For fans of falling water, California’s state parks offer a variety of intriguing waterfalls in all shapes and sizes. The Trailmaster’s list of "Top Ten…
John McKinneyMarch 20, 2020
Wonder View Trail leads to the 1,820-foot summit of Cahuenga Peak, high point of the Hollywood Hills. The narrow and steep path (a true hiker’s…
John McKinneyMarch 10, 2020
As a young adult I lived in the most urban section of the Santa Monica Mountains—the Hollywood Hills—and in one of the most rural parts—Topanga…
John McKinneyFebruary 11, 2020
With densely forested ridges, wild and open coastal bluffs, and deserted beaches, Point Reyes National Seashore is an unforgettable place to ramble. I’ve liked hiking…
John McKinneyJanuary 28, 2020
Runyon Canyon in the Hollywood Hills is a great place to hike. And perhaps the most popular trail in L.A. By some estimates, 35 thousand…
John McKinneyOctober 10, 2019
Come for the sequoia, stay for the Sierra. And take a hike in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. If you only drive through you’ll be…
John McKinneyJune 5, 2019
From City Hall to Grant Park Overlook is 2 miles round trip with 300-foot elevation gain Finally, after 95 years, Ventura’s Grant Park has a…
John McKinneyDecember 16, 2018
Griffith Park’s best-known hike leads to the top of 1,625-foot Mount Hollywood, the park’s premiere peak. Mount Hollywood is not the mountain crowned by the…
John McKinneySeptember 10, 2018
A bighorn sheep standing watch atop painted cliffs, sunlight and shadow playing atop the salt and soda floor, a blue-gray cascade of gravel pouring down…
John McKinneyJanuary 12, 2017
California's Gold Country offers many treasures for the hiker. Most of the gold in California's Gold Country was mined long ago, but the wonderful scenery…
John McKinneySeptember 23, 2016
Devil ’s Backbone Trail: From Baldy Notch via ski lift, then to Mt. Baldy summit is 6.4 miles round trip with 2,200-foot gain; (without ski…
John McKinneyAugust 31, 2016
Between the Pacific Coast Highway and the wide blue Pacific, and between Laguna Beach and Newport Beach, lie the beautiful blufftops of Crystal Cove State…
John McKinneyJuly 22, 2016
Wildlife-watching, waterfalls and a wilderness beach are highlights of a hike along the northern reaches of Gold Bluffs Beach in Redwood National Park. While even…
John McKinneyJuly 5, 2016
Johnstone and Jepson Trails: From Heart’s Desire Beach to Jepson Memorial Grove is 3 miles round trip with 300-foot elevation gain; to Shell Beach is…
John McKinneyJuly 5, 2016
Topanga State Park is a quiet retreat, surrounded by L.A. sprawl but retaining its rural character. The state park is sometimes billed as “the largest…
John McKinneyJuly 5, 2016
Crags Road, High Road Trails: From Main Parking Area to Century Lake is 2.8 miles round trip with 100-foot elevation gain; to M*A*S*H site is…
John McKinneyJuly 4, 2016
Earthquake Trail: 0.6 mile Earthquake Trail uses old photographs and other displays to explain the seismic forces unleashed by the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake.…
John McKinneyJuly 4, 2016
Mt. Baden-Powell Trail: From Vincent Gap to summit is 8 miles round trip with 2,800-foot elevation gain This trail and peak honor Lord Baden-Powell, a…
John McKinneyJuly 4, 2016
Eaton Canyon Trail: From the Nature Center to Eaton Falls is 3 miles round trip with 200-foot gain Late one August afternoon in 1877, John…
John McKinneyJuly 4, 2016
