Waterfalls, Wildflowers, Wow!

Wanna make a colorful splash this Easter weekend? Here are some hikes with waterfalls, wildflowers, or a brilliant combo of both. Hop to it!

Week: 04.13.2017
Regions: Southern CA

It's a Waterfall Life

Hiking to Tahquiz Falls in Palm Springs

Tahquitz Canyon’s crystalline stream and lush stands of desert lavender, honey mesquite, and leafy sycamores will change how you think about the desert. You might grumble at the $12.50 entrance fee, but fork it over—this hike is worth it. Its 2.1-mile loop trail offers an easy da
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State Park Stunner

Wildflower Hike in Chino Hills State Park

Stunning blankets of wildflowers are blooming in Chino Hills State Park, adding brilliant splashes of color to the most vividly green rolling hills in Southern California. You’ll hike amid brilliant displays of California poppies, lupines, and Canterbury bells on a 2.5-mile out-a
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Big Sycamore Canyon

Hiking to Big Sycamore Canyon Waterfall in Point Mugu State Park

After a five-year drought, winter rains have reawakened a waterfall hidden deep within Big Sycamore Canyon and turned it into a spring fantasy. See for yourself on a 4.7-mile loop trail starting at Rancho Sierra Vista. From the main parking lot, head southeast on a dirt trail alo
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Get Lost Among Giants

See the Tallest Redwoods in the World in Humboldt

Humboldt County defies hyperbole. Here, you’ll encounter the tallest living trees, the biggest ferns, and stretches of the most dramatic coastline on earth. Venture to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, a sanctuary of old-growth redwoods, golden beaches, and vibrant green canyons
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Point Dume Bloom!

Wildflower Hike on Point Dume in Malibu

On this 2-mile loop hike in Mailibu's Point Dume Natural Preserve, you can find yourself walking through fields of brilliant yellow specimens—some of them chest high and taller—but also dip down to pristine beaches and tide pools, possibly crowning your visit with a gray-whale sighting.
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The Irish Hills Are Smiling

Hiking the Irish Hills in San Luis Obispo

Everyone loves San Luis Obispo, and the Irish Hills rank high among reasons why. Inches from civilization, you enter a world laced with oak-shaded creeks, green grassy hillsides, and rugged chaparral-cloaked slopes that lift you to views stretching clear to Morro Bay and the sout
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Black Star Canyon

Hiking to Black Star Canyon Falls in Orange County

A hike to the roaring Black Star Canyon Falls in the heart of the Santa Ana Mountains is not for the faint of heart nor the weak of ankle. This waterfall in the Santa Ana River is flowing stronger than it has in years! And it’s reachable via a challenging and exciting 7-mile out-
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

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  2. Bikers and walkers on the Bay Area Ridge Trail with the Golden Gate Bridge behind them

    National Park City Walk

    See San Francisco the way locals do by hiking the Presidio, a national park right in the city! Wooded trails, secluded beaches, and epic views of the Golden Gate Bridge feature on this 5.5-mile out-and-back on the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It’s a lovely slice of the City by the Bay.

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  3. Bucks Up!

    Come on in, the water is beautiful. Whether you like swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddling, or heading out on a bigger boat, Bucks Lake is a high mountain haven that’s easy to access, blissfully uncrowded, and surrounded by sandy beaches, picnic areas, pines, and aspens.

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  4. Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area

    Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

    Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.

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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Bear Hug

    This 5.5-mile loop through Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park explores one of the newest segments of the acclaimed Bay Area Ridge Trail, one redolent with trees ranging from madrone and manzanita to buckeye and blue elderberry (with a bubbly post-hike bonus).

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  2. Two kayakers on Upper Klamath Basin on tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures

    Zen & the Art of Kayaking

    It’s the most meditative and relaxing experience you’ll ever have on a kayak. Yes, you read that right, a Zen experience on a kayak. It all happens in beautiful Klamath County when you head out on a guided tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures.

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  3. A Rose in the Pines

    A crackling fire, a bottle of wine, a bubbling Jacuzzi tub with a waterfall … now the big question: Marvin Gaye tunes or not? In the morning (ahem) it's breakfast in bed and a leis

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  4. Alex Villicana, Villicana Winery and Re:Find Distillery

    Locals' Feature: Alex Villicana

    Tech booms, AI revolutions, okay that’s all fine, but you wanna know what else is really cool? Being a pioneer in a world-famous industry that—in Paso Robles—remains solidly down to earth. When Alex Villicana established Villicana Winery in 1993, he clearly had grape expectations...

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