hiker at Whiting Ranch Wilderness canyon

Hidden Canyon Hikes

Arizona and Utah get all the attention for canyons and astounding rock formations, but Southern California has a few secret ones to hike among or drop into—with the help of a ladder. And they’re not too far away! Here are some less known canyon hikes with red rocks, slot canyons, even some redwoods.

Week: 08.10.2021
Regions: Southern CA

Red Rock in Orange County

Hike to dramatic red rock formations at Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Orange County

Woman standing and observing the red rock formation at the end of a hiking trail in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Orange County
Woman hiking through the entrance to Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Orange County
Woman standing on a hiking trail staring at giant red rock formation in front of her at Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Orange County
Woman hiking on Borrego Canyon Trail in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Orange County
Hike in a canyon with red rock cliffs like those seen in Arizona or Utah at Orange County's Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park.
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Thanks, Annie!

Hiking Annie's Canyon in Encinitas

Weekend Sherpa writer Matt Pawlik descending into a slot canyon at Annie's Canyon in San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve in Solana Beach
Annie’s Canyon Trail in the 1,000-acre San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve in Solana Beach includes the most unique quarter-mile you’ve ever maneuvered—through a sandstone slot canyon!
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Weekend Sherpa Podcast: Take It Outside

Weekend Sherpa Podcast: Take It Outside

Jim Litchfield holding a fish from a fly fishing adventure
Adventure for your earbuds. What's new in the world of the outdoors? Listen to Weekend Sherpa co-founders discuss local hikes, beaches, bike rides, camping spots and all kinds of travel and adventure in California and beyond!
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Porter Ranch Wander and Ponder

Hike Limekiln Canyon Park in Porter Ranch

Hidden Canyon? Yes! Rock Garden? You got it! Redwoods? Wait ... really? Yes! Head to Limekiln Canyon Park in Porter Ranch for a 3.75-mile out-and-back hike with super San Fernando surprises.
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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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