All "Hikes" Stories in Southern CA

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  Malibu Rooftop View

  Mesa Peak isn’t your standard summit ascent. For one thing, the peak is 147 feet lower in elevation than the trailhead. But this is not just some downhill stroll. It’s a great up-a

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  Waterfall Jackpot!

  We know where you're guaranteed to hit the jackpot in Reno. Hunter Creek Falls. It's a favorite of Reno locals, accessible year round, and especially good in the summer months when

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  A Valido Point of View

  When you reach Aliso Peak via Valido Trail in Laguna Beach, you’ll be close enough to the blue Pacific to see the detail of the waves crashing upon the shore, but high enough for a

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  Rancho PV Seaside Spree

  Here’s a hike where the payoff comes with every step you take, not just in a hero view from a summit perch. The oceanside trails of Rancho Palos Verdes keep the dramatic Pacific in

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  Hunt for the Hot Springs!

  Wanna find hidden hot springs? Hunt for them! Tucked alongside a creek in the Madhesi Valley an hour from Burney Falls and 5 miles from the nearest town of Big Bend (population 102

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  State Park Soaker

  Set in an alpine meadow at 6,000 feet and surrounded by the 10,000-foot granite peaks of the Sierra, Grover Hot Springs State Park—just outside the town of Markleeville—has its ver

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  Carson Calling

  Along the banks of the East Fork Carson River, brushing the California–Nevada border, sits a series of hot spring pools surrounded by high desert. The springs have for years been a

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  San Gabriels Sojourn

  To overnight at Sturtevant Camp is to relive Southern California’s “Great Hiking Era”—the 1880s to late 1930s—when millions flocked to the San Gabriel Mountains to hike, fish, and

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  At Home on the PCT

  Cienaga Creek Ranch rests at 8,250 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains. Nice. But even better: The ranch is smack dab on the Pacific Crest Trail, 8 miles southeast of Big Bear! Th

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  Two-Canyon Empire

  Let’s see ... a plateau that’s an extension of a mountain range, an undulating ridgeline, big boulders, and two canyons: The 6.6-mile Wiashal Trail is a great hike for ticking off

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  Riverside's Wild Side

  Wilderness trails inside Riverside city limits? Amazing but true. Sycamore Canyon Park Trail is a 4.6-mile loop that winds through dramatic boulder formations and traverses 450 fee

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  An Orange Shade of Red

  Which is closer: Zion or Orange County? For a quick red-rock fix, we vote for the OC. Namely, Red Rock Canyon in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park—a 4.2-mile (round-trip) out-and-back

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  Gulls Getaway

  The Anacapa wildlife spectacle begins almost as soon as you pull away from Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard. First up are playful common dolphins, and if you’re lucky, humpback and migrating gray whales. As you approach, you’ll see (and hear) noisy California sea lions and harbor seals.

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  Wing Stop

  The best birding in LA is in Van Nuys? Arguably, yes. The minute you step into the forest of cottonwoods and weeping willows between Haskell Creek and Wildlife Lake, you wonder how

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  Head for the Headlands

  A stroll along Mendocino's marquee bluffs is pretty much mandatory when you visit, and Mendocino Headlands State Park, which surrounds the charming hamlet of Mendocino, offers your

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  Heavenly Hellhole

  Rounding up some friends to go to a hellhole? Maybe it doesn't sound appealing, unless you're talking about Hellhole Canyon County Preserve. Its 1,907 hilly acres are home to a str

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  Garden in the Wilderness

  Hidden spots may seem harder to come by these days, but San Diego's Pauma Valley has a few less-known gems, including a small oasis tucked within Wilderness Gardens County Preserve. Find it along a tranquil trail where water, native history, and natural diversity come together.

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  Orange Country!

  Before California was the land of movie stars, the Golden State had a different claim to fame: oranges. Those simpler times come to life at California Citrus State Historic Park in

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  SoCal's Sequoias

  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.

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  Enchanted Oaks

  Enchanting oak forests are the closest thing to a SoCal hiker’s fairy-tale setting—swarthy trunks, long, spreading branches, cool shade on a warm day. Experience one of the densest and most alluring examples at Wildwood Canyon State Park in Yucaipa via a 2.25-mile loop.

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