I don't know how to even describe this park, maybe, magical... The sequoias are majestic with sugar…read morepines sprinkled all around. I was here with the Sisters Corp. to do some volunteer work. I did not want to miss the opportunity to give my time for this beautiful place. This is my first time to visit this National Park and I know now it will not be my last. My first day at the volunteer camp group site as we gathered at the table to meet each other and go over the agenda for the weekend we had the opportunity to see a black bear casually roam through our campground near the tents (one of them was mine). We were all informed prior to arriving not to leave any scented items in the tents. No one wonder the bear kept moving along, but with the help of our camp host shooing it away from the campground. This is something we learned from the rangers, is to shoo them away so they don't get in the habit of coming around. The park offers many hiking trails, I had the chance to do one of many, which was the Long Meadow Trail. Very beautiful, plenty of foliage and evidence of a bear in the area. Another part of the park I got to visit was General Sherman. There is a park ranger that will tell you the history of the General Sherman tree. You can wait in a long line to take a pic in front of the tree with a General Sherman sign. Or you can take a pic around the fenced majestic tree. I choose not to wait in line. I had the chance to shuttle to General Sherman tree from the Museum. The Shuttle is free and seems to come every 10-15 min. From General Sherman I also shuttled to the Lodgepole marketplace and visitor center. In this area are bathrooms with showers (coin operated, quarters). The Marketplace has an area to order some food and also a section where you can purchase some ice cream by the scoop. The store offers assorted ice cream bars. The visitor center offers gift items as well as the marketplace. At the front of the visitor center they had a ranger available at a booth if you had any questions. This place is quite busy! Parking lot is a madhouse. Nearby is a campground you may want to check out or ask the ranger for some info. If you can, arrive early, find parking at the Museum and shuttle to everything if you can. Warning, when I was doing volunteer work in the parking lot across from the museum we witnessed a black bear enjoying some berries in the bushes. I'm not sure if they will venture into the parking lot with a lot human activity going on but be careful what you leave in your car, anything and everything with a scent. The park has so much to see. I look forward to returning to volunteer and to take advantage of what the park has to offer.

Best national park I've ever been to and that's saying a lot…read more It's magical, and I highly recommend getting to the Sherman trailhead prior to 9:30am if you want a parking spot. Takes about an hour to get in there, up there and parked so plan accordingly. The congress trail was amazing and for a 3.5 mile hike it took about 2.5 hours with frequent stops for pictures. Highly recommend a stop at lodge pole for refreshments and merch. Incredible experience from start to finish.

Probably the BEST Visitor Center we have visited, not the biggest, but Fran made it the best. She…read morewas super friendly and informative. She gave us an overview of the area in great detail and really gave us some great ideas. Fran made us want to see it all. We are excited about our visit and we really appreciate the info that Fran provided. Plenty of brochures to supplement what Fran spoke about. Definitely stop in when visiting this great town.

This was a great visitor center with very kind and knowledgeable workers. We learned a lot and…read morewere given extra guidance about the area. We really appreciated the help we received. Thank you very much!!

+ Interesting hiking spot. There isn't one defined trail at Ricardo Campground. Rather, it's more…read morelike a network of paths. Please come and create your own adventure. + The highlight of this hiking area is the badlands that resemble Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Lotta ridges and cliffs formed by millennia of erosion. . 2 restrooms by the trailhead. First hiking parking lot restrooms I've seen without roofs. Has its own pros and cons: + The stench doesn't condense in one room. - But no weather protection. + Easier to communicate for help in case of emergency. - Less privacy. Also, - Hot, dry climate. - No shade. + Nice that there are restrooms throughout the grounds, - but the water fountains aren't working. -- Have to pay $6 digitally to park there. Can't we just slip $6 in physical bills somewhere and call it a day? Better yet, make it $2 or free altogether? lol

If you're looking to camp and you don't want to drive too far from Los Angeles, Red Rock Canyon…read moreState Park is a great option. They have several campgrounds which is first and first serve. There's also several hiking spots in the area, which are less than a mile. There's also a visitor center, which has a lot of information about the park and clean bathroom. Great spot for photos!

I've been to Windwolves several times for a hike over the past few years. We recently visited Wind…read moreWolves Preserve and had such a wonderful experience! My husband and I went for a hike, and it ended up being the perfect day to be outdoors. The trails were clean, well-maintained, and easy to follow, which made the hike really enjoyable. The weather was absolutely beautiful with clear skies and just the right temperature making it ideal for taking in the scenery and spending quality time together. It's such a peaceful spot to disconnect and enjoy nature. We'll definitely be back for another hike!

This place is a hiker's paradise. Lots of open land it's not only trails for hiking, but also a…read morebike trail. I have a large section for group camping, a little area with a waterfall for the kids to plane. They have first come first serve regular camping spots and lots of Wild.

