Hike the Griffith Park Classic Fern Dell to Mount Hollywood

Seeing the Forest for the Trees

With all of California's national forests shut down, outdoor recreation is getting slightly squeezed for now. So have patience, take care, and enjoy these beautiful outdoor adventures at parks where you can still forest bathe in the beauty of trees.

Week: 08.31.2021
Regions: Southern CA

Elysian Metropolis

Forest Bathe at Elysian Park in Los Angeles

Forest bathe at Elysian Park on this 2.5-mile hike with huge metropolis perspectives and plentiful forest bathing among eucalyptus. Then head to Little Ripper Coffee for their signature latte and food.
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Eucalyptus Loop

Hike Among Towering Eucalyptus Trees in Chino Hills State Park

Forest bathing among Australian trees and biting into tasty Australian meat pies—head to the 3.25-mile Eucalyptus Loop in Chino Hills and end with Aussie meat pies at a great local bakery.
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Griffith Park Classic

Hike the Griffith Park Classic Fern Dell to Mount Hollywood

Hike the Griffith Park Classic Fern Dell to Mount Hollywood
This Griffith Park hike is a 5-mile instant classic lollipop loop with landmark locales, including the famous observatory, hidden gardens, and an amazing view of the Hollywood Sign. There's also guided weekday evening and monthly full moon hikes in the park.
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Branch Out for Redwoods

Explore the redwood grove at Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia

Redwoods at Los Angeles Arboretum in Arcadia
Pines, birches, oaks, and … redwoods! Branch out to Arcadia’s Los Angeles County Arboretum for a simple 2.5-mile loop featuring surprise specimens (redwoods!) and local classics alike.
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Seed the Day!

Hike Among Redwoods in Orange County at Carbon Canyon Regional Park

Hike Carbon Canyon Regional Park Coastal Redwood Grove
Redwoods in Orange County? It's true! Find them on this 2-mile loop hike in Brea's Carbon Canyon Regional Park, home to 241 Sequoia sempervirens specimens. The tallest is nearly 100 feet!
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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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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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