All "Hikes" Stories in Southern CA

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  Arrowhead Adjacent

  Sometimes a little forest bathing (aka a healthy dose of the outdoors) is all you need to feel right with the world. Breathe in the mountain air from North Shore Campground, locate

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  Serrano Serenade

  Marshmallows, chocolate bars, graham crackers, and ghost stories. Time to gather around the campfire at Serrano Campground. Located on the north shore of Big Bear Lake, this spot i

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  Up a Creek

  Want to go on a camping trip minus the cars and RVs? The three first-come, first-served campgrounds along the Upper North Fork Matilija Creek Trail in Los Padres National Forest ca

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  Down by the River

  Carmel might be one of the best-known enclaves in the Monterey area, but its nearby Carmel River State Beach is much more of a local’s secret—especially the southern end of it. On

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  No Ordinary Beach

  Want a beach that will really get you away from it all? Fort Ord Dunes State Park is just the ticket. This relative newcomer to the state park system gives an impressive perspectiv

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  Walk on the Wild Side

  Joshua Tree’s California Riding and Hiking Trail traverses 35 miles through the entire park, but you don't have to hike all of it to see the good stuff. Get up close and personal w

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  Take the High Road

  You don't have to rock climb to reach a brilliant panorama of Joshua Tree. A 3-mile (round-trip) hike up Ryan Mountain takes you to one of the highest peaks in the park. The trail

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  Sister Act

  Nine sisters makes a big family, and it's even better when they're all good looking! San Luis Obispo is surrounded by nine ancient volcanoes known as morros, and affectionately cal

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  Swinging Single

  San Luis Obispo's "serenity swing" earns honors for living up to its name and meeting high expectations! The swing hangs from a large, lone oak tree secluded on top of a hill high

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  That's A-Morro!

  Most swing sets are found in a playground, but this set of swings is found in a grove of large eucalyptus trees overlooking one of San Luis Obispo's iconic formations: Morro Rock,

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  Sister Act

  Nine sisters makes a big family, and it's even better when they're all good looking! San Luis Obispo is surrounded by nine ancient volcanoes known as morros, and affectionately cal

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  Swinging Single

  San Luis Obispo's "serenity swing" earns honors for living up to its name and meeting high expectations! The swing hangs from a large, lone oak tree secluded on top of a hill high

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  Best Supporting Background

  The acclaimed movie Wild cast a big Hollywood spotlight on the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,660-mile route up the western states between the Mexican and Canadian borders. Hike a fantas

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  Hero's Welcome

  If you're looking for solitude at Runyon Canyon Park, you're in the wrong place. With a central location, knock-out views of Los Angeles, off-leash hiking areas for dogs, and trail

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  Solitary Solstice

  Malibu's Solstice Canyon often teems with visitors, and for good reason: its leafy ravine leads to a year-round waterfall and the captivating ruins of a home lost to a 1982 wildfir

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  Undercover Wilacre

  Wilacre Park's Betty B. Dearing Trail is almost always packed. But there's an unnamed path paralleling it that feels near empty in comparison. Instead of battling the masses at the

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  Gray Area

  Honking, quacking, whistling … we're not talking about a raucous night in the city. We're talking about an absolute bonanza of bird species when you visit Gray Lodge Wildlife Area,

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  Aye Aye Capitan

  It's the world's largest granite monolith: gray and hulking and a spectacle for visitors who marvel at its massiveness (3,000 vertical feet of sheer rock!) and at the pro climbers

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  Ocean Sunrise

  Catch a sunrise at Point Dume Nature Preserve's vantage in Malibu. Watch the sky and ocean's transformation from grey to pink.

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  Top of the Morning

  Secluded at 1,500 feet in the Santa Monica Mountains, Tuna Canyon Park in Malibu is quiet even on a gorgeous Saturday afternon, its stunning ocean views shared by few hikers. But v

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