93 Mountain Peaks to Explore in California

Elephants Back is a peak in Alpine County and has an elevation of 9580 feet. Elephants Back is situated south of Frog Lake, and south of Carson Pass. it is one of the iconic location where you can have a good trek and also there are so many other adventure opportunities to explore.

A beautiful valley located in the eastern California in the southwestern United States. It is a graben, like most other lower-lying areas of the Basin and Range Province. The valley has two distinguishing features. Its shape alters the wind in such a way as to collect sand near its southern end, leading to the unique Eureka Dunes. Just to the east of the dunes, the Last Chance Range climbs over 3500 feet (1070 m) as near-vertical cliffs, displaying colorful rock strata.

Frazier Mountain is a broad, pine-forested peak in the Transverse Ranges System, within the Los Padres National Forest in northeastern Ventura County. The summit of the mountain is a Forest Service lookout area with radio tower facilities as well as an abandoned fire lookout tower. The highest point is accessible by a forest road that is open when there is no snow present on the mountain.

The Golden Canyon in Death Valley National Park is probably the most famous hike in the park. It is easily accessible and you can enjoy the view from manly Beacon and explore the golden mudstone hills . It is one of the iconic location for trekkers and also there are so many things to expore.

Hawk Hill is a magnificent remnant hilltop dune with ocean views of southwestern San Francisco. It offers a prime vantage point for viewing thousands of hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures collectively known as “raptors” as they soar overhead during their annual fall migration.This unique site in the Marin Headlands is steeped in military history and plays an important role in the vitality of endangered mission blue butterflies.

Hawkins Peak is one of the many volcanic peaks that over look the small town of Markleeville on Sr4. The popular Grover Hot Springs are at the base of this Mountain on the South Eastern Side. This peak is interesting to look at because the summit is a large knob made up of volcanic rock that looks like a nipple. Hawkins Peak is also one of the 10,000 ft peaks that surround Hope Valley.

Highland Peak is a sharp summited peak located near Ebbetts Pass on California State Route 4, one of the trans-Sierra routes that is closed during the winter. Although it ranks as the 680th highest summit in California, it ranks 36th highest of those with at least 500 meters of topographic prominence. Highland Peak has a subsidiary South Peak, with one-half mile separation between summits. The Pacific Crest Trail traverses the western foot of this mountain, providing an approach option.

A broad mountain valley in Alpine County, California, located on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada to the northeast of Carson Pass and south of Lake Tahoe. The valley served as a major thoroughfare for the passage of settlers and emigrants to and from California during the Gold Rush era. Sitting at an elevation of just above 7,000 feet and framed by peaks reaching over 10,000 feet high, Hope Valley is known for its wide vistas, fly fishing, fall colors, and winter activities.

Jobs Peak located in Alpine County, California, is the most prominent peak visible from the Carson Valley in Douglas County, Nevada. The peak offers hiking and backcountry skiing with the view of Lake Tahoe. It is in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. It is one of the iconic location for challenging trek too.

Kirkwood Mountain Resort is a year-round resort in Kirkwood, California south of Lake Tahoe that focuses on skiing and snowboarding in winter and hiking and mountain-biking in summer. The mountain is unique in that it has 2 mi ridgeline at the top. This makes Kirkwood popular for cliff drops and cornices. Kirkwood received 804 in of snow during the 2005-2006 ski season.

La Cumbre Peak is a 3997-foot peak in the Santa Ynez Mountains north of Santa Barbara. It is a popular destination for those looking to have a grand view of the South Coast and surrounding area. It serves as a great training hike and affords nice views of the Santa Barbara area coastline and the Santa Ynez valley.

Lone Pine Peak is located on the east side of the Sierra Nevada range just west of the town of Lone Pine, California in Inyo County, in eastern California in the southwestern United States. The summit marks the eastern boundary of the John Muir Wilderness in the Inyo National Forest. Lone Pine Peak is the mountain in the photo for the default desktop of macOS Sierra.

Madera Peak is located just south of the copper mining town of Miami, Arizona, and is the northernmost summit in the Pinal Mountains. It is a prominent peak when viewed from the west side. From the summit of Madera Peak one gains great views of a vast complex of high ranges including Ritter Range, the Sierra crest, Silver Divide, Yosemite boundary divide, and Clark Range.

Manly Beacon is a towering spire that rises above the Death Valley badlands. The peak stands out in stark contrast to the backdrop of the Red Cathedral formation and the surrounding mud hills. To many people, the peak may look unclimbable, but there is a narrow ridge that accesses the small summit, where there are unforgettable views of the surrounding badlands, the Death Valley salt pan, and Telescope Peak, the often-snowcapped highpoint of the Panamint Range.

Hiking trail through an old mine, three mile hike to the peak offers panoramic views of south eastern side of Joshua Tree National Park.

Middle Palisade is a peak in the Palisades group, part of the central Sierra Nevada mountain range in the U.S. state of California. It is the twelfth highest peak in the state.Several routes involving exposed scrambling class 3 and/or easy technical rock climbing exist on the various flanks of Middle Palisade. Some routes involve travel on the Middle Palisade Glacier.

This is a mountain pass on Highway 203 in the central Sierra Nevada. The pass, lying on the Madera-Mono County border, is within the Mammoth Ranger District of the Inyo National Forest and located near Devils Postpile National Monument, Mammoth Lakes, and Mammoth Mountain. It offers views of the Ritter Range, including The Minarets, Mount Ritter and Banner Peak, to the west and the Long Valley Caldera, the Glass Mountains and the White Mountains to the east.

Mission Peak is a 2,517-foot summit east of the San Francisco Bay in Fremont. Mission Peak has symbolic importance, and is depicted on the logo of the City of Fremont. It is located in Mission Peak Regional Preserve, a regional park operated by the East Bay Regional Park District. Mission Peak Regional Preserve is a popular location for hang gliding and paragliding.

Mokelumne Peak is a peak in the Mokelumne Wilderness, Sierra Nevada, Amador County. This Peak has the largest body of metamorphic rock in the region, called the Mokelumne Peak roof pendant, extending over an area of 15 square miles. The pendant has concentric zones of different metamorphic rock types around a central core of highly folded and contorted gneiss. The granite of the batholith surrounding the roof pendant is the granodiorite of Caples Lake.

Montara Mountain is a challenging oceanside hike on the northern edge of the Santa Cruz Mountains, mixing Hawaii-like greenery with beautiful coastal views. Its Trail starts as a meandering jaunt through the Blue Gum Eucalyptus forest with striking glimpses of coastal Pacifica and the ocean beyond.