california: Hi, I am planning to go to an Evangelical Christian College in California. I want to pick a college that is close to very good hiking locations. So, where do you think the best area/location to go hiking and backpacking in California is? I particularly like forest mountain areas with lakes, waterfalls, some peaks to hike to, and a lot of trees. I hope to avoid dry, desert areas with not a lot of trees and water sources. Thank you for your input!|||Go mountain Serra near yosemite or king canyon park. If you prefer big metro area, than visit bay area, see http://www.bayareavisit.com/|||the Central Coast area around Big Sur is beautiful- here is an article I wrote that talks about some hikes to waterfalls there too: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article鈥?/a> Also, you might look at the area around Mt Shasta in northern CA.. lots of mountains with lakes and waterfalls, etc...