Oscars for the Outdoors

The Academy Awards are this Sunday, but before you sit down to toast cinematic excellence on the big screen, enjoy the bigger picture by heading outdoors to hike, bike, and explore a few local spots that made their way to stardom. And—action!

Week: 02.17.2015
Regions: Southern CA

Best Supporting Background

Hike Bouquet Canyon

The acclaimed movie Wild cast a big Hollywood spotlight on the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,660-mile route up the western states between the Mexican and Canadian borders. Hike a fantastic local slice (0.12%, to be precise) of the epic journey on a challenging 6.4-mile (round-trip) tr
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Yosemite Light Show!

Yosemite Winter Adventures, Horestail Falls

As if you need an excuse to visit Yosemite ... but we've got three really good ones! Yosemite's currently got some stellar seasonal rates at rustic resorts, grand hotels, and everything in between. Here are some of the best things to do in the coming weeks. Yosemite Light Show! T
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Starring Leo

Tidepools at Leo Carrillo

The shores at Leo Carrillo State Park in Malibu have been the backdrop for such cinematic masterpieces as Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler's 50 First Dates. Of course, it's also been the backdrop for true classics like The Karate Kid, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Clint Eastwood’s
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Golden Oldie

LA River Bike Path and Golden Road Brewery

Nominated for Best Picture in 1940, The Wizard of Oz became a classic. "Follow the yellow brick road" just beckoned an adventure. You too can follow a road and get to a happy ending by hopping on a two-wheeler for a mellow journey that concludes with a cold glass of Hefeweizen, f
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Man hiking up a trail at Montara Mountain, with a view of the Pacific and Grey Whale sand beach in the background

    From Beach to Summit

    No need to decide between a beach and a mountaintop—this hike includes both! Explore the stunning coastal scenery on this 6-mile out-and-back up Montara Mountain and into Rancho Corral de Tierra.

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  2. Picnic and a Pedal

    West Marin has all the right stuff for an afternoon getaway: bike paths, babbling brooks, canopy forests, and secluded picnic spots. Combine a picnic and a pedal at Samuel P. Taylor State Park by biking the easygoing Cross Marin Trail.

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  3. Most Peaceful Hike of All

    Is this the most peaceful one-hour hike in the Bay Area? It's got our vote! Lake Lagunitas is the smallest lake in a series of five found on the north side of Mount Tam, so it’s got that tiny but mighty charm. Do a 1.5-mile loop around the lake's shore-hugging trail.

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  4. Sebastopol Food & Wine Roll

    One apple farm, three charming towns, multiple wineries, and infinite natural beauty. Savor a perfect autumn day in Sonoma County by biking the West County Regional Trail from Sebastopol to Forestville via Graton. It’s a 17-mile (round-trip) adventure. 

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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Woman walking in the Venice Canals of Los Angeles County

    Canal Contemplations

    With its incense-scented boardwalk, bohemian shops, skateparks, and abundance of body builders, Venice is happily eccentric, and artistic. Exhibit A: Its network of European-style canals with charming bridges, offering a tranquil tour of the town’s history.

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  2. Wine Down, Dine Out in Lake Chelan

    The fertile soil around Washington State's Lake Chelan is ripe for more than just the amazing apples. Vineyards here yield high quality grapes, and some of the country’s best less-discovered wineries. Locals know it, and you will too when you start choosing from the more than 30 wineries in the region.

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  3. What's Up, Winthrop!

    It’s not just its location close to Washington State’s spectacular and less visited national park (North Cascades) that makes Winthrop such a winsome mountain town. This lively enclave in the Methow Valley bristles with a whimsical blend of Wild West charms, contemporary culture, and a mosaic of outdoor adventures—from river to lake to waterfalls, and beyond.

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  4. Hike San Diego Volcan Mountain Wilderness

    Planet of the Oaks

    Let us count the number of oak tree species in the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve near Julian: coast, scrub, canyon, black, and Engelmann. Five! The preserve’s Five Oaks Trail is a 3.2-mile hike that boasts all five.

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