Mori Point, located just south of Pacifica, is a beautiful place on the Californian coastline and is only a short drive from San Francisco. With its rugged bluffs, the wild ocean crashing at the shore, black beaches, carpets of wildflowers in spring, and abundant wildlife, Mori Point is a great example of what is possible when restoring natural landscapes after decades of exploitation.

Lassen Volcanic National Park is one of the lesser-visited national parks in California, yet it is by no means less beautiful or interesting. In this article, I will share my experience and best tips for hiking from Cold Boiling Lake to Bumpass Hell, where one encounters the awe-inspiring scenery of wildflower meadows, tiny streams, and turquoise lakes, all leading to the largest hydrothermal area in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

The Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve is a remarkable place to admire the spring bloom of the stunning California state flower. A place that looks in summer like the sun must have burnt every trace of life to the ground and it is hard to imagine that there is any time during the year where something, besides maybe a cactus, could thrive there. In spring, however, nature proves otherwise.

The Carrizo Plain National Monument is a remote place in the heart of California's Central Valley that comes to life with wildflowers during spring, occasionally showcasing a superbloom in ideal years — as it was the case in 2023. The monument is a vast grassland that historically stretched across much of California’s Central Valley. Today, it is, in the midst of agriculture and the oil industry, the last remnant of this type of landscape in California.