All "Hikes" Stories in Southern CA

• 

  New Trail Alert

  Check out the vastly improved trail at the Edward and Frances Hunter Arboretum on Palomar College’s San Marcos campus.

  View
• 

  Heart of Stone

  It's just a half-mile hike to Heart Rock at Seeley Creek Falls, where you’ll find a perfectly symmetrical heart-shaped granite bowl carved by nature at the crest of the 25-foot waterfall

  View
• 

  Bouquet of Waterfalls

  Like a good love letter, some of the best hiking trails are short and sweet. Cue the hike to Bouquet Falls in Santa Clarita Valley’s Bouquet Canyon.

  View
• 

  Instead of Bonbons: Bonita

  Bonita Falls goes year round, but in winter with snowmelt the waterfall is at its grandest. Hike to this oasis of the San Gabriels on a 2-mile (round-trip) trek.

  View
• 

  Old Towne Orange

  Tour the county’s namesake city via a 2.5-mile hike in El Modena Open Space, followed by a stroll through the charming Old Towne district.

  View
• 

  Fountain to the Falls

  There are three ways to reach the lovely Monrovia Canyon Falls, but only one of them is worthy of being named a good challenge!

  View
• 

  Fill Up on Fallbrook

  This small town in northern San Diego County has more than 10 nature preserves. Explore two less-visited hiking havens: Hellers Bend and Dinwiddie Preserve

  View
• 

  The Ryan King

  At 5,456 feet, the summit of Ryan Mountain has the best view in the park. Its brilliant panoramic expanse, spanning desert to mountains, and—bonus—late afternoons can feature a sky tinged with lavender thanks to the low-sitting sun.

  View
• 

  Trio of Trails

  Get into Joshua Tree National Park Park early and hit the classic circuit of short trails before the crowds arrive. We also have some food and overnight recos.

  View
• 

  Split Decision

  Joshua Tree is famous for its namesake trees but it's also got some big-ass boulders! We're talking size-of-a-building boulders. See them on an off-the-beaten-path hike along the Split Rock Trail.

  View
• 

  Glow Up

  Tucked in the southeast corner of Griffith Park, Beacon Hill is an example of how you don’t have to travel far or aim high to reach one of the best panoramas of LA’s skyline

  View
• 

  Hollywood Ending

  Is the Hollywood Sign ready for its close-up? See it up close on the 3-mile round-trip hike up Aileen B. Getty Ridge Trail, which crosses the 1,820-foot summit of Cahuenga Peak.

  View
• 

  Glow Up

  Tucked in the southeast corner of Griffith Park, Beacon Hill is an example of how you don’t have to travel far or aim high to reach one of the best panoramas of LA’s skyline.

  View
• 

  Old Tower, New Home

  Castro Peak Lookout can be viewed via a 5.6-mile gut-bustin’, heart-thumpin’ out-and-back hike that delivers panoramic vistas of the San Gabriel Valley

  View
• 

  High Rise

  It’s a tall order to hike 3.3 miles up a series of steady switchbacks to the 3,375-foot summit of Jones Peak, but this trek rewards with views that get better the higher you go.

  View
• 

  Sitton Pretty

  Sitton Peak is a 3,273-foot summit in the Santa Ana Mountains. All in, a 10-mile hike gets you to a panoramic summit filled with hills galloping toward the Pacific.

  View
• 

  Cave Culture

  Cave Landing, a craggy headland between Avila Beach and Pismo Beach, is a storied stretch of the Central Coast that stirs potent reveries in the beholder.

  View
• 

  Old SLO Hills

  Hike Johnson Ranch, a sprawling 242-acre open space south of San Luis Obispo and north of Avila Beach where vistas seem to ever unfold in new directions. 

  View
• 

  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.

  View
• 

  Arrowhead Ahead

  Deciduous black oaks and Fremont cottonwoods line the Sawmill Road Loop Trail near Lake Arrowhead, making it one of the best places in SoCal for a seasonal kaleidoscope of changing leaves.

  View