Chino Hills State Park Trails
Seas of orange poppies and deep blue lupines give way to corridors of yellow mustard flowers every spring in this famous wildflower terrain. Bloom time generally spans from March through…
Princeton Highlands / Griggstown Native Grassland Preserve Trail
For someone who is ever in search of the English countryside, these tree-lined rolling meadows come quite close. From the parking lot, there’s a trail leading in every direction and…
Summerland Lookout Park Trail
Poised atop a seaside cliff, this place would be marvelous even without the bocci court, ping pong tables, grape trellises, nice playground, clean toilets, and dog washing kiosk (not kidding).…
Coffin Family Trail
You’ll feel as if you’ve wandered into a landscape painting. A really pricey one. This kind of magic just doesn’t usually show up in real life. The trail flows generally…
Garden of the Gods Trail
The ghosts of Hollywood’s by-gone cowboys play here all day long, I think. You can practically hear shwa-pings hitting the boulders as you shimmy between them and duck into caves.…
Leonard Buck Garden & Trail
This verdant gorge with a lake at its heart and wooded slopes around its perimeter is bursting with blooms, rock gardens and footbridges in all the spaces between. Leonard Buck,…
Natirar Trail
One of the Garden State’s most majestic rambles, the grounds of Natirar include a hilltop English manor and sweeping meadows with enchanting, hidden away nature trails at opposite ends. Each…
Taft Gardens and Nature Preserve
The speakeasy of gardens! Over the hills and not so faraway there rests a paradise of exotic botanicals, grand views, tunneling colonnades, a zen garden, art exhibits, sculpture, and wildlife.…
High Tower Elevator & Pathways
For key-carrying residents, the High Tower is a 1920s elevator from a bank of garages to the meta level of meandering pathways leading to quirky stoops and gateways. For the…
Meher Mount
Reverence for nature is inevitable when you take in the view at Meher Mount, which is exactly as Meher Baba intended. Affectionately called “Baba,” he was an important spiritual leader…
King Gillette Ranch Trail
Mr. Gillette’s glamorous, elaborate Spanish Colonial Revival style villa in its sea of sprawling lawns floats like a green island in the rolling caramel-colored, oak-dotted Calabasas hills. From the Visitor Center,…
Ventura Botanical Gardens Trail
Draped with endless strands of loops and switchbacks connected by steep, sculptural stone stairways, the hillside garden reveals exquisite plant life and a breathtaking view at every bend. From the…
Tarantula Hill Trail
This peculiar little knoll opposite the Conejo Valley Botanic Gardens boasts a panoramic view from the bench on its bald summit that extends from the Santa Monica Mountains, across the…
Shelf Road Trail
Broad and level, this sandy road clings to the hillside’s contours, providing every possible vantage point of the verdant, peaceful Ojai valley. Park at either end and back track, leap-frogging…
The Cross Path
A cross has stood in the spot on the hill overlooking Ventura since the late 1700s, roughly since Junipero Serro founded the San Buenaventura Mission. Surrounded by a beautifully maintained…
Arroyo Verde Park Trail
Wedged amidst Ventura’s foothills, Arroyo Verde Park is the launch pad for trails of various lengths and climbs, though a lovely view with fragrant, pretty flora is guaranteed. Trails start…
Mission Steps
Stairs and pathways spider about along so many contingencies you’d need a highly methodical system and lots of spare time to track them all down – or a big band…
Franceschi Park Pathways
Floating on the Santa Barbara Riviera, this enchanting antique estate and garden provide an unparalleled panorama of Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands. From the parking lot, paths and stone…
Wiman Canyon & Old Pueblo Trail
From the shaded, green belly of a canyon, the Wiman Canyon Trail quickly shoots up to meet the dry, baked pathways of the Old Pueblo Trail that run behind the…
Mill Creek Marsh Trail
A former wasteland between Bob’s Furniture Outlet and Interstate 95, this meandering little eden is a beacon of green in the Meadowlands. Narrow pathways snake and intersect across the grassy…
DeKorte Park Trail
Happily ever after its landfill and wasteland past, DeKorte Park is a wide expanse of breathtaking views. A splindling of narrow walkways cuts through a flat tidal marsh and waterscape…
Helmetta Pond Trail
The T-shaped pier was what drew us here: a perfect place to read and picnic while watching hawks circling overhead. After a quick stop at the playground, we drove to…
Hartshorne Woods Trail
One of the highest points on the Atlantic Coast, Hartshorne Woods includes 14 miles of trails, including the adventuresome one that led us to a secret beach! The park’s elevation…
Goat Hill Overlook Trail
Typically, it takes a moderate to intensely treacherous hike to reach a view like this – but at barely a mile on a broad path with a gentle incline, your…
Stonebridge Preserve Trail
Tunnel through the cedar grove, shimmy along the dramatic river ridge, amble around the pastures and drift through the wildflower meadows – four landscapes in one footpath! There are several…
Milford Bluffs Trail
You’ll feel like a Condor, perched atop the Milford Bluffs gazing over the Delaware River. Uphill from the wooded parking lot and through dense vegetation, the trail suddenly deposits you…
Baldpate Mountain Trail
Scramble up a boulderfall and through some enchanting passageways and you’ll see all the way to Philadelphia – telescope provided!
Greenway Meadows Trail
If the great meadow were the entirety of this preserve, it would be a phenomenal destination. But instead, that marvelous sloping pollinator extravaganza/ sledding paradise presides over: an allee of…
Omick Woods Trail
A lovely loop through the woods with 3 distinct features: stone stairways crossing a picturesque creek, a pretty overlook, and a fairyland path across a dam that empties to a…
St. Michael’s Farm Preserve Trail (West)
If you’re a fan of the English countryside like me, your heart will swell at the views in this lovely shire, complete with a village steeple and farm silos. On…
Woodfield Reservation Trail
Trails scamper throughout this broad ridge, often across long planks and artisanal bridges with landmark destinations (like Counsel Rock or Pond View) that do not disappoint. You can spend a…
Grey Farm Footpath
This inconspicuous little footpath along the bluffs of Carnegie Lake and eventually down to the water’s edge hides beautiful views and wildlife watching opportunities. The path is lovingly cared for…
Otto’s Farm Park Trail
Sloping views sweep across farmland and forests in this beautifully maintained preserve with picnic benches scattered at meandering intersections. Natural arches beckon to be explored and timeless stone steps lead…