The West Coast of the US does not have to mean Mickey Mouse ears and giant queues for monster rides; there are plenty of other fun activities for families to enjoy. It’s just a case of escaping the juggernaut cities and finding the secret spots. Get inspired with some of these ideas:

Scale Mount Shasta

The mighty Mount Shasta has natural entertainment in winter and summer.

• The Mount in question is a huge volcano in Northern California. It tops 4,322 metres and straddles an ancient Native American trade pathway. To give you an idea of its beauty, the founder of the US National Park system, John Muir, said: “When I first caught sight of Mount Shasta over the braided folds of the Sacramento Valley, my blood turned to wine, and I have not been weary since.”

In the winter, family fun revolves around snow; there’s dog sledding, skiing, snowboarding and sledging down Snowman’s Hill. Summer is more about hiking, camping, exploring the Shasta cavern system, delving into the volcanic tunnels beneath the Lava Beds National Monument and poking about in streams. Rent a cabin from www.koa.com from just €38 per night.

Brave Big Basin

• The Big Basin Redwoods State Park has cabins for rent in the Santa Cruz Mountains among the awe-inspiring California Redwoods, the tallest and oldest trees on Earth (see www.bigbasintentcabins.com, from €57 per night). As you hike along trails with seductive names like the Sequoia Shadowbrook loop, you’ll pass beneath trees that could be up to 2,000 years old. The kids might spot raccoon, coyote, bobcat, mountain lion or the endangered Marbled Murrelet. The park also runs regular junior ranger sessions and craft activities, but they will have just as much fun using fallen logs as balance beams, tree climbing or swimming in the stream.

Space Shuttle Endeavour is back on Earth – why not see for yourself?

See the Space Shuttle Endevour

• The California Science Centre in LA has a brilliant selection of hands-on, interactive exhibits for kids to get to grips with. In the Air and Space section, they’ll find out how astronauts protect their bodies in space, how airplanes fly and to which planets the US is sending shuttles. The trump card is being able to see the Endeavour and find out about its missions. There’s also an IMAX theatre with films that bring to life ‘worlds as small as an atom and as vast as the universe’. Entry is free, some exhibits may cost extra.

Admire a completed Renzo Piano piece

• Before Piano got to work on City Gate, he created the €360 million California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. This ultra-green building is home to almost 40,000 different animals in a setting that encompasses a four-storey rainforest, the sea and the night sky of a planetarium.

It’s a spectacular building stuffed to the living roof with amazing exhibits such as the deepest coral reef exhibit in the world, a gigantic T-Rex skeleton and a ‘digital screen by which to fly to the farthest reaches of the Universe’.

Cave the California Cavern

• This cave system was discovered in the 1850s and has been intriguing visitors including Mark Twain ever since. It has spectacular crystalline formations, some of which are very rare, as well as lots of mud and small spaces to wiggle through.

Younger kids can do the family friendly Trail of Lights including the Jungle Room, named for the crystalline ‘vines’ on the ceiling.

Older kids (16+) are eligible for a spot of spelunking in Middle Earth, including squeezing through the historic Mammoth Cave, walking knee-deep in muddy clay and rafting an underground lake. Tours start at around €11.

Castaway on Catalina Island

Live life in the slow lane – explore Catalina Island by golf cart.

• Once you reach Catalina Island, you’ll be hard pressed to remember you are just 35 kilometres off the coast of Los Angeles, one of the biggest conurbations in the world.

Fun with the children starts with the ferry; there are regular sightings of dolphins in the wake.

Check into the Catalina Canyon (www.catalinacanyonresort.com) to enjoy the pool. After that, you’ll find transport on the island is mainly via golf cart.

Most of the island is owned by www.catalinaconservancy.org, which aims to protect the delicate ecosystem here, including more than 62 miles of unspoiled beaches and secluded coves.

Take an eco-jeep tour with them to see bison grazing in the interior and hear about the endemic wildlife on the island.

Then there’s the water; you can hire a rowing boat, rent a kayak, go on a glass bottom boat tour, scuba dive and snorkel in perfectly clear water. Bike rentals are also popular and there are several routes that are perfect for families.

• Flights from Malta to LA start at around $1,000 with KLM.