6 SoCal Thanksgiving Hikes

When you've hit your max on turkey and pumpkin pie, it's time to make a pilgrimage to the outdoors. From Los Angeles to the desert, here are some good adventures to work up another appetite. Grateful for the great outdoors.

Week: 11.23.2017
Regions: Southern CA

Jive on the Hive

Hiking to Bee Rock in Griffith Park

Griffith Park is home to more than one awesome rock venue. Sure, the Greek Theatre stages legendary rock concerts, but Bee Rock provides beautiful wide vistas and some fun rock scrambling—and this ticket is free! Park at the iconic merry-go-round and take the Fern Canyon Trail, i
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Psychedelic Lava

Exploring Fossil Falls

You’d be hard-pressed to find a volcanic landscape in California as memorable and psychedelic as Fossil Falls. This chasm of water-sculpted lava rock in the Coso Mountain Range northwest of Ridgecrest was carved thousands of years ago by the Owens River after an eruption dammed t
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Oh, It's On!

Adventure 16 Holiday Sale 2017

It only comes but once a year … the chance to spike the eggnog for some extra holiday cheer! We’re actually talking about Adventure 16’s Holiday Sale! A16 is Southern California’s outdoor gear leader with four locations from San Diego to Tarzana (and online shopping too!). Save u
Visit our sponsor Adventure 16

Shipwrecked in Palos Verdes

Hiking to the SS Dominator in Palos Verdes

Usually you need serious scuba gear and a lot of courage to get up close and personal with a massive shipwreck. But on the rocky shores of Lunada Bay in Palos Verdes Estates, you can experience the wonder of the SS Dominator, which has been slowly rusting away on the stony beach
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Big Horn Full of Gold

Hiking to Big Horn Mine in the Angeles National Forest

You don’t have to travel to Gold Country to strike gold in California! When it comes to old mines, SoCal has some gems. Big Horn Mine in the San Gabriels is a perfect example. You may not strike it rich here, but you’ll have a great adventure and some beautiful photo ops along th
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Chutes and Ladders

Hiking Ladder Canyon Trail Through Painted Canyon in the Mecca Hills

Just when you think you can’t go any farther in Painted Canyon, you remember why this route is called the Ladder Canyon Trail. Whew! There it is: a perfectly placed ladder that gets you up and over the would-be dead-end and into the next thrilling phase of your canyon hike. Ladde
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Where the Murals Are

A Walking Tour of Downtown LA's Arts District

Is the Arts District the best spot to see art in LA? Duh! We’re talking the brand-new Institute of Contemporary Art, edgy murals, murals in progress, and surprises around every corner in this 2.5-mile DTLA urban art walk. Park on the street near Arts District Brewing Company and
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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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