Hidden Mojave

The Mojave Desert is so vast that some of its most magical places get overlooked in lieu of the tried and true. Here are three off-the-beaten-path hikes in the high Mojave. Go now!

Week: 02.22.2018
Regions: Southern CA

Bell of the High Desert

A Hike Up Bell Mountain in the High Mojave Desert

The payoff for the thigh-burning hike up Bell Mountain is a majestic view with a patriotic flair. Unfolding beneath you is a panorama of the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains and a vast expanse of the high Mojave Desert, while Old Glory flaps in the breeze above you. It’s
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48 Hours in Sonoma County

Sonoma County Road Trip

Sonoma County road trip
Time is precious. Which is why Sonoma County is the ideal 48-hour getaway! We’re talking acres of beautiful open space, easygoing hiking and biking trails, amazing food, and of course—the wine! Day 1: Start at Sonoma Valley’s historic plaza, surrounded by restaurants, wine tastin
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A Rainbow Connection

Hiking Owl Canyon Trail in Rainbow Basin Natural Area

A place called Rainbow Basin Natural Area certainly suggests a glorious radiance of color, and this remarkable desert area north of Barstow doesn’t disappoint. A hike on Owl Canyon Trail takes you on a journey through the sunburnt oranges and deep reds of its sandstone formations
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Eagle-Friendly!

Hiking Miller Canyon Trail in the San Bernardino Mountains

What a difference a couple thousand feet make! Silverwood Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains lies amid high-desert scrub and chaparral at 3,350 feet—a world that Miller Canyon Trail quickly leaves behind in favor of an alpine-flavored realm of Douglas firs, Jeffrey pines, and d
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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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