All "Hikes" Stories in Southern CA

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  Spooner Afternoon

  Tucked quietly away above Lake Tahoe’s eastern shore, Spooner Lake hides in plain sight. Just 12 miles north of Stateline on Highway 50, hikers, bikers, and beach loungers jet past

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  Shealor Stunner

  Robust mountains, striking slabs of granite, and deep green pine reflections make Shealor Lake near Kirkwood resort a jewel of the El Dorado National Forest. Reach this alpine oasis on a 1.3-mile hike.

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  Fo Guang Shan Columbarium

  Improbably perched above a steep oak-filled canyon in the Puente Hills above Whittier is the nation’s largest Buddhist pagoda, and you can see it on a 2.5-mile partial loop trail i

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  Tae Go Sah Temple

  A startling vision greets you deep in Sand Canyon outside Tehachapi. Like an ancient Oriental woodblock print come to life, a Buddhist temple sits at the confluence of two narrow w

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  Ramakrishna Monastery

  The Ramakrishna Monastery, perched on a foothill above Trabuco Canyon, accepts all religions as divinely inspired. For this reason, monks created the Shrine Trail, a mile-long loop

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  Great Is an Understatement!

  Tucked against the Utah border in eastern Nevada, Great Basin is a hiking wonderland of 13,000-foot peaks, ancient forests, sub-alpine lakes, and marble limestone caves.

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  Slot Canyon Cathedral

  Ready to play the slots? We’re not talking the casino kind. We mean exploring the only slot canyons found in Nevada! Located right off Great Basin Highway (aka Highway 93), Cathedr

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  Thanks, Annie!

  Annie’s Canyon Trail in the 1,000-acre San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve in Solana Beach includes the most unique quarter-mile you’ve ever maneuvered—through a sandstone slot canyon!

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  The Secret of Bear Canyon

  Here's a cool secret: The best water holes on the Arroyo Seco River are past ever-popular Switzer Falls. To end at the 50-foot plunge is to miss the best of Bear Canyon. In other words, keep going!

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  The Soul of Upper Solstice

  The lush beauty and hushed tranquility of Upper Solstice Canyon is one reason why the Backbone Trail is such a local treasure. Heck, it’s a national treasure! This segment, a 7-mil

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  Stranded in Dana Point

  The key to finding an uncrowded beach in Orange County? Be willing to hike! Dana Point’s Strand lies beneath a protected coastal promontory called the Headlands, surrounded by rocky bluffs and elegant homes.

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  Bag Los Pinos

  Bag Los Pinos! This 4,500-foot peak in southeastern Orange County’s Cleveland National Forest can be pleasantly private. Reaching it on a 5-mile (round-trip) hike is a grind, with grand rewards.

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  Island Traverse

  As the largest of the Channel Islands, Santa Cruz also has bragging rights to two mountain ranges. For a grand (and grandly scenic) tour, lace up the boots and go on a 15-mile (one-way) backpacking trek that traverses the eastern side of the island.

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  Potato Chip Topper

  If you associate potato chips with unwanted calories, get ready for a re-education. You’ll burn a lot of energy on the hike to Potato Chip Rock—a one-of-a-kind boulder jutting out

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  Hiking Goat Whiskers Trail

  You won't sight a single goat on the 7-mile Goat Whiskers Trail loop west of Two Harbors on Catalina. You will see abundant native flora and fauna, though, on this coast-to-mountai

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  Cat's Eye View

  The most sublime wraparound vista on Catalina Island is from Cat Harbor Overlook, perched 950 feet above Two Harbors. Reaching trail's end is like stepping out onto a visionary hig

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  Hugging the Coast in San Clemente

  San Clemente is always a treat, but never more so than on this 4.6-mile (round-trip) stroll on the town’s lovely Beach Trail, with a stairway to beautiful coastal views.

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  Tunnel Vision

  Don’t expect logic from oddball desert hermits! At Burro Schmidt Tunnel, that’s to our great benefit. It took 32 years for William “Burro” Schmidt to dig through a mountain in a re

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  Red, White, and Hoodoos

  “Don’t stay on the trail” sounds like an odd suggestion, but it’s the best way to explore the crimson sandstone cliffs and hoodoos that crosscut Red Rock Canyon State Park in the n

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  The Tortoise In Its Lair

  The Mojave Desert’s most extraordinary creatures are rarely seen, but at the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area, you’ll have your best chance. Tortoises live in higher density i

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