hikespeak

Water is something you don't see much of in Mojave National Preserve, certainly not just pooling on the ground as it does at Rock Spring. The constant source at Rock Spring helped inhabitants survive in the Mojave Desert for thousands of years and was even the site of a small U.S. Army post in the 1860s. Today you can reach the spring easily, along with a Rock House built in the 1920s and... Read more.

You would not expect to find a Whitewater River in the vicinity of Palm Springs, but this surprising river is vital for the fertility of the Coachella Valley, bringing wonderful water from the San Bernardino Mountains to the desert below where it empties into the Salton Sea. Journeyman hikers can pass through Whitewater Preserve on the Pacific Crest Trail and day hikers can get in on the... Read more.

In 1917, Mount Wilson Toll Road was used to bring equipment (including the 100-inch mirror) up to Mount Wilson Observatory where the world's largest telescope was assembled for gazing out across the universe. Today visitors can use the same dirt road to enjoy naked-eye views across the Southland. On clear days the views extend to the Palos Verdes Peninsula, framed by two slices of the... Read more.

For those times when you can’t get out of LA to go for a hike, the city offers several urban trails. Those who live around Loyola Marymount University (in Culver City, Ladera Heights, Marina Del Rey, Playa Vista, Westchester, West LA, etc.) may enjoy getting a taste of the outdoors along with some exercise on the LMU Trail, also know as Westchester Fire Road. This partially paved road... Read more.

Good things do come in small packages, like Rocky Oaks, one of the tinier parcels in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The park covers less than 200 acres, but a collection of interwoven trails allow visitors to hike about 2 miles in this park. For a short and level half-mile loop, stroll around a seasonal pond that was used as a cattle pond when Rocky Oaks was a ranch. ... Read more.

Where can you go for a loop hike in a wilderness area in Orange County? Why, Weir Canyon of course. Weir Canyon Trail provides a 3.8-mile loop over undulating terrain on the side of Weir Canyon in the Anaheim Hills below the Santa Ana Mountains. There is 350 feet of elevation between the high and low points of the loop, but all the ups and downs along the trail make it feel more like a hike... Read more.

The foreboding sounding Tarantula Hill, which also goes by the more welcoming name of Dawn's Peak, is a small, isolated mound in Thousand Oaks that hikers can summit for views over the Conejo Valley and into the nearby Santa Monica Mountains. If your spider senses are detecting pavement, that's because the entire half-mile-long trail up Tarantula Hill is paved. While Tarantula Hill Trail... Read more.

Newport Bay is a vital stopover for birds migrating across Southern California. Hikers can explore the estuary too, on trails in Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve, a 142-acre coastal habitat managed by the Orange County Parks Department. The preserve's West Bluff has a few trails (some open to equestrians and bikers) that provide easy hikes of a mile or more, including the 2.5-mile loop... Read more.

Oats Peak is the second highest summit in Montaña de Oro State Park, a full 26 feet taller than Valencia Peak, which is probably the park's favorite summit for hikers. Oats Peak is located a couple miles inland of Valencia Peak, sporting smaller ocean views and greater views over the Irish Hills, the canyons and ridges making up the interior of the Montaña de Oro State Park. A pair of... Read more.

Montaña de Oro State Park has every type of hike you could want, ranging from easy oceanfront strolls to difficult summit ascents. If you're feeling like Goldilocks and want something in the middle (just right), check out Reservoir Flats Trail, a 2-mile loop with 200 feet of elevation gain that is conveniently located just behind the park visitor center. The trail travels around the bottom... Read more.