selfish – a secret place

[Don Morris]

It is just not that hard to avoid crowds, even in tourist magnets like Yosemite. Avoid the popular spots and there are lots of open trails. There are a multitude of lesser known areas that just don't get a lot of traffic. Right next to the 16 million or so living in southern California is Channel Islands National Park, which is typically the third or so least visited NP in the system. Of those who visit, only a small fraction ever get on trails and venture any distance from campgrounds. This same story can be told in many areas throughout the west. Most people want to go where everyone else is going – Yosemite Valley, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone.

Years ago, the trails were really deserted, and they have become more crowded recently, but there is still lots of unfrequented country. If all else fails, go in the middle of the week (get a job that requires you to work weekends) and observe how the trails depopulate.

[Nico .]

Funny you should mention channel islands np. I worked out there for a little over a year and would often hear the statement that it was one of the least visited national parks in the country despite being within 100 miles (as the crow flies) of the greater LA area.

Lots of day hikers, kayakers, and weekend campers roaming around the east end of Santa Cruz and anacapa, but with a little effort it was easy to have the trails to yourself or even secluded beaches and coves, even on busy summer weekends.

Visiting on a weekday during the winter or spring? You didn't even have to try. Just leave the landing cove and voila! By yourself!

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

There are two hikes I wrote up for my website about hiking in Santa Barbara that I took down. People thought they were too special to advertise. They were probably right, even though one of them still gets frequent Sierra Club outings.

I found while hiking the PCT that no matter how crowded an area was, the crowds rarely ventured more than 5 miles from a road. All you had to do was go a few more miles and then you could go days without seeing another person.

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