Urban Stairway Hikes

This New Year, ups and downs are guaranteed … and that’s a great thing if you’re doing any of these three urban stairway hikes with great views. Step up to 2015!

Week: 01.19.2015
Regions: Southern CA

Crystal Coastline

Seaside Hike in Crystal Cove

Person hiking up some stand stairs at Crystal Cove State Park.
Captivating coastline, charming cottages, clear waters, and quaint wooden staircases: It’s just another day at the beach on this 6-mile (round-trip) seaside stroll in Crystal Cove State Park.
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Urban Gone Wild

Hike Mount Washington

A cardio climb up a mountain. Check. Stunning views. Check. And located right in LA? How very chic! Urban hiking has a wild side and the proof is on Mount Washington just northeast of downtown LA. This 4-mile loop traverses Mount Washington and its up-and-coming neighborhood, wit
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Echo Friendly

Clinton Street Stairway Echo Park

Music, art, hills, and hipsters. Get in on the scene—and the scenery—with an urban hike in Echo Park. This casual stroll features the Clinton Street Stairway, a stately mural-cloaked set of concrete steps leading you from Glendale Avenue up to Belmont Avenue. The din of traffic b
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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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