Spanning from redwood forests in the north to sun-warmed beaches in the south—with the dream-making machine of Hollywood in the middle—the state of California packs in plenty of opportunities for adventure in a vast multitude of diverse landscapes. The Central Coast offers kayaking in Morro Bay, surfing in Santa Barbara, tidepooling in Monterey, beachcombing in Carmel, and selfies in Big Sur. In Northern California, San Francisco will give you the best sorts of sightseeing (and food), and Yosemite stands at the ready with its renowned hiking and tumbling waterfalls. Add world-class wine and cuisine, the charming inns, and the wildlife wonders around Point Reyes, and you’re getting the bigger picture. We haven't even gotten to Universal Studios or the fascinating desert climes of Joshua Tree and Death Valley—but we certainly will. You will!

Select one of our guided group tours in California to explore the wonders of Yosemite National Park. No one who has had the opportunity to stand before El Capitan, Half Dome, or Yosemite Falls walks away unimpressed or unchanged. Choose another trip and take a turn in the deserts of Joshua Tree and Death Valley national parks. In Joshua Tree, hike among the twisty, spiky, Dr. Seuss-like trees that reside in the Mojave Desert, and look for bighorn sheep, golden eagles, ground squirrels, and lizards that flash and dash in the sun. At night, spot black-tailed jackrabbits, coyotes, kangaroo rats, and snakes that hop, trot, and slide out of hiding. Then dig into Death Valley, the largest national park in the Lower 48. Gaze upon the descriptively named Badwater Basin (largest protected salt flats in the world), Funeral Mountains, and Telescope Peak. Hike Mosaic Canyon, named for its multicolored, rock-fragment-infused, marble walls, and trek the Golden Canyon Trail, another aptly labeled hike that traverses twisting narrows and brilliant-bronze badlands.

Or let us give you Yosemite (and/or Death Valley and/or Joshua Tree) plus much more on a Private Custom Journey! How about a road trip up the cliff-hugging Pacific Coast Highway, following a carefully plotted map drawn up just for you. Along the way amble among sky-touching redwoods and peer into a tide pool ecosystem in Monterey Bay with a marine biologist as your guide. Wander through Big Sur, a forested, artists’ haven, well-known for its notable residents, such as Ansel Adams, Henry Miller and Hunter S. Thompson. As you go, take full advantage of the highway’s pull-offs to marvel at the soaring bluffs that drop into a crashing surf. Before it’s done, follow your nose to the rolling vineyards of Sonoma to savor the food and sample the wine of this wonderful region.

With that we’re just getting started. We mean you’re just getting started, on an Off the Beaten Path California adventure tour—however far you choose to range.