California HIking & Backpacking Tours

California offers hiking in many different ecosystems, and each one has its best season for hiking. Being a low elevation desert environment, Death Valley is best in the winter months of December to March. Yosemite Valley, the heart of Yosemite National Park, sits at an elevation of 4500', making it a great destination from March through October. The high country of Yosemite, whose peaks soars to over 13,000', is best hiked from June through September.

California offers an astonishing variety of unforgettable hikes. Two of the most spectacular options are Yosemite National Park and Death Valley National Park. They provide some of the very best hiking California has to offer. Yosemite is the heart of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range - what famous conservationist John Muir called "The Range of Light." Death Valley is a vast landscape with hidden oases, slot canyons, ancient lake beds and even wild horses. 

There are places in California where a permit is required to hike, camp or backpack. Most California national parks (Yosemite, Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Lassen, Point Reyes, Death Valley and Joshua Tree) require permits to backpack or camp in the backcountry. Most areas do not require a permit to day hike, excluding very popular hikes like Half Dome and Mount Shasta.

Every hike in every destination has elements of risk, and California is no exception to that rule. Hazards include lightning, wildlife, heat, smoke, heights exposure, river crossings and more. Having said that, all of these risks are manageable, which increases the safety margin. Joining a guided hike is a reliable way to manage the risks associated with hiking deep into the backcountry.

Packing the correct clothing and gear for your California hike is essential. What to pack will depend on where and when you are hiking. Some rules of thumb are:

• Pack clothing in layers that you can easily add or remove to adjust your temperature as you hike.
• In the mountains, do not pack cotton
• In the desert, cotton is a valuable fabric because it retains moisture and aids in cooling you down.
• Always pack a headlamp
• Bring a mix of salty and sweet snacks/meals
• Pack a minimum of 2 liters of water for the mountains, and a 3 liters in the desert (you may need more depending on conditions)

To learn more about what to pack, check out our Yosemite packing list article.