A wise person once said that a culture can be measured by the resources it chooses to preserve. If that’s true, then the state of California is an immense credit to American culture. The Golden State is blessed with an abundance of parks and preserves, including more than 20 units of the National Park System, 18 national forests, 137 federally designated wilderness areas, 275 state parks, and thousands of county and regional parks.

This huge mosaic of parklands celebrates California’s diverse landscape, which includes the highest peak in the contiguous United States (Mount Whitney, in the southern Sierra Nevada, at 14,495 feet) and the lowest point in the western hemisphere (Badwater, in Death Valley, at 282 feet below sea level). The state contains 20,000 square miles of desert, nearly 700 miles of Pacific coastline, an unaccountable wealth of snow-capped peaks and alpine lakes, a smattering of islands, and even a handful of volcanoes.

California also boasts its share of the world’s tallest living things, the towering coast redwoods. And it is the only state that is home to the world’s largest living trees (by volume), the giant sequoias. We can also brag of having the planet’s oldest living things, the ancient bristlecone pines.

Quite simply, California is a land of superlatives, and using this card deck is one way to get out and explore it. What’s great about the trails you hold in your hand is that they are suitable and fun for almost everybody. Bring along your children, your grandma, or even your spouse who thinks the “great” outdoors is all about mosquitoes and poison oak. Every trail in this deck was chosen because it offers a good payoff, a reason for going besides just for the exercise. These 50 trails will lead you away from pavement, exhaust fumes, and crowds, to places where you’d rather be: sparkling waterfalls, scenic viewpoints, and peaceful forests.

And fortunately, this is Northern California, so all the right ingredients for hiking nirvana are here. With a wide variety of terrain, from the mountains to the sea, it’s always perfect hiking weather somewhere, no matter what season of the year. And no matter where you live, it’s only a short drive to somewhere spectacular—often only a few minutes. If you live in downtown San Francisco, you have a wealth of parks and preserves within an hour’s drive—in Marin County and on the San Mateo County coast and hills. If you live in the suburbs of Sacramento, just an hour or two on the highway will put you in the Sierra Gold County foothills, or in the Tahoe high country. Residents of Modesto and Stockton can be standing in a mountain meadow in Yosemite National Park in the time it takes many people to commute to work. With this abundance of riches in our backyard, there’s no reason not to get out and explore.

With a few exceptions, most of the hikes in this deck are less than 6 miles round-trip. Depending on your pace and number of stops, most hikes will take 2 to 4 hours to complete. In general, the hikes are not very steep, although some of them will surely give you an aerobic workout. Read the text on the back of the cards to get a feel for each trail before you set out, just so you know what you are in for. The routes themselves are marked on the maps, with the starting point clearly labeled.

When you do head out, remember to tread lightly and gently on this magnificent land. The basics are simple: Leave no trace of your visit. Pack out all your trash. Don’t collect specimens of plants, wildlife, or even pine cones. Never carve into the trunks of trees. When you’re following a trail, don’t cut the switchbacks just to save time. Leave everything in nature exactly as you found it, because each tiny piece has its place in the great scheme of things.

If you choose to, you can go the extra mile, too. Pick up any litter that you see on the trail, and teach children to do the same. Carry an extra bag to hold collected litter until you get to a trash receptacle, or just keep an empty pocket for that purpose in your day-pack or fanny sack. If you have the extra time or energy, join a trail organization in your area or spend some time volunteering in your local park. Any small effort you make to help this beautiful planet will be repaid to you, many times over.