Hike Point Mugu Big Sycamore Canyon Loop Trail

Reacquainted with the Outdoors

As always, check official websites for information and updates before you go, since statuses may change. Enjoy your local trails!

Week: 05.28.2020
Regions: Southern CA

As always, check official websites for information and updates before you go, since statuses may change. Enjoy your local trails!

1) Urban Jurassic {Los Angeles County}

Griffith Park hike Berline Forest

As Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm character famously says in Jurassic Park: Life finds a way. He may have been talking about a scary dinosaur takeover, but as California continues to face droughts, an abundance of tropical plant life tucked away on a 3.5-mile Griffith Park hike proves his point.

2) Cowabunga, Cucamonga! {Los Angeles County}

Cucamonga Peak

Now that the days are longer, if you really want to get in a solid hike, do the challenging 12.1-mile (round-trip) hike that bags the 8,859-foot Cucamonga Peak, one of the tallest in the San Gabriel Mountains. On a clear day the summit offers expansive views of the high desert and the Inland Empire that are almost completely unimpeded by other mountains. Bring plenty of water and check the weather forecast before going.

3) Baldwin Beautiful {Los Angeles County}

Baldwin Hills Overlook

Set at 511 feet, the balcony viewing point at Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook offers a glowing perspective of Los Angeles—especially at sunset. You can drive to the overlook, but it's more fun (okay, better exercise) to start from city level and hoof it up the 1.25-mile dirt hiking trail that winds around the famous Baldwin steps in a series of switchbacks.

4) Coast Is Crystal Clear {Orange County}

Crystal Cover overlook hike

Captivating coastline, charming cottages, clear waters, and quaint wooden staircases: It’s just another day at the beach on this 6-mile (round-trip) seaside stroll in Crystal Cove State Park.

5) Big Sycamore, Big Views {Ventura County}

Hike Point Mugu Big Sycamore Canyon Loop Trail

The coolest part of the Big Sycamore Canyon Loop Trail in Point Mugu State Park? Every stretch offers something new, from rocky bluffs to grassy valleys, coastal views to majestic mountains. This 9-mile (round-trip) trail is best hiked in a counterclockwise direction. That way, the scenery gets more awe-inspiring mile by mile, as you climb about 1,200 feet from the Malibu coast into the Santa Monica Mountains and back. Bring plenty of water. (Bring plenty of your own water; this is a long hot and can get hot. Check trail status for one-way direction hikes only due to Covid-19. Very limited parking.)

6) Abra Cabrillo {San Diego County}

Hike and tidepool Cabrillo National Monument Point Loma

We're allowed back outdoors again, so we're all kinda feeling that explorer’s mind-set. Be Cabrillo! Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, that is. He was the first foreign visitor (1542) to San Diego. Honor his legacy with some San Diego tide pooling, whale watching, and 3.5 miles of walking at the park that bears his name: Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma.

7) Reminder: New Rules of the Trail

We love the outdoors and we want to keep them open! Here's a simple guide to the New Rules of the Trail.

8) New Podcast Episode: Easing Back Into the Outdoors

Weekend Sherpa podcast

(Dipping our pinky toe in...) Weekend Sherpa is back to recommending local outdoor adventures. Brad and Holly discuss parks across California re-opening, some of the ongoing mixed messages, and the importance of getting outdoors as a health benefit. Hear about some of the parks they recommend, plus part of the podcast was recorded from the top of a mountain on a Memorial Day weekend hike (because, why not?!). Check out the podcast.

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  1. Picnic and a Pedal

    West Marin has all the right stuff for an afternoon getaway: bike paths, babbling brooks, canopy forests, and secluded picnic spots. Combine a picnic and a pedal at Samuel P. Taylor State Park by biking the easygoing Cross Marin Trail.

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  2. Hike the Oursan Trail alongside Briones Reservoir in the East Bay

    Opt for Oursan

    Hike the trail less traveled in the East Bay's Briones Regional Park. The Oursan Trail is pure serenity on a wide hiking path skirting the northern shores of Briones Reservoir.

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  3. Most Peaceful Hike of All

    Is this the most peaceful one-hour hike in the Bay Area? It's got our vote! Lake Lagunitas is the smallest lake in a series of five found on the north side of Mount Tam, so it’s got that tiny but mighty charm. Do a 1.5-mile loop around the lake's shore-hugging trail.

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  4. Sebastopol Food & Wine Roll

    One apple farm, three charming towns, multiple wineries, and infinite natural beauty. Savor a perfect autumn day in Sonoma County by biking the West County Regional Trail from Sebastopol to Forestville via Graton. It’s a 17-mile (round-trip) adventure. 

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  1. Wine Down, Dine Out in Lake Chelan

    The fertile soil around Washington State's Lake Chelan is ripe for more than just the amazing apples. Vineyards here yield high quality grapes, and some of the country’s best less-discovered wineries. Locals know it, and you will too when you start choosing from the more than 30 wineries in the region.

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  2. Lace Up for Lacy

    Lacy Park in San Marino is a hidden gem that may very well be the most pristine green space in greater Los Angeles, and a concealed pair of nearby stairways makes it all the more appealing.

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  3. Hiker amid trees at Oak Glen Preserve in Yucaipa Southern California

    Apple of Your Eye

    That fall feeling is definitely in the air and on display at the Oak Glen Preserve. Apple orchards and colorful leaves are a bonus, as are the apple cider donuts and slushies you can enjoy post-hike.

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  4. Hike San Diego Volcan Mountain Wilderness

    Planet of the Oaks

    Let us count the number of oak tree species in the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve near Julian: coast, scrub, canyon, black, and Engelmann. Five! The preserve’s Five Oaks Trail is a 3.2-mile hike that boasts all five.

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