All Stories from Southern CA

• 

  Look Out—It’s Tahquitz!

  The hike to 8,846-foot Tahquitz Peak in the San Jacinto Wilderness boasts awesome views and an intriguing legend. The peak was named by the Cahuilla Indians after a powerful, evil

  View
• 

  DTLA's Colorful Corazón

  Olvera Street is always filled with pageantry, and the historic district of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, the birthplace of Los Angeles, is worth strolling anytime to sample traditional Mexican culture and foods and to better appreciate the city’s heritage.

  View
• 

  Rancho Enchanto

  SoCal was once a land of Spanish ranchos, whose rancheros brought along cows, horses, wheat, mustard seed, oats, and other nonnative species to the Santa Monica Mountains, forever reshaping the landscape that we see today. An example is Peter Strauss Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

  View
• 

  Rolling Through the Robles

  Corbin Canyon in Topanga State Park is a hidden gem of the Santa Monica Mountains with beautiful scenery and low foot traffic, yet it’s only minutes away from the hustle and bustle

  View
• 

  Clearly a Winner!

  Okay, let’s get something clear ... like, crystal clear: The best way to see Lake Tahoe’s beautiful translucent waters is on a crystal-clear kayak! And by that we mean Wild Society

  View
• 

  Brew Bike

  The Reno Brew Bike is a glory of human ingenuity in light of the city’s burgeoning craft brew scene: 6 to 10 people sit across from each other in a human-powered trolley, pedaling

  View
• 

  Sunny Side Down

  Sunny Jim Cave is anything but sunny. It’s what you want in a cave—cool and dark—and it has a literary connection. It’s also the only sea cave in La Jolla that can be accessed by land.

  View
• 

  ¡El Matador, Olé!

  Take a walk on the Malibu coast’s wild side! El Matador State Beach is a rugged stretch of sand where 150-foot cliffs have been beaten and worn away by the turquoise waves to creat

  View
• 

  A Pirate’s Cave for Me

  The sea caves of Dana Point may not hold any gold or gems (that we know of), but Pirate’s Cave is a treasure in and of itself. This 1.2-mile (round-trip) out-and-back trail along a

  View
• 

  Pools of Gold

  Montaña de Oro: The name means mountain of gold, but the real treasures here lie underwater. Luckily you don’t have to venture into the ocean to see all the cool creatures. Plenty

  View
• 

  Abalone Sandwich

  The difference between tide pools and an aquarium? Adventure! You have to work a bit for the tide pools at Abalone Cove in Rancho Palos Verdes, but they’re well worth the effort. T

  View
• 

  Laguna Low Down

  Looking for the best tide pools in Orange County? Grab your water shoes and a tide chart, and head to Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach! The mix of shallow and deep pools provides a per

  View
• 

  El Capitán, My Capitán

  The best part about camping at El Capitán State Beach? It just might be sunset. The campground, perched on a forested bluff above the beach, gives you the best seats in the house for watching the sun settle down into the Santa Barbara Channel.

  View
• 

  Dune It on the Beach!

  Here’s where camping on the beach means … camping on the beach! Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area is famous for its broad, flat beach, rolling sand dunes that seem to st

  View
• 

  Down Doheny Way

  For the best beach camping in SoCal, come down Doheny way, where everybody’s gone surfin’, surfin’ USA! Doheny State Beach, that is, situated on 62 acres of coastline in Dana Point

  View
• 

  Jenks for the Memories

  Name your passion! Whether it’s kayaking, fishing, hiking, barbecuing, or relaxing in a hammock beneath tall ponderosa pines—Jenks Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains is the place for a perfect lakeside summer day.

  View
• 

  Hidden Lake in the Dunes

  It sounds preposterous: a lake in the dunes? That’s exactly why Oso Flaco Lake, in the Oceano Dunes south of Pismo Beach, is so cool. The 75-acre freshwater lake is surrounded by m

  View
• 

  Heavenly Devil's Hole

  Recipe for the perfect swimming hole: cool pool in a mountain stream, remote mountain setting, great approach hike. Just add a few friends and a sunny summer day, then hike, stir,

  View
• 

  No Rapids in This Whitewater

  Here’s a little desert hideaway that’s a surprisingly cool escape, even when the weather’s hot! Whitewater Preserve in Sand to Snow National Monument is an oasis in a rugged stretc

  View
• 

  Cool Pool in the ’Bu

  Best place to cool off on a hot LA day? Our vote goes to Rock Pool in Malibu Creek State Park. A completely natural swimming hole reached via a short and easy trail (2.4 miles roun

  View