All "Water" Stories in Southern CA

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  Row With the Flow

  Gliding across the tranquil waters of Lake Natoma, you’ll quickly discover why this oasis is beloved by locals. The lake—actually part of the American River—is a paddler’s paradise

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  Make Way for McWay

  Big Sur’s had some hard luck with fire damage and mudslides in the past few years, but that hasn’t put a stop to its wild natural beauty: epic Pacific views, iconic redwoods, and o

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  Shapes in the Water

  Elisa in The Shape of Water falls in love with a humanoid creature from a mysterious underwater world, an affection that’s perfectly understandable when we visit the lovable real-l

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  Playa Del Hooray!

  All 22 miles of the coastal Marvin Braude Bike Trail are wonderful, but the 6.3-mile (one-way) stretch between Playa Del Rey and the Manhattan Beach Pier is for cyclists who like w

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  Be Cabrillo!

  A big year lies ahead. Why not start it off with an explorer’s mind-set? Be Cabrillo! Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, that is, the first foreign visitor (1542) to America’s finest city. H

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  Hike-in Hidden Beach

  Blink and you'll miss some hidden beach bliss. Located in the tiny town of Elk on scenic Highway 1, Greenwood State Beach is easy to miss because it's a half-mile walk down to it.

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  Just Dune It

  Miles of epic sand dunes seem like something you're more likely to find in the desert than on Northern California's lush redwood coast. Surprise! One of the most spectacular expanses of sand-scape you’ll ever see is in Humboldt County, just minutes by car from Old Town Eureka.

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  I Do!

  Even if you’re not getting married anytime soon, you’ve gotta visit Wedding Rock, the most dramatic spot in Patrick’s Point State Park. It’s called Wedding Rock because the park’s

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  Holy Chute, We’re in Malibu!

  You’ve surfed Malibu, SUP’d Malibu, and lounged on its sand. Ready for the next wave? Then it’s time to paraglide down from the coastal hills, soar over the mansions, ride thrillin

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  What’s Up, Dockweiler?

  Ever wondered why birds prefer the air to the ground? Once you’ve piloted a hang glider from a sandy coastal bluff at the Dockweiler Hang Gliding Center in El Segundo, you’ll know

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  Cabin on the Coast

  So you’d like to camp on the wild Mendocino coast … except for—you know—that whole pitching a tent and sleeping on the ground thing? A-OK! Actually, it’s KOA! Yes, Manchester Beach

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  Little Corona’s Crown Jewels

  Everything is just a bit different at Little Corona, a secluded cove ideal for snorkeling just south of its glamorous neighbor, Corona Del Mar Beach (aka Big Corona). No glitz, no

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  Send in the Eels!

  What can you see in the water at Shaw’s Cove in Laguna Beach? For starters, eel grass, rock formations, urchins, anemones, and many types of fish—including the California state fis

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  Leopard Sharknado

  If your brain starts playing the Jaws theme the second you hear the word “shark,” relax. Snorkeling with leopard sharks at La Jolla Shores is a little more like Finding Nemo. Sort

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  Swim Hole, Say No More!

  People flock to Kirkwood’s Silver Lake, a quiet beauty set against the backdrop of the Sierras. But few know about the easy 2-mile out-and-back (round-trip) hike that follows one o

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  Meet Margaret!

  You have an adventurous side and enjoy lakeside solitude, but you don’t want to be too far from your comfort zone. Time to meet Margaret! Tucked just north of Kirkwood and just off

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  Blaster Jammin’ on the Kern

  Record snowfall means record snowmelt is coming off the Sierra Nevada, which means the mighty Kern River is flowing stronger than it has in years. While some parts are genuinely tr

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  Mono a Mano

  Mono Lake is awesome to behold from any perspective. The saline lake spans the high desert north of Mammoth like a vast sheet of polished steel, and along its shores rise bizarre t

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  Emerald in the Woods

  Green Valley Lake, nestled at 7,000 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains right between Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead, has all the watery charm of those popular bodies of water, just on a smaller scale, and decidedly without crowds—or motorized boats. It's also got camping, including first-come, first-served options.

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  Clearly Castaic

  Dip out of the heat and into the water at Castaic Lake, aquatic heart of the Santa Clarita Valley. It’s hard to beat it for a cool day trip or a getaway weekend campout—a reservoir

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