SoCalHiker is a hiking and backpacking resource with each guide researched, hiked, and written by myself or one of my friends. SoCalHiker is by hikers, for hikers.
About Jeff Hester
I am a second generation Angeleno, and an avid hiker, backpacker and adventurer.
I’ve been putting dirt under my feet since the 1970s. When I started SoCalHiker in 2010, I was training for my second thru-hike of the John Muir Trail. Living in Southern California, I began to catalog my training hikes to share with my friends.
Since that time, SoCalHiker has grown to include over 250 trail and backpacking guides across the U.S.
As part of that origin, the Six-Pack of Peaks was also born. This started as an informal training program for big adventures — like my thru-hike of the JMT. Many used it to train for summiting Mount Whitney. And in 2015, I created the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge. It started in Southern California, but has grown to include 17 regional challenges across the U.S. Read about the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge →
Since those early years, I’ve moved a few times (Seoul, Berkeley, Bend and soon Dijon) and I’ve tackled some epic international adventures in England, Patagonia, Iceland and Kilimanjaro. SoCalHiker is not only about Southern California hikes. While its roots are in SoCal, the website has grown to encompass my adventures all over the world.
How to Use SoCalHiker
Looking for adventure? Start by browsing our Hike Finder, where you can filter and sort by difficulty level and region and get great day hiking adventures. If you’re looking for bigger, multi-day backpacking trip inspiration, you can browse all our backpacking trips. And when you’re ready to level-up your hiking abilities, head over to the home of the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge series. You can stay up-to-date with my latest adventures on Instagram @theSoCalHiker.