Hiking & trails in California

The Batiquitos Lagoon Ecological Reserve trail runs roughly 2 miles along the lagoon edge and connects to the Crossings drive area, offering flat coastal sage scrub walking. The city's Hosp Grove Park and the Calavera Hills open space network add additional trails through canyon and chaparral habitat within city limits.

Woodward Park, Fresno's largest regional park, offers over five miles of trails winding along the San Joaquin River, with a $3 senior vehicle discount at the gate. The Clovis Old Town Trail and Dry Creek Trail network connect neighborhood parks and extend toward the San Joaquin River Parkway for paved and natural-surface options close to the metro area.

Diamond Valley Lake's Lakeview Trail is a 21.8-mile route circling the reservoir for hikers and cyclists, passing three dams with panoramic valley views, while the 5.9-mile North Hills Trail and the 1.3-mile seasonal Judy Abdo Wildflower Trail add shorter options. The Southwestern Riverside County Multi-Species Reserve surrounding the lake preserves over 14,000 acres with 30 additional miles of biking, hiking, and equestrian trails.

El Dorado Nature Center offers two miles of dirt trails and a quarter-mile paved loop around lakes, a stream, and forested areas; admission is free on weekdays. The Palos Verdes Peninsula, accessible by car from Long Beach, adds challenging coastal bluff trails at Abalone Cove Shoreline Park.

Griffith Park, at 4,310 acres one of the largest urban parks in the US, holds more than 53 miles of trails ranging from paved Fern Dell paths to the challenging summit of Mount Hollywood. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, stretching west from Griffith Park to Point Mugu, adds hundreds more miles of chaparral and oak-woodland trails accessible free of charge.

The East Bay Regional Park District manages 73 parks with 1,330 miles of trails within easy reach of Oakland, including Redwood Regional Park and Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, offering everything from flat shoreline walks to forested canyon routes.

Oceanside Parks and Recreation maintains several non-paved hiking trails including Garrison Creek Trail at El Corazon, a large open space preserve in the city's interior that connects to additional trail segments; the city's official hiking page lists trailheads with directions and surface conditions.

The American River Parkway offers over 30 miles of paved bike and pedestrian trails and additional natural-surface footpaths along a riparian corridor thick with oaks and cottonwoods. Point Pleasant Recreational Area, Ancil Hoffman Park, and the Sacramento Bar are among the access points managed by Sacramento County Regional Parks.

Mission Trails Regional Park, one of the largest urban parks in the United States at over 8,000 acres just eight miles from downtown, offers roughly 60 miles of trails along Mission Gorge with free parking and a visitor center. Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve adds coastal cliff trails through stands of the nation's rarest pine tree above the Pacific.

Lands End in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area offers cliff-trail loops through cypress groves above the Pacific with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and access to a labyrinth and former Sutro Baths ruins. The Presidio and Marin Headlands across the bridge extend the trail network to hundreds of additional miles, many paved and fully accessible.

Alum Rock Park, one of California's oldest municipal parks, has more than 13 miles of trails winding through mineral springs and oak woodland in the Diablo Range foothills east of downtown. The Santa Clara County open space preserve system extends options further into the Diablo and Santa Cruz ranges with trailheads reachable from the city.