All Stories from Southern CA

• 

  Mr. Beek's Mountain Dream

  Beek’s Place in the Santa Ana Mountains is one of those great California shrines to faded dreams, and well worth the thigh-burning 10.5-mile (round-trip) out-and-back hike to get there.

  View
• 

  Old Tom's Cabin

  The 1.5-mile hike to Vincent’s Cabin provides vast mountain views and dense forest shade—and a chance to visit an odd bit of SoCal history surrounding the man who was Tom Vincent.

  View
• 

  Full Moon, 90049

  City lights and ocean views: Brentwood’s dog-friendly, 7.4-mile (round-trip) Westridge Fire Road trail offers both, no headlamp required. The full moon is bright enough to light up this exposed trail on your return trip.

  View
• 

  Famous Potato

  On Potato Mountain, you get panoramic views, a great workout, and ... potatoes! The 4.4-mile trail through the foothills of the San Gabriels climbs gradually to the summit of Potato Mountain.

  View
• 

  OC Astronomy 101

  A guided full-moon hike of the Mesa Trail loop in Black Star Canyon Wilderness offers access to an area only open to guided tours, safety in numbers, a nifty leg workout, and ... astronomy lessons!

  View
• 
  Sponsored

  Ahhh-tumn Yosemite

  A private cabin in Yosemite tucked among sugar pines? Yes please! Check out the brand-new Explorer Cabins at Tenaya Lodge.

  View
• 

  Stone Cold Escondido

  Escondido is Spanish for “hidden,” but its adventurous ales and tasty trails are right out in the open. It’s home to the not-so-secret Stone Brewing and a hike that’s just a stone’s throw away.

  View
• 

  I'll Have a Double!

  Get the best view and best brew of “San Parkos” on a 4.5-mile out-and-back summit trek to Double Peak Park, which looms above North County, followed by a tasting flight at Double Peak Brewery.

  View
• 

  Beach to Brew Times 2

  Nothing represents North County San Diego better than a walk on the beach and a stop at a local brewery—or two.

  View
• 

  Caves, Condors, Camping

  You’re gonna need a flashlight for this hike, and not because it’s happening at night. Check out a truly dark part of the park by visiting Bear Gulch Cave in Pinnacles National Park.

  View
• 

  Bag North Chalone Peak

  For the pinnacle view of Pinnacles National Park, you’ve got to hike to North Chalone Peak, the tallest in the park, offering great scenery and the possibility of seeing the California condor.

  View
• 

  West Side Story

  The west side of Pinnacles National Park feels a bit more rugged, and has fewer people. And it has some of the park’s premier trails and sites, including Juniper Canyon and Balconies Cave.

  View
• 

  UNESCO, You Know!

  It's hard to be #1 when you live in LA. But Hollyhock House achieved that status as the first LA landmark designated a World Heritage Site. See it on an urban tour of LA’s architecture and public art scene, including a Frank Lloyd Wright–themed walk through Barnsdall Art Park.

  View
• 

  Brea Beckoning

  The art-centric town of Brea goes beyond museum walls with an “Art in Public Places” program featuring 183+ outdoor sculptures. Amid these treasures, you’ll find the 8-piece sculpt

  View
• 

  Murals of La Jolla

  You need a map and sense of adventure for this fun journey through the lovely town of La Jolla. The “Murals of La Jolla” project began in 2010 as part of SoCal’s commitment to publ

  View
• 

  Tahoe's Trio of Lake Vistas

  They say good things come in threes, and it’s true when you embark on this 8-mile (round-trip) hike in Tahoe’s Desolation Wilderness. It gives you three excellent lake vistas: Eagl

  View
• 

  Riding Riverside’s Riverside

  Yes, Riverside has a river, and bicycling the Santa Ana River Trail from Fairmount Park to the Van Buren Bridge and back (a 12.8-mile round-trip) is a great way to see it. Well, yo

  View
• 

  Biking With the Back Bay Birds

  Biking the 10-mile Newport Beach Back Bay Loop Trail is a great way to see the quiet side of Newport Beach—the side that isn’t beach. Instead you’ll ride through 1,000 acres of coa

  View
• 

  Biking Along Long Beach

  The Long Beach Shoreline Bike Path is the quintessential SoCal oceanfront path—cool breezes, sandy beaches, swaying palms trees, beautiful boats. The 7.5-mile (round-trip) out-and-

  View
• 

  Octopodes, if You Please

  Great snorkeling doesn’t require a plane ticket to the tropics. Not when Abalone Cove State Marine Conservation Area in Rancho Palos Verdes is just a quick drive away. It has every

  View