Best Summer Hikes In California — Our Wanders

11 min readMay 11, 2022

California is a paradise for outdoor lovers any time of the year. You’d think that summer is still the best season for hiking, like it is in many places in the world, but that’s only partly true. Sure, almost every hiking trail is accessible in the summer (khm… except the ones closed due to wildfire dangers), and some of them are only accessible in the summer, but some of them are also best to avoid in summer. We hiked in this giant and diverse state in all seasons, and in this post we’re telling you about the best summer hikes in California.

Summer in California

Sunny, of course. It’s sunny California. But actually, how pleasant or unpleasant summer months in California are depends on the exact location. And it might not even be that sunny.

June is probably the most windy and foggy month in San Francisco, and also in many coastal areas along the Central Coast. Hiking there in early summer was far less pleasant than in any other part of the year. Even July and August can have lots of foggy, windy, chilly days. Don’t leave your windbreaker at home.

On the other hand, as you get further from the ocean coast it gets hotter and hotter, and the landscape looks almost dead, with yellow and brown colors. You hardly recognize those green hills you hiked in winter and early spring, they are all brown by summer time. And then there are the deserts, with extreme hot temperatures — avoid them in the summer. You might drive through them for fun, but hiking won’t be enjoyable there, and it can even get dangerous. I got a heat stroke in Southern California in November(!).

But then there are some places perfect for the summer: high elevation mountain trails. Even though California’s winters are mild and snow-free in general, that doesn’t apply to the high mountains — the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range. Sierra Nevada with its 6500–13000 feet high peaks is covered in snow for most of the year, and wildflower bloom starts in late May, June or July, depending on the exact elevation. Backcountry camping and trekking is best from July to mid-October, but July and August are definitely the warmest and most pleasant months for the high elevation trails.

How hot is California in summer?

Like I’ve already written: it depends on the location. But let’s see some numbers. Average temperature in San Diego is 72°F (22°C) in July, while it’s 57°F (14°C) in San Francisco, 76°F (25°C) in Palm Springs, 62°F (14°C) in Eureka and averages between 57 and 88°F (14–31°C) in Sacramento. Death Valley has 85–95°F (30–35°C) nighttime low temperatures during the summer time. The hottest air temperature ever recorded in the park was 134°F (57°C) on July 10, 1913, and Death Valley holds the record for being the hottest place on the planet. You don’t want to tackle unshaded hiking trails there in the summer, right? (Hint: mostly all the trails are unshaded.)

These differences are HUGE, especially given that these are average temperatures. You need completely different clothing and gear when hiking on the Northern California Coast, hiking the high mountains trails in the Sierra Nevada or hiking in a Southern Californian desert.

Summary of the best hikes in California during the summer

So let’s see our recommendations for each month. And a few notes beforehand: coastal trails are accessible and can be enjoyable all year, and this applies to many other low elevation trails, too. However, for this post we focus on the summer trails that can’t be done in other seasons or are the most spectacular in summer.

Best places to hike in June

Early June (and late May) is the best time to see the waterfalls of Yosemite Valley. Most of them are fed by snowmelt, and they almost completely dry out by August. Waterfall trails in the valley are:

Mist Trail to Vernal & Nevada Falls
Upper Yosemite Fall Trail (7.6 miles round-trip)
Panorama Trail with a view of Illilouette Fall
Mirror Lake Trail has no waterfalls, but this lake also dries out by late summer
Yosemite Grand Tour (13.3 miles loop)

Many trails in the Sierra Nevada are accessible in June. Not the highest peaks, but several alpine lakes and waterfall trails, and many scenic trails in the Lake Tahoe area. Here’s a few spectacular ones:

Chilly and wet Northern California gets pleasant by June. Our favorite hiking trails are:

James Irvine Trail to Fern Canyon, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (12 miles round-trip)
Coastal Trail, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park (this is a multi-day trail that can be divided into shorter sections)

Best places to hike in July

Those highest elevations that only have a short snow-free period in the year are best to be attempted in July and August. Days in the High Sierras are usually sunny and hot during the summer months, and even night temperatures are pleasant.

