Kayaking is one of the greatest ways to experience everything the islands have to offer an outdoor enthusiast's paradise and teem with wildlife.
Whitewater Rafting
There are placid, canoe-friendly pools along the Trinity River as well as challenging, technical rapids in Burnt Ranch Gorge.
Crawl Through Lava Tube Caves
The main adventure is beneath at Lava Beds National Monument in Siskiyou County, which has a strange landscape peppered with sagebrush and cinder cones.
Paraglide at Torrey Pines
The area's distinctive geography, helps paragliders to be in the air and provides breathtaking views as you drift on the wind.
Mountain Bike in Big Bear
The warm San Bernardino Mountains turn into a mountain bike hotspot in the summer.
Ride the Waves
You'll be tempted to surf yourself if you watch a surfer grab a wave at spots like Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz or Surfrider Beach in Malibu.
Snorkel at Catalina Island
To observe garibaldi, the state fish of California, which are bright orange, waving kelp forests, and moray eels, snorkelers throng to Lover's Cove near Avalon.
Hike in Red Rock Canyon
This state park is made up of unexpectedly tall towers of white, red, and pink sandstone from the Golden State.
Go Rock Climbing
Yosemite Valley tops every rock climber's wish list with its vertical spires, polished domes, and towering crags, but California's bounty of granite extends far beyond El Capitan.
Backpack
Take a three-day, 24 mile journey amid coastal prairies and rocky coves encircled by the towering peaks of the King Range to see it.