Cool Hikes for Autumn

Harvest Happening: Make a day of it by visiting the Oak Glen Preserve, a sprawling nature reserve in the San Bernardino Mountains where you can hike through an idyllic landscape and pick your own pumpkins and chestnuts afterwards. Stick to the preserve's main loop for a 2-mile hike, or meander onto the spur trails to lengthen your jaunt.**

Week: 11.03.2015
Regions: Southern CA

Harvest Happening: Make a day of it by visiting the Oak Glen Preserve, a sprawling nature reserve in the San Bernardino Mountains where you can hike through an idyllic landscape and pick your own pumpkins and chestnuts afterwards. Stick to the preserve's main loop for a 2-mile hike, or meander onto the spur trails to lengthen your jaunt.**

Smuggle It In:** Next year America's national parks celebrate the centennial—so crowds are practically guaranteed to be thicker. Hit the trails before the hordes on one of the best hikes in Channel Islands National Park. The 7.5-mile (round-trip) hike to Smuggler's Cove traverses Santa Cruz Island, offers panoramic vistas, and leads to a secluded cove.

Do Deukmejian: Nestled in the San Gabriel foothills, Deukmejian Wilderness Park is a gem. Explore it on a 4.2-mile (round-trip) foothills hike in the park's Dunsmore and Cook's canyons.

Stepping Stonewall: Adventure up … to San Diego County's 5,737-foot Stonewall Peak! This 4-mile (round-trip) hike leads to a brilliant panorama, and the carved stone stairs near the apex make for a great photo opp.

Two Thumbs Up for Towsley: Get in a workout hike featuring outstanding panoramas, meaty switchbacks, bizarre rock formations, and miniature tar pits. The 5.1-mile (round-trip) Towsley Canyon Loop in Santa Clarita's Ed Davis Park awaits!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area

    Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

    Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.

    View
  3. Hike the Rainbow

    Catch all the colors of a rainbow at Calero County Park on this 10-mile hike currently showcasing the season’s best blooms.

    View
  4. Hike Purisima Creek Open Space Preserve

    Purisima Charisma

    Hundred-foot redwoods, a shaded canyon, and views overlooking Half Moon Bay. This 10-mile loop hike in Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve is a roller-coaster of uphill and downhill along with easygoing stretches through some of the Bay Area’s most beautiful landscape.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. People on a guided horseback tour with Central Coast Trailrides at Santa Margarita Ranch near Paso Robles

    Saddle Up with Central Coast Trailrides

    Untouched and sweeping, the mountainous scenery and deep valleys of Santa Margarita near Paso Robles are just begging to be explored. So saddle up for a scenic adventure with Central Coast Trailrides (CCT) at the 14,000-acre Santa Margarita Ranch.

    View
  2. A woman on a hiking trail with huge open space and yellow flowers around her at Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks

    Going Wildwood

    Consider this your invitation to get a little untamed. In just one walk through Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks, you can chase the sound of a cascading waterfall, duck into a shadowy cave, and soak in big hillside vistas. The mostly flat 4.25-mile loop makes wild feel wonderfully accessible.

    View
  3. Two people fly fishing on the Truckee River with guides from Reno Fly Shop

    Zen and the Art of Fly Fishing

    Learning to fly fish is one of the most fun and beautiful ways to connect with nature, family, friends, and yourself. It’s also a great way to truly experience the magic of a place. Make that place Reno Tahoe, where a fly fishing adventure with Reno Fly Shop is like being planted in a plein air painting of dreamy outdoors.

    View
  4. A woman on the overlook deck overlooking the Truckee River at Oxbow Nature Study Area in Reno

    This Way to Oxbow and Dickerson Road

    Just west of downtown Reno—tucked right alongside the Truckee River—is a nature haven for wildlife spotting and waterside relaxing. The 22-acre Oxbow Nature Study Area is ideal for those seeking solitude and a short hike. Afterwards, explore the creative hub of Dickerson Road.

    View