Lake Tahoe’s Desolation Wilderness is a typical region that fits for July and August the best. It has many remote trails for backpacking, but some day hikes, as well. The trails are mostly unshaded, so bring lots of water and have sun protection. Some spectacular routes? Here you are some of the best summer hikes:

Island & Twin Lakes Trail from Wrights Lake (day hike, 6.6 miles round-trip)
Maude Lake via Rockbound Trail from Wrights Lake (day hike, 8 miles round-trip)
Lake Lois and Lake Schmidell (day hike, ~17 miles round-trip)
Barrett Lake (day hike, ~15 miles round-trip)
Pyramid Peak Trail (day hike, ~8 miles round-trip)
Fifteen Lakes Traverse from Wrights Lake to Emerald Bay (multi-day trail, ~32 miles one-way)

Mineral King area trails in Sequoia National Parks, and Kings Canyon National Park backcountry trails. Day hikes are harder to come by in these areas, but depending on your fitness level, you can do some of the trails within one day, like:

Franklin Lakes Trail, Sequoia (~14 miles round-trip)
Sawtooth Pass Trail, Sequoia (~12 miles round-trip)

High Yosemite. Yosemite National Park is more than the Valley and its famous waterfalls, and higher areas are perfect for July (and August):

Elizabeth Lake (~ 5 miles round-trip)
Lembert Dome from Tuolumne Meadows (1.8 miles round-trip); further to Dog Lake Trail (~5 miles round-trip)
Sunrise Lakes (~6.7 miles round-trip)
Cathedral Lakes (~8.5 miles round-trip)
Mono Pass (~11 mile round-trip)
Glen Aulin (~13 miles round-trip)
Walker Lake Trail (~16 miles round-trip)

Trails in Lassen Volcanic National Park. North of the Sierra Nevada, Lassen Volcanic National Park is part of the Cascade Range in northeastern California. Roads inside the park can be covered with snow from October-December to May-July depending on the weather. But once roads are snow-free, you’re good to go. We really like this park, because it’s just as impressive as the famous national park of the Sierra Nevada, but less busy. You can find both easy and more challenging trails:

Cinder Cone Trail (4 miles round-trip)
Butte Lake Trail (4 miles round-trip)
Brokeoff Mountain Trail (7.4 miles round-trip)
Bumpass Hell Trail (3 miles round-trip)
Manzanita Lake Trail (easy walk)
Boiling Springs Lake (3 miles round-trip)
Devil’s Kitchen Trail (4.2 miles round-trip)
Lassen Peak (5 miles round-trip)

Best places to hike in August

This list is pretty similar to the one for July, but there are two things to consider. August is the last summer month and the hottest, so you have the best chance for snow-free hikes in the highest areas of the parks. For the same reason, the chances for wildfires are higher, too. Check trail conditions and park updates before your visit, because California is infamous for devastating wildfires that can last for a long time.

Best summer hikes in the Sierra Nevada

Though the famous national parks of the Sierra Nevada — Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks — offer some trails in any season, the majority of them are accessible during the summer months. The main hiking season starts at Memorial Day (end of May) and ends at Labor Day (beginning of September).

Read our guide to the best day hikes in the Sierra Nevada!

John Muir Trail & Mt Whitney

The most well-known long-distance trail in the Sierra Nevada is John Muir Trail. It’s about 210 miles long and passes through Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. It starts at Happy Isles in Yosemite and ends at the summit of Mount Whitney. With 14505 feet (4421 m) Mount Whitney is the highest peak in the contiguous United States.

The most direct trail there is a 11-mile route from Mount Whitney Portal, which is a very long and demanding day hike (22 miles round-trip). Mount Whitney is usually accessible to hikers between mid-July and early October.

Visit Lassen Volcanic National Park in the summer

Are you excited about volcanoes? Boiling lakes? Hot springs and steaming fumaroles? You don’t need to go all the way to Yellowstone to experience them, because California has Lassen Volcanic National Park, and it’s quite a spectacular, yet relatively unknown park.

It has volcanoes. In fact all four types of volcanoes found in the entire world are represented in the park: a shield volcano (Prospect Peak), a plug dome (Lassen Peak), a cinder cone (called Cinder Cone) and a composite volcano (Brokeoff Volcano). Our favorite was undoubtedly Cinder Cone, because it really looks like a volcano from a postcard.

We also enjoyed visiting the hydrothermal areas with their cool names: Bumpass Hell, Devil’s Kitchen and Sulphur Works. They feature hot springs, steaming fumaroles, boiling mud pots and colorful landscapes. They do smell like rotten eggs, but that was part of the experience for us.

But in case you’re yearning for crystal clear lakes and alpine meadows carpeted with wildflowers, Lassen Volcanic has that, too. You can choose charming, easy walks, or more strenuous half day and full day hikes. Manzanita Lake, Summit Lake, Lake Helen and Emerald Lake are some of the most easily accessible lakes in the park. Ridge Lakes Trail (2 miles), Terrace, Shadow and Cliff Lakes (4 miles round-trip) and Butte Lake Trail (4 miles round-trip) are also easy lake hikes.

