Visitors who take time out for a hike in California in autumn can savour wildlife along the trails during the state’s ‘season of gold’, says Visit California.
Options include the Lower Doane Valley & French Valley Loop in Palomar Mountain State Park, northeast of San Diego. It is a gentle 6.4km round trip and is a popular photography spot for autumn foliage.
The 3.2km Main Loop at Oak Glen Preserve is an easy walking trail east of Los Angeles and has a botanic garden, a wide variety of trees and the 115-year-old Los Rios Rancho, Southern California’s largest apple ranch.
Big Bear lake, also east of LA, offers a 11km round trip at a moderate pace taking in a ‘surprisingly manageable’ climb with knock-your-socks-off views of the mountains.
Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, part of the Sand to Snow National Monument, is near Greater Palm Springs and is an internationally recognised birdwatching site, while the Tyee Lakes Trail in Inyo National Forest (Bishop) has deep canyons as well as glowing yellow-gold groves.
Whiskeytown Falls (Redding) is a triple-tiered waterfall with two observation platforms, set among vivid autumn colour, says Visit California, while Saratoga Gap & Ridge Trail Loop in Castle Rock State Park near San Francisco is on one of the highest ridges in the Santa Cruz Mountains with massive sandstone outcrops sculptured by nature.
Finally, the Cascade Canal Trail at Bear Yuba Land Trust (Nevada).
Sagehen Creek Trail in Tahoe National Forest and Tuolumne Grove in Yosemite National Park have autumnal displays. See more details on the walks HERE.
