Six Fall Adventures in SoCal

Nestled at over 6,000 feet in the San Bernardino National Forest, Heaps Peak Arboretum in Skyforest has a stellar collection of massive trees that include giant sequoias.

It sounds preposterous: a lake in the dunes? That’s exactly why Oso Flaco Lake, in the Oceano Dunes south of Pismo Beach, is so cool. The 75-acre freshwater lake is surrounded by miles of dunes to the north and south, and a narrow barrier of dunes between the lake and the roaring

For a mellow leaf-peeping hike, Sugar Pine Point State Park has you wandering among tall, fragrant pines and along the shoreline of glistening Lake Tahoe. Tackle Mount Rose Summit, a 10-mile out-and-back peak hike with one of the grandest views in all of Lake Tahoe. Take your adv

Sunny Jim Cave is anything but sunny. It’s what you want in a cave—cool and dark—and it has a literary connection. It’s also the only sea cave in La Jolla that can be accessed by land.

Corbin Canyon in Topanga State Park is a hidden gem of the Santa Monica Mountains with beautiful scenery and low foot traffic, yet it’s only minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Ventura Boulevard. The 2-mile (round-trip) out-and-back trail transports you to a wilderness ret

Olvera Street is always filled with pageantry, and the historic district of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, the birthplace of Los Angeles, is worth strolling anytime to sample traditional Mexican culture and foods and to better appreciate the city’s heritage.

The hike to 8,846-foot Tahquitz Peak in the San Jacinto Wilderness boasts awesome views and an intriguing legend. The peak was named by the Cahuilla Indians after a powerful, evil shaman who possessed an insatiable appetite for human flesh—and he happened to call this very mounta