Introduction to 10 Trending Spots In California For Adventure Lovers
Travelling is the best way to escape from everyday stress and hectic routine. Holidays are a lot more worthwhile when you travel more than spend them on a couch, watching your favourite TV shows.
If you love thrilling activities, then California is the best place for you to be.
California has got a bit of everything – from picturesque coastal driveways, hot and arid deserts, soaring mountains, to tech-savvy metropolitan cities.
All these specs make California the perfect travel destination for everyone who loves to travel and explore new things.
The state is so big that the adventure lover in you might not be able to cover the best places in a single visit. Here are the top ten trending spots in California for adventure lovers to clear all the confusion.
1. Kayak Through The Emerald Bay.
Tahoe’s Emerald Bay tops our list of spots for adventure lovers. The lake’s water has a beautiful blue colour, and it sits in the laps of hills and soaring trees. The overall atmosphere feels very pure and defies the idea of pollution.
Once you reach here, rent a kayak and start paddling through the lake.
Your destination will be the Fannete island in the middle of the lake. You can rent the boat for 20 to 25 dollars with excellent bargaining skills. You will have to leave your photo ID with the owner of the kayak as collateral.
When you reach the shore, safely place your kayak, and start walking towards the dense woods of the island. Your trek on the island will lead to a tea house atop the island.
Lora Knight, the previous owner of the property, built the tea house. The tea house was for her private guests’ tea party, but now the tea house is just a remnant of the past with four walls and no roof.
The whole place is picturesque, and you can enjoy the aerial view of the lake and its surroundings. The best place to click impressive landscapes is the east window in the house.
If you have time left, you can again set sail in the lake and go to the backside of the island to witness the ‘sunken’ forest. This area of the lake has many fallen trees submerged in the water and makes for an impressive sight.
2. Discover The McArthur Burney Falls
This place is so mesmerizing that you might have used its pictures as your wallpaper, at least once in your lifetime. Although the fall is not as popular as the others in the state, it is what one would call ‘hidden-gem.’
The fact that you will see a very less crowd here, which makes the thought of this place more happening and exciting. The entry fee is just eight dollars per person, and clearly, it’s not the price tag that this place deserves.
You can get here by car. So pack your bags, load your extra luggage on your vehicle’s universal roof rack, and drive to this wonderful site. The place also has a camping site where you can set up your camp and spend a rustic night in the woods with the fall’s pleasing background sound.
Apart from the main flow (120 meters high), the falls have several holes from which the water flows and adds to the aesthetic of the scene. For more adrenaline rush, you can take a trek from the fall’s base to its top. The trail has greenery all over.
Seeing bridges and rocks under the moss feels like walking in a National Geographic scene. No wonder Teddy Roosevelt titled the waterfalls as the eight wonders on earth. Nature still has full claim over this place.
The only downside of this spot is that you cannot get into the water and bath the sun off. The whole area has signs prohibiting anyone from entering the waters. This step is only for saving virgin beauty from contamination and plastic pollution.
3. Ramble To The Hollywood Sign
Is it even exploring California if you don’t hike to the giant Hollywood sign in Los Angeles? The hike to the top (7 miles) is not so strenuous, and you can do this with any of your family members or friends. They don’t need to be experts to complete the hike.
Moreover, to save yourself from LA’s scorching heat, consider carrying plenty of water or other energy drinks. The bird’s eye view from the top of the hill is mesmerizing. The picture is something that you don’t see every day, that’s why stay there and let the whole experience sink in.
The hike starts from the place where the Canyon road ends at the parking lot. The starting phase of the walk may be difficult for some people as this is steep uphill, so don’t rush and enjoy the picturesque views.
Combine the hike with a visit to the Borson caves to complete the Hollywood experience. The Batman TV series from the 1960s features the same cave as the Batcave – the operational spot for Batman and Robin.
The only downside of this whole trek is that you can’t get near to the actual Hollywood sign. There is fencing everywhere to protect the public from falling off the cliff. But still, you can click beautiful pictures from near the fence.
Adding this exemplary trek to your LA visit is essential, or you will miss a lot of Hollywood sentiments.
4. Try Surfing In San Diego
Surfing is one of the most adventurous sports in the world. If you like surfing, you can come to San Diego and enjoy the day in the ocean here. San Diego is the best place in California to surf because of its surfing friendly weather.
If you don’t know how to surf, then what better place than California? Surfing is the state sport of this marvellous state. If you are not carrying your surfing board, you can rent one from the beachside. If you don’t know how to surf, there are many coaches in the city, giving you essential lessons for as cheap as 30 dollars.
5. Explore the Big Sur Coastline
A drive along this coastline will feel like a romantic drive in a rom-com movie. The place has soaring mountains that lead down to the glorious beaches with clear blue water and white sand. There are so many less popular spots throughout the highway of the coastline like waterfalls, beaches, state parks, and hikes.
The first place that you’ll come across while travelling to the Big Sur is the Limekiln state park. The park offers its visitors to camp there and is the home to scenic beaches and a waterfall. Apart from these natural wonders, the park also has human-made kilns set up in the 19th century.
Although the park is not hidden, it doesn’t get the attention of people, which it deserves. Even if you go here on Sunday, you won’t find many people roaming around the place. The entry fee for the park is around 10 to 15 bucks for a day.
There are 24 places where you can set up your camp with your squad if you are interested in camping. The fields have facilities like fire rings, benches, and shades from the high redwoods.
After you camp here for a day, you can head on to another trail that leads to the McWay Waterfall. This waterfall is pleasing to the eyes and adds beauty to every photograph you click in front of it.
