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Hiking Southern California by Ron Adkison

Hiking Southern California Guide Book

by Ron Adkison (Falcon Guides)
Hiking Southern California by Ron Adkison
Sample 60 of the best trails southern California has to offer. Experience the area’s most scenic high-mountain landscape from 11,499-foot San Gorgonio Mountain, explore the world’s largest Joshua tree woodland in Mojave National Preserve, and discover the fascinating geology of Natural Bridge Canyon in Death Valley National Park. Southern California offers hikers diverse coastal, inland, and desert mountains; serpentine canyons, colorful badlands, and vast sand dunes; and cool conifer forests, isolated mesas, and dense cactus stands. Inside you’ll find: up-to-date trail information; accurate maps and elevation profiles; difficulty ratings for each hike; advice on water availability and the best seasons for each trail; tips on equipment, trip planning, and hiking with dogs and children.

© 2003 Ron Adkison/Falcon Guides. All Rights Reserved.

Trails from the "Hiking Southern California" Guide Book
Displaying trails 20 of 60.

Displaying trails 1 to 20 of 60.

This excellent backpack trip tours the north slopes and high western divides of the San Gorgonio high country, offering many fine places to camp and far-ranging vistas stretching across southern Calif ...
Angelus Oaks, CA - Backpacking,Hiking - Trail Length: 19.1
This rigorous and rewarding all-day trip leads hikers from a deep, brushy canyon to a pine-clad mountain in the southern Peninsular Ranges. Agua Tibia Mountain, the western end of a long hogback ridge ...
Hemet, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 15.2
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This short, pleasant day hike leads to a beautiful cascading creek in the South Coast Ranges. The Santa Lucia Wilderness lies near the southern end of the Santa Lucia Range east of San Luis Obispo. Fe ...
San Luis Obispo, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 2.5
This view-packed day hike follows the gently graded Pacific Crest Trail to a boulder-crowned summit in the extreme southern Sierra Nevada, where vistas stretch across the Mojave Desert to the distant ...
Ridgecrest, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 8.2
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This rewarding high-desert hike follows one of the park’s westernmost canyons en route to a high peak in the Little San Bernardino Mountains. The hike up Black Rock Canyon to the crest of the Little S ...
Yucca Valley, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 6
This hike, part of it cross-country, leads into California’s Sonoran Desert via a deep, palm-dotted canyon in the San Ysidro Mountains. Encompassing more than 600,000 acres, Anza-Borrego Desert State ...
Borrego Springs, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 4
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This trip, nearly level throughout much of its length, leads hikers from Joshua tree–studded flats into the heart of the boulder-stacked landscape of the Wonderland of Rocks. The Wonderland of Rocks i ...
Twentynine Palms, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 7.2
This hike, following dirt roads throughout, leads to a commanding vista point on the western edge of the San Bernardino Mountains high above Interstate 15 and Cajon Canyon. This leisurely day hike, on ...
San Bernardino, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 8
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Joshua trees, monarchs of the Mojave Desert, reach their grandest proportions on the desert slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains. This easy hike leads to the largest-known Joshua tree in the world a ...
Big Bear Lake, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 2
This very easy stroll through the conifer forests of the San Bernardino Mountains leads to the world’s largest-known lodgepole pine. Between the Santa Ana River Canyon in the south and Big Bear Lake i ...
Big Bear Lake, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 0.6
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This easy stroll in the Mojave Desert/Colorado Desert transition zone of Pinto Basin leads through a dense stand of tall Bigelow cholla cactus. Joshua Tree National Park has a number of excellent self ...
Twentynine Palms, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 0.25
This memorable short hike, one of the most popular in Mojave National Preserve, leads to a rockbound vista point high on the flanks of Cima Dome, the eroded remnants of an ancient mountain range. This ...
Baker, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 4
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This view-filled hike, recommended for hikers with routefinding experience, leads to a mile-high summit in the Black Mountains near Dante’s View. Experienced hikers driving to Dante’s View are urged t ...
Stovepipe Wells, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 2.5
This rewarding trip takes hikers from the upper reaches of San Antonio Canyon through the heart of the Cucamonga Wilderness to the landmark pyramid of Cucamonga Peak, where panoramic vistas unfold. Th ...
Ontario, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 7
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This short hike follows one of only four perennial streams in Death Valley National Park, leading through areas of riparian vegetation en route to a spectacular and rare desert waterfall. Darwin Falls ...
Stovepipe Wells, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 2
This short trip, part cross-country, leads to a tree-crowned viewpoint north of Big Bear Lake. This seldom-visited yet easily accessible mountain, mantled in a pine and fir forest, provides views of B ...
Fawnskin, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 1.2
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This lightly used route follows a narrow, serpentine canyon through a landscape of colorful badlands. The hike is an excellent alternative to often-busy Golden Canyon. This fine short hike, an uncrowd ...
Shoshone, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 3
This memorable hike leads into the intriguing rock formations of the Devils Punchbowl at the northern foot of the San Gabriel Mountains. The Devils Punchbowl is another of California’s many striking ...
Palmdale, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 5
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This pleasant short hike, on an old road all the way, leads to the most prominent landmarks in the Mid Hills, the twin granite domes of Eagle Rocks. This fun, short hike offers an easy opportunity to ...
Baker, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 1.4
This rewarding desert hike ascends alluvial fans toward the foot of the Vallecito Mountains, where a fascinating array of desert plants and magnificent, austere scenery awaits. Many persons view Calif ...
Ocotillo Wells, CA - Hiking - Trail Length: 3.4
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