Rock Star Hike

Hike Vasquez Rocks in Los Angeles County

Hike Vasquez Rocks Natural Park Area

There’s a reason some geological formations become a hotspot for filmmakers, history buffs, and adventure seekers alike: They’re just so cool. And the sandstone giants of Vasquez Rocks might be the coolest damn formations in Southern California. Explore the craggy slabs on a 2.5-mile (round-trip) hike that also connects to a segment of the Pacific Crest Trail. Park at the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park Interpretive Center and grab a map.

Then follow signs for the Nature Heritage Trail. As you continue south, passing a campground, interpretive signs tell of local flora, such as a glorious California juniper, sagebrush, and yucca, as well as a Tataviam dwelling, grinding bowl and pictograph. Keep straight at the next junction (with Horse Trail), but be sure to climb the hill to your right for some great first views of the massive rocks, named after the notorious bandit Turbicio Vasquez, who hid from the law here. You can climb the 45-degree-angle behemoths that have been featured as alien terrain (Star Trek) and western backdrops (Blazing Saddles, Westworld).

These rocks were formed through roughly 25 million years of erosion. Keep heading southeast and follow signs to hike a section of the PCT, where you’ll stay left to keep the rock formation views going. This trail soon becomes the Geology Trail, passing through more boulders and depositing you at a dirt road leading back to the start. Rock on.

To get to the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park Interpretive Center and parking lot, take the I-5 to the CA-14 for 14 miles, exiting Agua Dulce Canyon Rd. and turning left. Stay on Agua Dulce Canyon Rd. for 2 miles, which becomes Escondido Canyon Rd. After another 0.5 mile, the entrance will be on your right. Dog-friendly!

Story and photos by Matt Pawlik

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  2. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

    View
  4. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View
  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

    View
  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

    View
  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

    View