The main aesthetic thing about this fall is that it falls directly on the beach, and then the water goes into the ocean. Look for this hidden gem in the turns and twists of Highway 1. It’s just one mile from the parking lot, and the walk is effortless with no upward movement.
If you are feeling adventurous and have your kayak, get it in the water two miles before the actual trail. Reach the beach to experience a once in a lifetime feeling. If you are travelling with your partner, and have the time, insist on staying till the sunsets. It will be a great evening for your romantic self.
6. Stargazing At The Yosemite National Park
The spot is reasonably accessible; given the beauty, this place has to offer. The best place in the park to watch the stars twinkle is Glacier Point. The day transport here starts at half-past ten in the morning, and the last bus leaves from here at half-past four in the evening.
So, if you want to watch the glittering stars in the dark of the night, you will have to drive there. The experience will be adventurous as the road is full of turns, and loft trees are on either side of the way.
You will have to walk for five minutes after parking your car to reach the point. The Glacier Point offers magnificent views, some of which are the Half Dome, Nevada Falls, and the sun setting behind the Half Dome. Half Dome is a rocky hill that looks like a dome’s half, hence the name.
This spot is another one on the list, which many people use as their wallpaper. The ultimate beauty of this place reveals itself when it is entirely dark. You start spotting stars. There are two, then there are twenty, and after an hour or so, you can’t keep a count.
What’s more surprising is that you can stay until the morning, and there is no fee to pay. If you are with your date, there won’t be a more romantic place in the state, such as this to propose to them.
7. Visit The State’s Oldest Winery
This adventure is for everyone who wants to reconnect with the past and taste wine. The Buena Vista Winery is the oldest winemaker (150 years old) in Sonoma County, California. You can taste all the great wines at just 15 dollars per head.
A European, Agoston Haraszthy founded the place in 1857. After he died in 1869, the Boisset family continued the legacy and is doing so to date too. The entrance road to the estate has trees shading it, and the atmosphere is very much lively and full of positive vibes.
If you are with your little ones, encourage them to go in the maze by the side of the pathway. The whole place has billboards stating the history of the drink.
Once you are in the winery, you will be tasting wine in a nineteenth-century rock house. The interior of this cabin is as alluring as its exterior walls.
The ground floor and the second floor, both showcase the oldest and the tastiest wines in the country. You can also taste wine as a premium member by paying a 30 dollars fee and sit on Haraszthy’s first couch.
8. Geothermal Springs Of The Lassen Volcanic National Park
The hot springs are in the Bumpass Hell region of the national park. Bumpass was the one who found these springs, and he fell in one of them only to lose one leg, hence the name Bumpass Hell. The water is very acidic and hot, so you can’t even think of testing it with your bare hands.
Although the smell of the area is full of sulfur and very foul, the pleasing vistas in the backdrop beg a place for them in our list.
You will enter a wholly different world when you come here, as there are non-stop hissing noises due to the sulfur underneath the earth. The water is greyish here and nothing like the normal water.
The sulfur water in the central boiler reaches up to 250 Fahrenheit. The high rocks here are of all shades – blue, red, and orange due to the reaction between sulfur and other atmospheric gases. It’s an easy hike and a fascinating one.
9. A Spring In The Alabama Hills
You can’t go to the Alabama Hills in the summer season, that’s why we recommend you to go in spring or winter. These hills are a must-visit place for all the adventure lovers. The hills lay in the laps of Mt. Whitney. They were among the few favourite locations for Hollywood directors in the sixties and the seventies.
The rock formation here leaves the visitor in awe of their origin in the first place?
The major attractions here are very few, as the whole area has no signs, and it feels like you are exploring it for the first time, no matter if you are going for the tenth time. You can explore the whole area with a dirt bike or car. The entire area has a dirt trail. Be careful while driving here.
The prime thing that you will come across is the Face of the hills. It is a big rock, and some anonymous artist has made a face with their graffiti over it. Another popular spot is the Lone Ranger Point. This point is the same where the 2013 movie was shot with a scene of Johnny Depp.
Apart from these trending spots, many arches have different rock formations like the Heart arch, which has the same appearance as its name. Another trending arch is the Arch Mobius. This arch mimics the whole Whitney Mountain in just four feet.
The only downside of this beautiful place is that you will have to look at your map again and again to confirm the scene you are looking at. This is problematic for the visitors but keeps the rustic vibe of the place alive by not nailing signboards everywhere.
10. Desert Fun in Kelso
If you were wondering that the state has only waterfalls and beaches, here is the surprise element. You don’t have to go to Dubai or Jaisalmer to enjoy dunes. They are right here at Kelso, Mojave National Park.
The aesthetic of the place is such that Apple used its dunes as its new dynamic wallpaper in their 2018 update.
The best time for you to travel to this place is an hour or a half before the sunset. Climb on to the high dunes, is it less than an adventure?
The entry to this part is free, but the hike can be tiring for some people. It’s four miles long, and you have to climb up the elevation of some seven hundred feet.
These dunes are humongous, and one can see them from 20 miles away.
Disclaimer first, this hike is not for everyone, and only for the real thrill lovers. Almost ninety per cent of the trail is only sand, and it feels like a couple of steps ahead, one step retard when you hike.
But it’s agreeable that all the efforts are worth it and you’ll experience a fantastic sky up there. By the time you reach the highest point, the sand will cool down. Remove your shoes and enjoy the scenery.
After that, the downtrend is secure and will take half of the time it took to get up. The sand is soft so you can slide down on a sliding board, adding to your adrenaline rush.
Conclusion
Above are some of the top trending spots in California for people who love adrenaline rush now and then. All these destinations are easily accessible via road, and you can take your car for a spin around these spots. Make sure to enjoy these sports to the fullest, and bargain wherever possible.
