All Stories from Southern CA

• 

  Alabama Backdrop

  Despite being named for a Confederate warship, the CSS Alabama, there’s nothing Southern about the Alabama Hills. This range of rocky hills between the eastern slopes of the Sierra

  View
• 

  Lone Oasis

  Every summer, thousands travel to Whitney Portal in the Eastern Sierra to summit Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States. But thousands more are denied the

  View
• 

  Old and Gnarly

  Few places will magnify your sense of time and space quite like the rugged White Mountains. A part of Inyo National Forest, this remote, seldom-visited range along the upper Owens

  View
• 

  Inspiration Point, Indeed

  Sideways might be the best way to experience Santa Barbara’s abundant wine culture, but the best way to experience its beautiful natural landscape? Upwards! Inspiration Point is a

  View
• 

  Lizard Like

  As a coastal enclave where beaches meet mountains, Santa Barbara County is one of those places that run the risk of having too much of a good thing. But fortunately we know a spot

  View
• 

  Glamp Camp

  So your idea of camping is barbecues, beach cruisers, and better-not-have-to-pitch-a-tent? Say hello to Autocamp! (Or what we call Autoglamp.) Set right in downtown Santa Barbara,

  View
• 

  Lookout There!

  Perched at 4,900 feet in the Greenhorn Mountains amid majestic oaks and huge, cleaved boulders, Oak Flat Lookout in Sequoia National Forest (named for the Giant Sequoia groves and

  View
• 

  High Sierra Sorensen's

  At the eastern edge of Hope Valley, just 20 minutes south of Lake Tahoe, is what you would call an elegantly rustic respite suited to all seasons.  Situated in an alpine valley rin

  View
• 

  SUP 'n' Sip

  Crowned Wine Enthusiast’s 2015 Wine Region of the Year? Lodi is hot on the vine trail. But wine isn’t the only thing flowing here: The Mokelumne River is a nature-lover’s oasis tha

  View
• 

  Hollywood Sunset

  We know, we know, there are all kinds of ways to hike to the Hollywood sign. But to see this icon in its best light, go closer to sunset and take the short, classic route up Mount

  View
• 

  Ocean's Edge

  Tightly wedged beside the 101 Freeway and downtown Ventura, and divided by the Southern Pacific Railroad, Emma Wood State Beach is mostly known for RV camping. Meh. But wait … beyo

  View
• 

  Hike-in Swimming Hole

  We had you at hike-in swimming hole? For a taste of the glacial and volcanic splendors of Desolation Wilderness without an all-day commitment, Grass Lake is the perfect hike. Pack

  View
• 

  Chain of Alpine Lakes

  There are six and a half good reasons to do this 6.5-mile (out-and-back) hike in the eastern Sierras’ Inyo National Forest. The Little Lakes Valley hike is an oasis-hopping, mounta

  View
• 

  Rocky Alpine High

  Set at 10,000 feet in the Inyo National Forest of the eastern Sierras, Rock Creek Lake is idyllic, with its sandy shores and the colorful rainbow trout easily spotted in the transp

  View
• 

  Desolation Drama

  Oval-shaped Dicks Lake is one of the scenic gems of the Desolation Wilderness. Set in a dramatic glacial cirque with 9,974-foot Dicks Peak soaring behind it, the lake makes a perfe

  View
• 

  Bag Tahoe's Tallest

  You can’t call yourself a Tahoe hiker until you’ve climbed 9,735-foot Mount Tallac, the imposing peak that towers over Lake Tahoe’s southwest shore. This butt-kicking, 9.4-mile hik

  View
• 

  Sleep Like a Rock

  No crowds, no cell phone service—now that’s a wilderness getaway! The hugely underrated Rock Creek Lake in the Inyo National Forest of the eastern Sierra is known for its peaceful

  View
• 

  Mesa's Magical

  If the Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands views don’t take your breath away, these 242 steps will. Mesa Lane boasts Santa Barbara’s longest and most aesthetic staircase, descending

  View
• 

  Thousand Steps Beach

  Okay, the name is a bit of an exaggeration—it takes only 154 steps to reach Santa Barbara's Thousand Steps Beach (also known as Camino al Mar, Spanish for “the way to the sea”). Bu

  View
• 

  Give Me More Mesa

  A typical beach routine: Drive to a parking lot, haul out your cooler, traipse across the asphalt to the sand. Want more out of the experience? Then head to More Mesa and its view-

  View