Independence Trail East near Nevada City puts the “gold” in Gold Country. (Photo by Jeremy Sykes) Whether you’re looking for a lazy stroll through a leafy tunnel or a vigorous climb to a vertiginous vista, we’ve got the cider-and-sweater season covered with this guide to 10 of our favorite fall hikes. Some are easy-peasy and utterly charming. Others throw down an assortment of fun challenges, inviting you to try your hand (and feet) at hill climbing, route finding and going the distance. These autumnal peregrinations sample the various landscapes of our region, from cathedral-like sugar pine forests shot through with golden sunlight, to dense, emerald green riparian woodlands atwitter with migrating waterfowl. Happy trails! Photo by Jeremy Sykes STEVEN’S TRAIL This steep out-and-back trail is on the National Register of Historic Places, as it once served as a toll road connecting the mining boomtown of Iowa Hill (now a sleepy, remote community) and Colfax. It fell out of use around 1906, until it was remapped by a local Boy Scout in 1969. Today, the Stevens Trail offers postcard-worthy views of the American River Canyon—and with its sheer drop-offs, thrills akin to a ride to the top of Las Vegas’ Strat Tower. One rocky (though short) passage crossing a field of shale even boasts chains to hold onto lest you lose your footing as you pass by a particularly narrow traverse. But the trail is mostly quite wide and well maintained, so the peril is more psychological than actual; the real danger lies not in tumbling down a hill, but in underestimating the difficulty of returning up one. You should pick a fall day when temperatures won’t rise above the 70s, because as easy as it feels going down, you’ll be huffing and puffing and very glad you brought that extra liter of water as you climb a total of 1,600 feet before getting back to the trailhead. But if the vertigo or the exertion don’t have you gasping, the rapturous views will—for there is pulse-quickening grandeur here, making it clear why this trail is a favorite among avid hikers in the region. Trailhead parking 0.6 miles off Interstate 80 in Colfax. Take exit 135 and head north, parallel to the interstate, to the trailhead. Photo by Jeremy Sykes LAKE NATOMA Just because you’re an enlightened urbanite who has chosen to go car-free doesn’t mean you have to be the indoorsy type. Accessible via Regional Transit’s Gold Line light rail from Sacramento, Lake Natoma’s urban/outdoor interface is a perfect place to contemplate the intertwining of man and nature at the margin where civilization and the wild meet. The 11.5-mile circuit around the entire lake makes for a glorious full day—but the beauty of using public transit to get here is that you can get off at the Hazel Station and hike from Nimbus Dam to Old Town Folsom, an invigorating 5.5 miles, and pick up the light rail at the end of the line to head home (for shorter hikes, you can ride on to the Iron Point or Glenn stations). The official route follows the paved bike path, but you won’t—a parallel, well-worn single-track trail with plenty of access points keeps you close to the water and away from the cyclists. This trail is never flat but never strenuous, undulating up and down with near-constant views of the water, often framed in picturesque foliage, with the occasional picnic table poised for a breather. Notice how, after your sojourn in nature, the dappled, shimmering city lights reflected in the light rail car’s glass seem magically charged and poetic, like man-made fireflies? You’re seeing your habitat anew, your eyes’ acuity refreshed and reinvigorated by nature’s respite. How long will this sensation last? Maybe you’ll get off a stop or two early and walk some more, just to keep the glow going. 1912 Hazel Avenue in Rancho Cordova. Riding the RT Gold Line light rail from Sacramento, get off at the Hazel stop across from the Nimbus Flat State Recreation Area, or the Old Town Folsom stop. There is a $10 day-use fee for parking. Photo by Jeremy Sykes INDEPENDENCE TRAIL EAST If you’re looking for fall color, I can’t think of a better destination than this dazzling, leafy tunnel through Gold Country that is literally paved with gold—maple leaves, that is—throughout October. It’s an easy 4.4-mile out-and-back stroll that offers occasional peek-a-boo glimpses of the dazzling jade green cascades of the Yuba River, but where the star attraction during the fall season is the riot of blazing yellow leaves fluttering above you, around you and fallen