Absolutely stunning nature trail! Hagen Canyon is located right before the official entrance of the…read moreRicardo Campground in Red Rock Canyon State Park. The trail consists of a sanded path that loops through beautiful red cliffs and unique rock formations. It's a super easy trail that's only about a mile or so long. There's a trail map near the entrance that you can take a picture of to help identify some of the names of the unique rocks. Some of the rocks are shaped like animals. It was actually quite the adventure trying to identify which rocks resembled specific animals. It's crazy to think that something like this exists occurs naturally. What I really enjoyed about this trail was how colorful it was. So many beautiful red and golden hues make up this beauty. It's one of those canyons that you could literally stare at for hours and never get bored. A winter visit to the canyon is perfect because the weather isn't too warm. There's absolutely no shade, so I'm sure this place is smokin' during the summer (wouldn't attempt a long adventure here during that time of the year). There's a small parking lot right at the start of the trail. This is the perfect place to take small children as the trail is easy. I'd recommend coming here in conjunction with your visit to the rest of Red Rock Canyon State Park because there's so much more to explore here. However, visit to Hagen Canyon surely isn't to be missed either. Really enjoyed exploring this less traveled area.

Beautiful trail but do not attempt this in hot weather. We did this as a family of 6 in 99 degree…read moreweather and almost passed out from the heat. It was like that Gus Van Sant film "Gerry" bad. As mild a hike as it is, the heat was just too much. Incredible views, we felt like we were on Mars. Very limited cell reception here so load your maps onto your phones in advance. There's wifi at the visitors center in the park, where we paid $6 before realizing that the trail was behind us.

Rachel is awesome! Super knowledgeable of the ocean, water, marine life, and history of the area…read more What a rad human being to have guiding the tour. As it turns out, all of the harbor seals, and sealions have names. We befriended one named Steve, he is much better at swimming than I am. He also taught me secret techniques to paddling. This one Pelican named Parry got into a barking match with some sealions, which is a fight he wasn't gonna win, let's be honest. Though I was hoping to see an M-A-N-A-T-E-E ... next time! If you're gonna go down on Haley street, where the dogs are easy and the sun is cheap, you never know just who you'll meet, on Haley. (But hopefully it's Rachel from the Santa Barbara Adventure Company, and you get her kayak tour; shout out!)

A heartfelt thank you to Santa Barbara Adventure Company for creating such a memorable birthday…read moreexperience for our daughter. From start to finish, everything exceeded our expectations. We had a fun ferry ride to the islands and even got to slow down to watch a large Sunfish (Mola Mola) snacking on some jellies. I recommend getting in line early to secure the best view seating on the ferry. Our kayak guides, Chuck and Adam, were exceptional--knowledgeable, engaging, and genuinely passionate about what they do. They made the entire trip both fun and informative, while ensuring we always felt safe and well cared for. We were fortunate to have perfect weather and warm water, which allowed us to explore all seven sea caves--many of which are inaccessible during high tide or rougher conditions. It made the experience even more special. Having lived in Santa Barbara for 22 years, this was my first time visiting the islands, and it was truly unforgettable. The pristine landscapes, abundant sea life, and even spotting several tiny island foxes while enjoying our picnic lunch, made it an unforgettable adventure. We can't wait to do it again--highly recommend to anyone looking for a unique and exceptional experience!

Great trip and escape from civilization. Be prepared for no phone reception. Lots of beautiful…read moretrees. Also had a chance to see how much damage was done from the fires. $12 for parking. You can pay using an envelope in a box and detaching part of the slip and putting it in your window or walk about one block down to the gift store and pay with debit. Gift store has water and snacks. Can be pretty populated during the weekend so you don't get a chance to absorb the full nature of quietness and peacefulness but still a great visit. Parking is fairly Limited.

It is a paved trail, technically a hike trail but mentally and physically not. Cool little trail…read morefor city people to learn about the sequoias and history of the trees. Please stay on the trail and pick up all your trash

Definitely a super hidden gem in the Kern River Valley…read more Kern River Preserve has always been on my list of places to visit and finally, over the summer, I had a chance to explore. Mind you, the heat can be somewhat unbearable in July. And in all likelihood Spring and Fall are the more common seasons. A little background of the Kern River Preserve. It's actually owned by the National Audubon Society. It's also located in one of the largest contiguous riparian forests in the stata at 3,000 acres. There is a small visitors center. I highly suggest calling before arriving to find out if there will be a docent or guide. Best times to visit are spring. You'll get the best of flora and fauna with blooming flowers and migratory birds. ' The Kern Audubon Society is a wealth of knowledge and happy to help with info.

I've had great times at the Kern River Preserve. Lots to see and learn about. Very interesting…read more Sometimes, well before Covid anyway, people would come and they would have something going on at the preserve where other people would come and show what animals or plants, just anything that you could literally find at the preserve that they had ppl bring their stuff and teach us about different snakes that are Indigenous to this area and won't harm you, and which will. People have been here before and pointed out the difference in good plants, harmful plants, plants people have different not wonderful reactions to like stinging nettle and what it looks like. It's really interesting stuff. Call and find out if there are tours or if the trails are open for hiking due to covid, as maybe the trails are overgrown??? Some on the backside of the lake look very bad. I was given tours there when we were in jr college at Cerro Coso Community College in Lake Isabella (21 yrs ago). I've had them teach us things too when there's an event, so look for that. I don't know if anything's going on their since Covid? Ask them about the turkey vultures, and volunteer to count them if they're still doing that! That was a blast! Trina (Guerra) B.

These ladies are kinda rude act like there Volunteers when there being paid top dollar for watching…read morea trailer. I wish they had a better selection of clothes to choose from and I wish they were friendlier.