
Every day, thousands of visitors stand in Yosemite Valley and crane their necks toward Upper Yosemite Fall.
Famous for its 14,000-foot peaks, gargantuan trees and rugged canyons, Sequoia National Park can be a little overwhelming.
The Lakeview Trail, which follows the eastern shore of Eastman Lake and into the Chowchilla River canyon, offers an ideal setting to enjoy the lingering spring.
When most people think of Table Mountain, what comes to mind are crowded parking lots, slot machines and blackjack.
Glistening granite domes. Lush meadows. Crystal blue water.
Sometimes the best hikes aren't really "hikes" at all. More like mellow strolls. No exertion necessary.
While famous (and rightfully so) for its majestic waterfalls, Yosemite Valley doesn't own a monopoly on them.
Redwood forests tingle the senses like nothing else in nature.
No less an authority than John Muir once called Kings Canyon a "fitting rival" to Yosemite. That might help explain the allure of the Mist Falls Trail.
Few natural wonders dazzle the eyes like moving water plunging over a precipice.
What to bring on a typical Sierra Nevada day hike:
Location: Sequoia National Park (25 miles east of Three Rivers on Mineral King Road)
While driving the General's Highway between Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks, Big Baldy is nearly impossible to miss. Just look for the granite dome that sticks out of the heavily forested ridge like a swollen thumb.
Sweat, or not to sweat?
Now that spring is finally here, it's time to stretch those legs that have been cooped up all winter long.
Trailhead location: Whitney Portal can be reached by driving 13 miles west of Lone Pine on Whitney Portal Road. The road is usually open from May to early November. In winter, the last six miles are not plowed.
Reaching the summit of Mount Whitney, a lifelong goal for legions of hikers, requires more than determination and healthy lungs.
Of the 18 sub-alpine lakes contained within the Kaiser Wilderness, Nellie Lake is among the prettiest. It's also one of the most accessible thanks to a well-maintained trail that begins from the west end of Huntington Lake.
In 1984, Congress granted federal protection to 30,000 acres of dense forests, mountain meadows, alpine lakes and granite ridges on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada near Shaver Lake.
Of all the peaks in Sequoia National Park, only two have established trails that lead to the top: Mount Whitney and Alta Peak.
When it comes to giant sequoias, Redwood Mountain always has been kind of a redheaded stepchild.
Rising from chaparral-covered hills, Pinnacles National Monument is an excellent hiking area filled with towering rock spires, narrow gorges and talus caves. These three hikes provide an excellent overview of the park:
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK— In 1870, California's top geologist described Half Dome as "perfectly inaccessible, being probably the only one of all the prominent points about the Yosemite which has never been and never will be trodden by human foot."
Tucked away between two national parks, Kings Canyon and Sequoia, the Jennie Lakes Wilderness is an easily overlooked slice of Sierra splendor, filled with near-pristine lakes, meadows, forests and streams.
Rising 10,320 feet above sea level, Kaiser Peak is the centerpiece of the relatively untrodden Kaiser Wilderness with a commanding view of the central Sierra Nevada from its summit.
With lush meadows, scented forests, towering walls and a picturesque river that culminates in a 1,200-foot waterfall, Tokopah Valley is an excellent place to experience Sierra splendor — without much effort.
North America's tallest waterfall can't properly be appreciated from its base.
Pine Flat Lake always has been a great place for fishing and boating. The same can't be said for hiking and mountain biking — until now.
Whoever said the best things in life aren't free probably never hiked the Bluff Trail, which follows some of the most spectacular (and undeveloped) coastline in Central California.
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