Best summer hikes in Northern California

We recommended the redwoods of Northern California for late spring, too, and it’s just as good for the summer. This is a cooler, wetter region of California, summers are not nearly as hot here as in the inland and the southern areas. Early summer can be foggy which creates an unforgettable atmosphere in these giant forests.

The Redwood National and State Parks have four cooperatively managed parks: Redwood National Park, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. We’ve written a detailed guide about it:

Redwood National Park: Hiking Back To The Age Of Dinosaurs

The Lost Coast Trail is an unspoilt, scenic, 34-mile long multi-day trek along Northern California’s rugged coastline. Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, leaves the coast in this region, so the Lost Coast is truly “lost” — a remote and undeveloped piece of coastline.

Looking for easy hikes in Northern California? Check out Trillium Falls in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, the Stout Grove and the Boy Scout Tree Trail in Jedediah Smith State Park, the Mendocino Headlands Trail in Mendocino or Burney Falls in McArthur Burney Falls Memorial State Park.

Best summer hikes in Southern California

First of all, Southern California is NOT where you find the best places to hike in the summer. But if you happen to visit this region in the summer and want to do some hiking, you sure can. The key to finding the most pleasant hikes? Aim for shaded trails that are close to water or located at higher elevations.

Solstice Canyon can be reached on a short, almost completely shaded trail (3.2 mile round-trip). Malibu Creek State Park features shorter and longer trails, with the option of wading in creeks or rock pools on the way. Los Peñasquitos Canyon in San Diego has a year-around creek, too. Torrey Pines State Reserve is a coastal park with short, scenic trails and access to amazing beaches. (The Pacific Ocean will cool you down, even in the south!)

hiking in Torrey Pines — don’t let the picture mislead you, it’s my winter clothing 🙂

Your other option is hiking up. Temperatures become more tolerable at higher elevations, and there are high mountains in Southern California (and they get snow each year). San Gabriel Mountains or San Jacinto Mountains. Joshua Tree National Park ranges in elevation from 536 feet to 5814 feet (Quail Mountain), and depending on your exact location summer days can get extremely hot. But summer nights are delightful for stargazing.

Summer hiking essentials: What to wear? What to bring?

Water

You need plenty of water, at least 3 liters per person for a day hike. We like hydration reservoirs, because they’re lightweight, collapsible and we can sip on the go. Also, we can bury them into our backpack, and that large body of water won’t warm up so easily as smaller bottles.

Sun protection

Apply sunscreen regularly, cover your head, water your hat (seriously, use every opportunity at creeks or lakes to water your hat). On particularly hot, unshaded hikes we also watered a light scarf and tied it loosely around our necks.

The more skin you cover, the less sunscreen you need to use. But when it comes to that, choose at least an SPF of 30, and apply it every 2–3 hours. But the choice from sunscreen is overwhelming — which one should you choose? Lotions provide the best coverage, sprays are not that effective and hard to use on the face. Mineral sunscreen is the most eco-friendly choice, and it’s also the best for you, because it doesn’t soak into your skin, just sits on top of it, reflecting away the UV rays. Use a chapstick with sun protection, too.

Hiking clothes

Good hiking clothes are both functional and comfortable. Synthetics are the best materials for active wear, because they wick moisture and dry quickly.

Layer your clothes properly — yes, even in the summer, especially in the high mountains. Mornings and evenings can be chilly, and a sudden storm can also cause temperatures to drop.

Hiking clothes for women: sports bra, wool socks, T-shirt, fleece jacket, hiking pants or shorts, windbreaker & rain jacket (optional, you don’t really need it on most day hikes in California in the summer)
Hiking clothes for men: wool socks, T-shirt, fleece jacket, hiking pants or shorts, windbreaker & rain jacket (optional)

Hiking shoes

We usually prefer mid-ankle hiking boots when hiking, because they provide better ankle support and keep water out better. In California, especially in the summer, waterproofness is definitely not a requirement though. There’s hardly any rain, and even if you get caught in a storm, a light pair of hiking shoes can dry quickly. Like the Merrell Moab 2 Ventilator (for women; for men) which is a popular and affordable choice. It’s not waterproof and not really meant for technical terrain, but it’s great for day hikers who stick to established trails, it’s lightweight and comfortable.

But if hiking sandals are your thing, this is your chance to use them. We saw some people in five fingers, too, and it could work well if you like the barefoot-like experience. To us they are not protective enough, especially on loose, rocky terrain.

Hiking in California in other seasons

Visiting in another season? Get ideas for the best early spring, late spring, autumn and winter hiking trails in California!

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Originally published at https://ourwanders.com on May 11, 2022.