underfoot. You’ll be surrounded on all sides by arching boughs, while the path below inspires you to skip along to the tune of “Follow the Yellow Brick Road.” Tidy, picturesque boardwalks connect the path where it crosses ravines, keeping the path level; you are following an old canal, so the grade is superbly gentle and even. If you want a destination—say, a place to pull a plaid wool lap blanket out of a backpack and pour a hot toddy out of a vintage thermos—you’ll find a picnic table next to a babbling brook at the 2-mile mark that makes a perfect spot to cuddle up and mint a memory or two. Pro tip: If you want a closer look at the Yuba, skip the tricky, unmaintained paths at trail’s end—they’re not as nice as they look on your map app. Instead, when you return to the trailhead, take a short hop down to the South Yuba River Bridge, where you’ll have a better view. On your way back, stop at Choquiero Chocolate on Nevada City’s Victorian Broad Street for a deep, dark, warming cup of ceremonial cacao. There is limited parking at this popular trailhead near where Highway 49 crosses the Yuba River, with overflow parking about a half mile away near the South Yuba River Bridge. Photo by Jeremy Sykes BASSI FALLS Thundering with mountain runoff in the spring, crowded with revelers in the summer, remote Bassi Falls is best in autumn, when it feels like a contemplative Zen rock garden dotted with reflecting pools. This easy out-and-back hike in El Dorado County’s Crystal Basin Recreation Area gains only 450 feet of elevation, making it appropriate for small children and dogs. But you owe it to yourself to hike this trail solo at least once, as it’s made for meditative forest bathing. Leaving the gravel parking lot at the trailhead (located about 26 miles northeast of Pollock Pines), the well-marked path passes through fragrant pine forests with views of Bassi Creek before opening up to a sweeping slab of granite at the base of the 109-foot cascade, which tumbles over a jumble of massive boulders before meandering this way and that from pool to pool. Climb up onto that big rock outcropping you see for a superb view, then take your time wandering aimlessly between the upper and lower falls, exploring the myriad delightful basins carved into the granite where still waters reflect autumnal shades of russet, green and gold. Take off your shoes and give your dogs a refreshing soak before heading back down the way you came. After your hike, take the chill off with a bowl of house-made soup (the creative chef whips up offerings like baked potato, chicken pozole and butternut curry) at the charming bar at Ice House Resort, where hikers and off-roaders have been pinning dollar bills to the walls and ceiling for decades. Drive 6 miles past Pollock Pines on Highway 50. Exit on Ice House Road, and follow that road to the trailhead. Photo by Jeremy Sykes JOSHUA M. HARDY MEMORIAL TRAIL There’s a reason you go ahhhhhh!  when you step out of the car on the shore of Sugar Pine Reservoir outside of rustic Foresthill, and it’s not just the postcard-perfect view of the lake: Ever notice how, when you’re surrounded by trees at around 3,600-feet elevation, the air begins to feel so crystalline and pure that you instinctively take deeper, slower, more satisfying breaths? That’s your body and brain reacting to the heady scent of pine wafting on the crisp fall breeze. Those sugar pines aren’t just for show; pine trees give off limonene and pinene, aromatic compounds that, when inhaled, produce a number of healthful effects, from reducing the stress hormone cortisol to lowering whole-body inflammation and improving mood (or so says the science behind the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing). And this walk is a perfect way to administer yourself a therapeutic dose, whatever your fitness level: The trail encircling the lake is as easy as it gets, and roughly half of it is paved, making this the ultimate outing for people with limited mobility. And at 4 miles, it’s also long enough to satisfy outdoor enthusiasts craving a workout. The tall, thin trees let streaks of light filter through, so you get that hushed cathedral vibe—awe is another phenomenon recently discovered to have mental and physical health benefits. Everyone you meet along the way as you circle the lake, from elderly couples out for a hike to families fishing for trout, is smiling a secret smile. Yep, that beatific grin telegraphs, “I’ve found my healthy, happy place.” This hike starts at the Manzanita Picnic