Secrets of Pauma Valley

Spread beneath the Palomar Mountains, the hills and vales of Pauma Valley harbor some of SoCal’s best-kept secrets. Explore hiking trails both rugged and lush, a historic river, and a couple of top-notch wineries where you can raise a glass to your new discoveries.

Week: 05.31.2018
Regions: Southern CA

Heavenly Hellhole

Hiking Hellhole Canyon Country Preserve in Pauma Valley

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 strenuous 4.9-mile trek with 750 feet of gain (and opportunities to extend for those who want to test t
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Water You Doing for Summer?

Water Adventures Around Redding

1) Ride the Rapids With so many rivers in and around Redding, take your pick of whitewater rafting. The Trinity River and the Upper Klamath run fierce and fast! (There’s even a class 5 at Willow Creek.) Want mellow and super scenic? The Sacramento River runs right through Redding
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Garden in the Wilderness

Hiking Wilderness Gardens Preserve in the Pauma Valley

Hike Wilderness Gardens County Park
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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Dreamy Winery

Wine Tasting at HIll Top Winery in the Pauma Valley

For relaxation, valley views, and some delightful wines, Hill Top Winery in Valley Center is a dreamy setting—literally, because it represents a family’s dream of turning a 30-acre ranch into a “grape escape.” With 15 varieties of reds and whites, Hill Top has options for any pal
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Aloha from California

    Say Aloha without leaving California with a 7-mile out-and-back hiking adventure to Lake Aloha in El Dorado National Forest. You can also camp here, a premier place for stargazing.

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  2. Sequoia Re-opens Crystal Cave

    Step inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park's hidden world by visiting the newly re-opened Crystal Cave—the only cave in the parks open to the public. Closed for four years, this rare marble karst cavern is welcoming visitors once again, but only through the summer season!

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  3. Easiest Best Hike in the World

    Choose the easiest and most view-rewarding hike in Yosemite. Okay, we’ll go first: the combination of hiking to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. Both of these lookouts are within a couple miles of each other on Glacier Point Road

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  4. Hiker in the forest at Mount Sutro in San Francisco

    San Francisco's Middle Earth

    No need to travel to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth. San Francisco’s Mount Sutro Open Space is practically Hobbiton—a hidden “shire” in the middle of the city. Okay, maybe not quite as magical, but still an incredible place to take a hike in city limits.

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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Can't Top This

    San Francisco’s Presidio was already a fantastic place to hang out for the afternoon, a beautiful site within the largest urban national park in the United States (the Golden Gate National Recreation Area). And Presidio Tunnel Tops is like a cherry on top. Make that two cherries on top, with the newly opened (July 2025) Outpost Meadow, a 1.5-acre green space located at Old Mason Street across from the Crissy Field Marsh in the Presidio.

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  2. Underground Garden

    Looking to escape the summer heat? Head to Fresno and discover its cool secret: the Forestiere Underground Gardens–an enchanting garden and architecture oasis like no other.

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  3. Volcanic Activity

    Northern California is home to one of the most unique ecosystems in the country: Lassen Volcanic National Park. The region features geothermal areas, including the largest dome volcano in the world, Lassen Peak. Hike to the top of this active volcano on a 5-mile out-and-back.  

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  4. Oh Ryan

    Sure, it’s those whimsical trees that give Joshua Tree National Park its marquee billing; but this beautiful landscape also has surrounding mountains and its night sky—one of the darkest in Southern California and designated an International Dark Sky Park. Joshua Tree has four allowable stargazing parking lots, and a newly opened haven for spending the night nearby...

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