Whether it’s river rafting, rock climbing, or racing, California offers more than its fair share of heart racing activities for the thrill-seeking traveler. Check out a handful of these high octane experiences that are sure to get the blood pumping on your next trip to the Golden State.
Get your motor running
Put your mettle to the gas pedal at Sonoma Raceway. The famous 2.52-mile, 12-turn course, carved into the Sonoma Wine Country hills in 1968, hosts NASCAR, drag racing, and GT events, and lets you take to the track for dragging and drifting, as well as karting at speeds of up to 70 mph.
Courtesy Alpenglow Expeditions/Tahoe Via Ferrata
Beat gravity—safely
Learn the ropes as you ascend a sheer 800-foot cliff at Tahoe Via Ferrata. Combining hiking and climbing—with some scrambling mixed in—the route's ladders, steps, and suspension bridges allow even beginners to reach breathtaking heights. Set on the Tram Face above Palisades Tahoe's Olympic Valley, the course was inspired by "iron road" climbing routes first built in the Alps. Certified guides lead tours ranging from two to four hours, clipping participants into a continuous safety cable the whole way up.
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Paddle the Smith River
A designated National Wild and Scenic River, the Smith River is all that—one of California’s wildest, most beautiful rafting destinations Head out on the North Fork with Redwood Rides Adventure Outfitters and take on churning Class IV rapids that sometimes blow up to Class V.
Soar over the bay
See the seashore from a seaplane as you take off from the water in Sausalito and glide over the Bay Area with Seaplane Adventures. Between that watery takeoff and a thrilling splash landing, you’ll get a heart-stopping perspective on such landmarks as the Golden Gate Bridge.
Explore a shipwreck
Near San Diego, scuba dive Wreck Alley. Local dive companies, including Waterhorse Charters, lead trips to this artificial reef, where ships were deliberately sunk to create a habitat for marine animals and an incomparable diving destination.
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Fly the Delta
Maybe you've never heard of Sherman Island in the California Delta, but kiteboarders sure have. With strong winds and mostly flat conditions, many consider it North America's top summer boarding destination, a place to cruise at 20 mph and catch major air for acrobatics. The island's reliable thermal winds are created by the temperature gap between the foggy San Francisco coast and the hot Central Valley, drawing riders from May through October. On busy summer weekends, dozens of kites can fill the sky at once, alongside a laid-back community of windsurfers who first put the Delta on the map decades earlier.
Rock out in Idyllwild
A global rock-climbing landmark, Idyllwild has drawn the legends since the 1930s. The towering granite faces of Tahquitz Rock and Suicide Rock have 500 named routes, and guided outings with Vertical Adventures will help you get a grip on California’s Matterhorn.
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Get down with Downieville
Mountain biking was born in California, and for all the advances since the sport's beginnings, the Downieville Downhill remains a daunting test. Home to the country's longest downhill race, the route plunges 5,333 feet over 15 miles, starting at Packer Saddle in the Sierra Nevada and finishing in the Gold Rush-era town of Downieville. Racers tackle a demanding string of singletrack, from the flowy Sunrise Trail to the technical Butcher Ranch Trail, before sprinting down Main Street to the finish. The race anchors the annual Downieville Classic, held every August since 1995, with proceeds funding the nonprofit that maintains the area's trails.
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Go to the edge
The laid-back Orange County beach scene goes wild at The Wedge, a world-class bodysurfing destination in Newport Beach. With 30-foot waves rebounding off the jetty, The Wedge has been likened to riding an angry bull—in a washing machine. The wave owes its power to a jetty extension built in the 1930s, which causes incoming swells to collide with water reflecting back off the rocks, doubling their force just yards from shore. Bodysurfers have ridden it since the 1950s, and during peak summer swells, crowds pack the sand to watch daredevils take on one of the most famous—and punishing—waves in the world.
