Sierra Splash!

Squeeze out the last drops of summer! Hike to a hidden lake with campsites, find a hidden swim hole, or visit a really tall waterfall: Eldorado National Forest has some refreshing adventures for a cool season finale!

Week: 08.24.2017
Regions: Northern CA

Swim Hole, Say No More!

Hiking to The Potholes Swim hole in El Dorado National Forest

People flock to Kirkwood’s Silver Lake, a quiet beauty set against the backdrop of the Sierras. But few know about the easy 2-mile out-and-back (round-trip) hike that follows one of the lake’s cascading streams to a series of natural granite swimming holes known as The Potholes.
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The Alps Next Door

Nevada's Backcountry Adventures

We can give you about 100 good reasons to visit Nevada this summer, but we’ll narrow it down: hiking in its spectacular backcountry! Northeastern Nevada is the land of pristine nature and dramatic landscape. Jagged mountains with snowy layers and more than two dozen alpine lakes
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Tall Drink of Waterfall

Hike to Horsetail Falls in El Dorado National Forest

Tucked between Echo Summit and Lover’s Leap on US 50 there's an impressive display of water barreling down a mountain. Hello, Horsetail Falls! The commanding 800-foot-tall waterfall rushes down the glacier-carved granite face. A 3.3-mile (round-trip) out-and-back trail to the fal
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Meet Margaret!

Hiking to Margaret Lake in El Dorado National Forest

You have an adventurous side and enjoy lakeside solitude, but you don’t want to be too far from your comfort zone. Time to meet Margaret! Tucked just north of Kirkwood and just off Highway 88, Margaret Lake is an alpine oasis reached via a 4.8-mile (round-trip) hike. The trail’s
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    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

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  2. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

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  3. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

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  4. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

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  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

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  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

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  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

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