Area at Sugar Pine Reservoir, a 20-mile drive from the Foresthill ranger station in the Tahoe National Forest. $5 for day-use parking. Photo by Max Whittaker FOLSOM LAKE PENINSULA We’ve tipped readers before to the best-in-region sunsets to be had from Folsom Lake’s remote eastern shore, and this hilly lakeside stroll offers up a perfect opportunity to bask in the gilded, late-day light that cinematographers call magic hour on your way to the tip of the peninsula. This trailhead will feel so close, yet so, so far, as it’s a winding 10-mile drive once you leave Highway 49 from tiny Pilot Hill, but the peace and serenity once you arrive is worth it. Pay your day-use fee at the kiosk, ask for a printed trail map, and park at the Oaks Nature Trail trailhead just past the entrance, where you’ll start out on a well-marked interpretive trail that ends at the campground. Listen for the tok-tok-tok of busy woodpeckers and the gobble-gobble-gobble of wild turkeys on your way. The trail is indistinct as it hugs the shore alongside the campground, but once you head inland for the trip to the end of the peninsula, it follows an old service road. As you approach the end of the hike, the heat-seared golden grasses only add to the spectacle as the setting sun turns the soft surface of the lake to shimmering silk and the hillsides to rich golden brocade. If you start back just after the ball drops, you’ll only have a mile or so to travel in full darkness. My recommendation? Bring a flashlight and embrace the spooky. And remember, that’s a hoo, not a boo, you hear emanating from the dusky forest shadows, as in, just an owl, not a Halloween ghoul. Peninsula Campground is located at 7980 Rattlesnake Bar Road in Pilot Hill. There is a $12 day-use fee for parking. Photo by Jeremy Sykes JENKINSON LAKE Ever popular with cross-country devotees and beginning mountain bikers, this rolling loop around a lake is the focal point of Sly Park Recreation Area just outside of Pollock Pines. Its 8 total miles of gentle up-and-down, wavy, flowy hills pass through a number of populous campgrounds and picnic areas that break up the forested fantasia. So instead of the full loop, I prefer a curated, out-and-back 7-mile section hike of the secluded eastern shore. You will lope up and down a rolling trail soft with forest duff, the lake ever in sight. At Mile 3, you can follow a short side trail to the right to see a demure little waterfall, then return to the main trail. When it opens up to a picnic area, you’ll find a lovely boardwalk at Hazel Creek Meadow that arabesques through the reeds, leading to a perfectly framed panorama of the lake spread out in front of you. This is your turn-around point. Like most modern hikers, you’re probably wearing a pair of running shoes, so if the temptingly springy terrain makes you want to break into a light jog anywhere along the way—well, go for it. Reward your efforts with an apple, corned beef and gouda sandwich with pickled blueberry slaw from Timmy’s Brown Bag in Placerville—or spam and kimchi, or whatever the inventive pick of the day is at this sandwich shop that was named one of Yelp’s “Top 100 Places to Eat” in the country last year—because the rule is that food tastes that much better for every mile you hike. 4771 Sly Park Road in Pollock Pines. $15 for day-use parking at the trailhead. Photo by Jeremy Sykes DAVIS-COVELL GREENBELT Once you experience the Davis-Covell Greenbelt, you’ll wonder why all neighborhoods aren’t built around a series of leafy, paved pathways that allow pedestrians to perambulate car-free from condo to park to grocery store to campus—or as I’m about to recommend, in a pleasantly aimless circle. As much as I love a good mountain trail, there’s no better setting for lively conversation with an old friend (human or canine) than a broad, unobstructed path with room to saunter along side-by-side. The plan for 50-plus miles of nonmotorized pathways was dreamed up by landscape architects advising the city on its general plan in the 1980s, and served as a framework for the city’s more than 60 miles of paths today. My favorite way to sample this dreamy urban idyll is via a brisk 3-plus-mile loop beginning at Covell Park in north Davis. Shady and flat, the connected paths follow alongside ponds, through verdant creekside corridors, and past lawns, meadows, gardens and public art installations. Heading north, you’ll happen upon a bronze dog riding a tricycle. Here you can bear left for a longer route, keeping an eye out for Eddy