Best Wild Flowers Trails in California

Ass kicker! Worth it!

Beautiful. Your walking through the campground on an asphalt trail for a good portion. Then you hit middle falls and your reminded why you go hiking. I was trying out a new loaded backpack and it was a good length to get my first idea of what the pack would feel like. Upper falls is a great place to just sit and feel the power of the river just before it plummets. Trail is wide and popular.

We had hiked Big Pines trail two days before, and while staying in June Lake Campground we wanted a small hike to stretch our legs. We set out to do the full June Lake Loop Trail and decided that we would just do two miles of it out and back - which is actually I guess Yost Meadows Trail.

In any case, the views are spectacular! We are definitely going to do the full June Lake Loop when we go back. Good work out on the way up. Basically had the trail to ourselves.

Tip: if you stay at the June Lake Campground this trail is conveniently across the street. The trail is both shaded and exposed so good idea to bring sun screen.

Went to the Third Lake only which was a pretty clear trail - some leftover snow. Heard that heading towards the Fourth Lake had more snow so we just turned around at the Third. I'm deducting one star because I had heard the Third Lake was more turquoise in color, and we were really disappointed it was not - maybe it was the time of year or the time of day?? Any tips on that would be appreciated.

We somehow took a wrong turn on the way up and the way back so we did almost 15 miles. It was a pretty strenuous hike and we both think we were battling slight altitude sickness. Overall it was an amazing experience. We were so glad we opted to stay at the Glacier Lodge the night before and the day of the hike.

Tip: bring sunscreen for the exposed areas; stay at the Glacier Lodge the night before so you get a good night's sleep and the day of the hike so you get a nice hot shower!

This is a great hike if you enjoy something calm and easy that will give you a beautiful view of the lake! I recommend it if you’re with kids or have bad knees. Not much incline and it’s a steady hike. Would come back again!

love this trail been coming here for years

Tons of mosquitos- wear spray! We were eaten alive around 10am

This was all worth it! I loved the transition from desert to forest! It feels like two different hikes! We started at around 4:00 am made it to the top in 11 hours and got back to the tram at 5:00 pm.

This was a very confusing yet beautiful hike the flowers were so pretty but the trail
Was not marked or maintained at all we just kinda keep going with what we thought was a trail until we came across the waterfall

Great view!

Beautiful loop through a fairly diverse landscape, along rock formations, creeks, meadows, cow pasture, forest. Easy to extend the hike if you're motivated, we made it an 8 mile loop.

First off, thanks to all the previous AllTrails members for the parking recommendations. Directions: go through the China Peak entrance (the gates were open enough to fit a car through). Drive past the following places: the restaurant, the bridge to the lifts, the boat storage, and past the employee mobile homes. You are not there yet--drive on the gravel/dirt lot toward single post and blank sign (see my photo for trailhead entrance). The six of us started in pouring rain (mid-May) and it included kids age 2 and 3 and a spry 75 yr old. Views are certainly a big reason for the 5 stars. The river was raging. The trail itself is about 80% flat with the remaining some rocks to climb over; easily marked but with one or two spots that required a bit of investigation (mostly where there was some granite to get over). Took us 40 minutes to get to the top clearing but we stopped several times for photos and the little ones have small strides. At the main clearing you will see a few stacked rocks (ducks) and a mini chair made from a tree stump. We very carefully dipped our toes in (along a pooled edge) and snow run off isn't for the faint of heart. We went on Monday and were absolutely the only people on the trail. Highly recommend for an easy trail walk with amazing river sights and sounds.

Absolutely breathtaking, being beautiful and harder but completely worth it.

Great trail!

Great hike!

Good hike overall; the rocks are awesome and the history is cool to learn about. The trails are pretty easy to follow and parking is almost always available. There are crowded sections, but as you meander along this trail, it thins out.
There are some cool spots to climb up some or the rocks and play around a bit.
Would recommend this as a nice day hike, and would also recommend stopping in the little towns nearby for some great diner food!

This hike has some lovely parts and some crappy asphalt parts.
The views can be great and it's an easy way to get out of the city and away from the crowds.
I would recommend this hike if you're not super choosy about your flavor of nature.

This was an excellent hike! The trail was easy enough for an adventurous 7 year-old, including the navigation down the rope-assisted section.
I would plan on spending an hour at the waterfall and just chillin with a snack, that way the crowds come and go in waves so you end up getting time alone.
Would highly recommend as a pretty easy hike!

can't beat the view!!!

Awesome trail! Be careful and make sure that the bridges are installed on the west side. There are no warnings.

Beautiful plants and creek.

Great loop trail at the top of the tram. Recommend going counter clockwise on the trail so you get the harder rockier part of the trail out of the way going up.

Made it to Crag Lake today 05/21/2018 before I got turned around by lightning. Trail was clear of snow all the way to Crag Lake and not as wet as I’d thought it would be either. Beautiful early season jaunt.

This was a nice easy hike to get away from people and into some woods. Most of the trail is in the shade and you walk along a little creek, so it stayed cool the whole time.
Pros: very few people, easy to park and easy to follow. There are also some cool rock roadcuts at the end.
Cons: you are along a road for a bit of it, which isn't particularly scenic.
We brought our two dogs and it was nice to have the trail alone for almost all of it.

Great loop, be aware thou.
the whole loop it's block by rocks, so it is flooded. You need to go upper side of trail at one point. Probably 1 mile, going between Rocks, over tree trunks and under tree trunk. So, not as easy for now. We got Sun, Rain and Mosquitoes.
Si dress accordingly to the weather.
Still thou, a challenge for beginners like us. I found a stick about 6ft. came very handy to go through this obstacles.
Great spots for pics!

In the middle of a network of trails, offering something for any level of ability. At roughly the 0.4 mile mark the trail has a major fork. The posted trail is primarily the left fork. A shorter and steeper version is the right fork. Left side has more breeze and more scenery; while the right fork offers more thigh burn.

Have done this a couple of times. Awesome trail, even in the fog when you can't see the bridge. Great views, cool terrain, varying elevations. We parked next to the golf course and also near the Sutro baths and Cliff House. Pines, eucalyptus, other interesting trees, smooth path, nice places to contemplate.

So glad I didn’t know the steep rock climbing we we about to do or I might have opted out! Great leg workout though . Loved the option of taking a dirt road back instead of sliding down the steep rocks! Stick to the wide road if you don’t want such a strenuous hike.

great hike! perfect balance for a good workout and not too long as well. after the first mile, its easy. Depending on fitness, would rate it as moderate to high.

It's a bit of a drive up the 39 to get here, but it's quite scenic. If you are driving north there is a picnic area and a lot on the left, right past the bridge. There is a pretty nice swimming area right below the parking lot. I only made it about a mile up the trail. There is a paved rode at least that far. The river runs right next to it, and in May it was still flowing well. Really nice place to spend a day. Don't forget your Adventure Pass, the rangers will ticket!