Welcome to the New Weekend Sherpa

Set on the coast between Oxnard and Malibu, Point Mugu State Park is dressed to impress. Make a date with its namesake peak on a 5-mile (round-trip) summit-bagging hike.

 

Joshua Tree National Park is wild in more ways than its gnarly trees. Hike the park's west side for a big-picture vantage of the desertscape. The 6.7-mile Lost Horse Mine loop is both eerie and beautiful.

 

Crystal Cove State Park in Orange County is prized for its glistening beaches, but there's also 2,400 acres of backcountry, including a 9-mile hike (or mountain bike) to a high point that rewards with gorgeous coastal scenery.

 

Urban hiking has a wild side, and the proof is just northeast of downtown LA. This 4-mile loop traverses Mount Washington and includes a cardio climb up a mountain with stunning views.

 

From afar, Stoney Point Park in Simi Valley looks like a real-life drip sandcastle. Get right into it though and find a park filled with hidden caves and alcoves only nature could design.

 

Sometimes the skyline's the limit, and that's a good thing if you're visiting Ascot Hills Park, an 83-acre LA respite that offers a winter sunset to remember.

 

Mojave National Preserve's got more than a few ways to get your adrenaline pumping, so go with the flow—or rather, go where the lava once flowed.

Week: 02.25.2016
Regions: Southern CA

Mugu Magic

Set on the coast between Oxnard and Malibu, Point Mugu State Park is dressed to impress. Make a date with its namesake peak on a 5-mile (round-trip) summit-bagging hike.

point_mugu41-image-jpeg

 

Joshua's Wild Side

Joshua Tree National Park is wild in more ways than its gnarly trees. Hike the park's west side for a big-picture vantage of the desertscape. The 6.7-mile Lost Horse Mine loop is both eerie and beautiful.

losthorsemineorig_lrg-image-jpeg

 

Crystal Ball

Crystal Cove State Park in Orange County is prized for its glistening beaches, but there's also 2,400 acres of backcountry, including a 9-mile hike (or mountain bike) to a high point that rewards with gorgeous coastal scenery.

Crystal Cove hike

 

LA Stairway

Urban hiking has a wild side, and the proof is just northeast of downtown LA. This 4-mile loop traverses Mount Washington and includes a cardio climb up a mountain with stunning views.

img_4478-image-jpeg

 

Bigger and Boulder

From afar, Stoney Point Park in Simi Valley looks like a real-life drip sandcastle. Get right into it though and find a park filled with hidden caves and alcoves only nature could design.

stoneypoint4-image-jpeg

 

The Great Ascot!

Sometimes the skyline's the limit, and that's a good thing if you're visiting Ascot Hills Park, an 83-acre LA respite that offers a winter sunset to remember.

los-angeles-sunset-hikes-image-jpeg

 

Lava & Java

Mojave National Preserve's got more than a few ways to get your adrenaline pumping, so go with the flow—or rather, go where the lava once flowed.

mojave-national-preserve-hike-image-jpeg

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    The light display atop Angel Island State Park’s Mount Livermore has long been a cheerful twinkle visible from many cities throughout the Bay Area on holiday season nights. Get into the festive spirit by hiking the 2-mile (one-way) trail from Ayala Cove up to the "Angel Lights."

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    Hot Springs, Naturally

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    Three Sisters

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