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Features: The West Walker River, from its source in the Hoover Wilderness to where it flows into the Antelope Valley upstream of the town of Walker, was protected as a state wild and scenic river by the California Legislature in 1989. Prior to its designation, the California Natural Resources Agency studied the river and found the…

[content courtesy of the Outdoor Project] Features: South along the Pacific Coast Trail from Kennedy Meadows lies the Domeland Wilderness, a vast area of over 130,000 acres traversed by the South Fork of the Kern River. Most of the wilderness is sparse chaparrel; the western side has more trees and meadows that extend into the higher elevations. In the…

Features: Granite and Hidden Lakes are scenic gems nestled in a broad rocky and forested slope stretching from Silver Lake on Highway 88 up to a ridge the forms the northern boundary of the Mokelumne Wilderness. Granite Lake is an easy day hike destination for people who want to stretch their legs for 1.5 miles and…

Features: Anyone exploring the beautiful Pacific Valley must wonder why this 10,500 acre roadless area contiguous to the upper portion of Highway 4 in Alpine County was inexplicably excluded from the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness when the wilderness was established by Congress in 1984. The 160,000-acre Carson-Iceberg Wilderness protects a big chunk of the Sierra Nevada crest…

Cascading waterfalls, cool swimming holes, lush meadows, old growth forests, and dramatic rock formations – the Caples Creek roadless area on the Eldorado National Forest has it all. Features: Located north of Highway 88 and south of Highway 50, the Caples Creek area is a short 90- minute drive east of Sacramento. The area consists of…

The Methuselah Trail is located in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains in the Inyo National Forest, northeast of Bishop. From the trail you will see the oldest Great Basin Bristlecone pine – Methuselah. Features: Methuselah is more than 4,840 years old.  Compare that to the oldest known giant sequoia, which is only…

Features: There’s no better place in the central Sierra Nevada foothills to view a spectacular wildflower display than a hike along the scenic Hite Cove Trail on the Sierra National Forest. A spring hike along this scenic trail is also a great introduction to the proposed Devil Gulch-Ferguson Ridge Wilderness and a great outing to enjoy…

Features: This unique 41,000-acre area in the Mount Lassen foothills on the Lassen National Forest is named after Ishi. His tribe, the Yahi Indians, formerly lived in the area before being decimated by cattle ranchers in the late 1800s. The Ishi Wilderness is cut by the rugged lava rimrock canyons of Deer and Mill Creeks. These…

Elevation gain: Almost none Features: Before 1984, a big chunk of the Sierra Nevada between Ebbetts and Sonora Passes north of Yosemite Park was unprotected and open to development. The California Wilderness Act filled in this threatened link with the establishment of the more than 158,000-acre Carson-Iceberg Wilderness on the Stanislaus and Toiyabe National Forests. Encompassing…

Outstanding views of Mount Whitney (the highest peak in the continental United States) and the eastern Sierra escarpment, Lone Pine Creek, the Alabama Hills, and the White and Inyo Mountains are the key features of the Whitney Portal National Recreation Trail. The trail begins in the Lone Pine Campground at 5,900 feet elevation in the…

Spring is the perfect time to hike the Kings River National Recreation Trail. The trail follows six miles of the magnificent Kings River, through one of the deepest canyons in North America. Below 2,800 feet in elevation, the National Recreation Trail is best hiked in the spring, when the foothills are green and spangled with…