All Stories from Southern CA
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.
ViewDune 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
ViewDown 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
ViewJenks 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.
ViewHidden 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
ViewHeavenly 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,
ViewNo 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
ViewCool 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
ViewSwim-through Caverns
A mug of stout beer on a hot summer day isn’t the only thing that’s cold, dark, and refreshing! There’s also the swim-through caverns of Natural Bridges in Calaveras County (aka Go
ViewMalibu Rooftop View
Mesa Peak isn’t your standard summit ascent. For one thing, the peak is 147 feet lower in elevation than the trailhead. But this is not just some downhill stroll. It’s a great up-a
ViewWaterfall Jackpot!
We know where you're guaranteed to hit the jackpot in Reno. Hunter Creek Falls. It's a favorite of Reno locals, accessible year round, and especially good in the summer months when
ViewA Valido Point of View
When you reach Aliso Peak via Valido Trail in Laguna Beach, you’ll be close enough to the blue Pacific to see the detail of the waves crashing upon the shore, but high enough for a
ViewRancho PV Seaside Spree
Here’s a hike where the payoff comes with every step you take, not just in a hero view from a summit perch. The oceanside trails of Rancho Palos Verdes keep the dramatic Pacific in
ViewBaldy Base Camp
The grand stone house known as Harwood Lodge, set at 6,000 feet amid the pine-forested splendor of the San Gabriel Mountains, is just a short walk from Mount Baldy Trail, the quintessential SoCal mountain trek. It's also close to trails for more leisurely walks.
ViewHunt for the Hot Springs!
Wanna find hidden hot springs? Hunt for them! Tucked alongside a creek in the Madhesi Valley an hour from Burney Falls and 5 miles from the nearest town of Big Bend (population 102
ViewState Park Soaker
Set in an alpine meadow at 6,000 feet and surrounded by the 10,000-foot granite peaks of the Sierra, Grover Hot Springs State Park—just outside the town of Markleeville—has its ver
ViewCarson Calling
Along the banks of the East Fork Carson River, brushing the California–Nevada border, sits a series of hot spring pools surrounded by high desert. The springs have for years been a
ViewSan Gabriels Sojourn
To overnight at Sturtevant Camp is to relive Southern California’s “Great Hiking Era”—the 1880s to late 1930s—when millions flocked to the San Gabriel Mountains to hike, fish, and
ViewAt Home on the PCT
Cienaga Creek Ranch rests at 8,250 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains. Nice. But even better: The ranch is smack dab on the Pacific Crest Trail, 8 miles southeast of Big Bear! Th
ViewTwo-Canyon Empire
Let’s see ... a plateau that’s an extension of a mountain range, an undulating ridgeline, big boulders, and two canyons: The 6.6-mile Wiashal Trail is a great hike for ticking off
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Fall Coastal Hikes Guide
Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) is ready to fill your fall with bluffside trails, tranquil beaches, whale watching, a haunted distillery, and seasonal sweet treats.
POST's Coastal Hiking Guide
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