Hood’s 1994 sculpture of four massive dominoes, entitled Domino Effect II, and Danielle Fodor’s epic 2018 street mural Elemental, painted by 450 local resident volunteers. Or continue straight for more bronze doggies and a visit to Julie Partansky Pond in Northstar Park. There are no wrong routes in this meandering network of trails, so feel free to follow your curiosity, or do just one more loop to finish your audiobook. Because as the saying goes, not all who wander are lost. Park at Covell Park, cross the street and follow the connecting paths through Covell Park, Senda Nueva (for a longer loop), and Northstar Park. Photo by Jeremy Sykes BOBELAINE AUDUBON SANCTUARY Ever wonder what the Sacramento River Valley would look like if proponents of “rewilding” had their way, reintroducing native species to our engineered levee banks and returning them to the birds, the bees, the flowers and the trees? Just half an hour up Highway 99 from downtown Sacramento, just a dozen miles south of Yuba City, the Bobelaine Audubon Sanctuary’s preserve—charmingly named for local farmers Bob and Elaine Crandall, who donated the land on the banks of the Feather River in 1975—lets visitors experience that verdant, hectic explosion of life force in all its glory. You’ll park at the base of a levee protecting orderly orchards, a picturesque patchwork from on high. Soon, though, you’ll walk back down into the lowlands of the preserve, where 4-plus miles of mown paths meander through an Edenic landscape, soft underfoot, shady and almost tropical in its respiring, chlorophyllic hedonism. Wild California grape vines adorn the sycamore, cottonwood and evergreen oak trees, their heady, aromatic fruit ripening in the fall—go ahead and pop a few of the juicy, pearl-sized purple orbs in your mouth. (Just remember to spit out the seeds.) Not to leave out any of the senses, there’s also music adding to the festive air via a cacophony of birdsong, especially in fall, when a fair share of the billion birds that migrate along the Pacific Flyway every year flock to Bobelaine’s sloughs—over 200 species, from geese to herons to wood ducks, have been recorded here. Mother Nature is throwing a party, and you’re invited to wind flowers into your hair and prance around like a happy hippie. Bobelaine Audubon Sanctuary. 15 Laurel Avenue in Yuba City. Photo by Max Whittaker TWIN LAKES We really have saved the best for last with this vigorous out-and-back hike to a pair of jewel-like alpine lakes at the edge of the storied Desolation Wilderness, a region of craggy granite peaks rising above rugged, gnarly conifers, with an impossibly blue sky reflected in dozens of chill mountain pools. This roughly 6-mile trail isn’t appropriate for beginners, but if you’ve already put some miles on those trail runners—and don’t mind the destination-worthy drive (Twin Lakes is about 32 miles northeast of Pollock Pines)—it’s an ideal introduction to route-finding. Since much of it passes over granite, sometimes the only trail markings are cairns—neatly stacked towers of rocks other hikers leave to mark the trail—and it takes a careful eye to stay on track. However, knowing that the trail runs up the middle of a steep-sided narrow basin makes it almost impossible to get truly lost: Just head back to the middle and you’ll find your way again. The journey is breathtaking at every turn, from the start at picnic-perfect Wrights Lake, ringed by campsites and U.S. Forest Service cabins, to a lookout where you can gaze back at mist rising from the shimmering lake and miles and miles of forested hills beyond. You’ll gain 1,000 feet by the time you cross a ballroom dance floor’s worth of eerily off-world granite slab to reach the Twin Lakes, earning yourself a waterside idyll on one of the many elaborately time-worn outcroppings that line the meandering shores dotted with low, gnarled pines and scrappy scrub brush. If you feel like you’re visiting another planet, know that Davis sci-fi author Kim Stanley Robinson had Desolation’s fantastical geology in mind when he penned his widely celebrated Mars trilogy. You can continue up the trail another half mile to Island Lake, or turn around for a perfect 6-miler. Either way, you’ll stay here in spirit. Once you’ve done a hike into this kind of country, your soul will dwell in the mountains forever after. From Highway 50, about 5 miles past Kyburz, turn left onto Wrights Lake Road, then turn right at the lake to reach the Twin Lakes Trailhead. There is a $10 day-use fee for parking.