Who has not felt the urge, as John Muir put it, to “throw a loaf of bread and pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence”? Succumbing to this impulse in California is as easy as it is fun. California offers just about any kind of hiking terrain you can imagine: desert oases, empty beaches, lava moonscapes, tidal estuaries with world-class bird-watching, and untouched snowfields where you can lay down the first snowshoe tracks. If you like mountains, try Mt. Whitney or other peaks in Muir’s beloved Sierra Nevada, or Mt. Shasta in the Cascades. You could disappear for months on the Pacific Coast Trail, which snakes the length of California, rarely leaving a national park or forest. Or maybe you’d prefer a serene redwood grove. Want to stay close to the back fence? Within Los Angeles, you’ll find trails where you can look out on a sea of winking city lights while listening to coyotes howl. Point your feet in any direction and let the magic begin.

Hiking is an ideal outdoor activity which requires a minimum of equipment, and the whole of the outdoors is at your feet. The entire state appears to be criss-crossed with hiking trails, from the gentle slopes of the Coast Range to more strenuous climbs up to the summits of Mt Shasta. California’s landscape is particularly unique and fascinating as it is so diverse. It happens to contain both the highest and lowest points in the U.S. (Mount Whitney being the highest and Death Valley being the lowest).

It also has the largest and oldest trees on earth (coast redwoods, giant sequoias and ancient bristlecone pines) – a very impressive sight and not to be missed. The tallest waterfall in North America can also be found in California, which is Yosemite Falls at Yosemite National Park. California also holds about two dozen national parks, 270 state parks, 19 national forests, over a dozen major mountain ranges and 14 million acres of federal wilderness area; 1,200 miles of coastline, 32 million acres of forest and 21 million acres of desert. Take advantage of this amazing terrain and pack your hiking boots and camera on your next trip to California.