hikespeak

Driving around Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, you will pass quite a few unnamed or unmarked footpaths heading off somewhere into the desert. If you are curious enough to venture down one of these mysterious trails, make your way to Tubb Canyon. Located near Culp Valley Primitive Campground in the San Ysidro Mountains on the west side of the park, Tubb Canyon Trail offers an easy 1.5-mile... Read more.

If you like mountain views without a mountainous amount of effort, set out on Culp Valley Loop. This 2.2-mile hike with 200 feet of elevation change begins from Culp Valley Primitive Campground in the San Ysidro Mountains west of Borrego Springs. The campground is just off Montezuma Highway, the main road into the park from the west, making Culp Valley Loop a convenient first stop for... Read more.

Near the west end of Mulholland Highway north of Leo Carrillo State Park, you will find an almost hidden trailhead for Malibu Springs Trail. This spring-loaded single track is faint and overgrown in areas, providing a sense of adventure as you take in fantastic views of the highest peaks Santa Monica Mountains. At the end of an arduous climb, you will drop down to Nicholas Flat in Nicholas... Read more.

Before it was called Calabasas - Cold Creek Trail, this single track on the northwest side of Calabasas Peak was called the Secret Trail. Well the secret is out and this 4.5-mile round trip trek is a pleasure that all hikers should discover! Tackle 750 feet of elevation change as you cross ridges and ravines topped by sandstone minarets, eventually reaching a 2,163-foot summit with 360... Read more.

If you are looking for a nice loop hike in the Santa Monica Mountains above Beverly Hills, give Hastain Trail in Franklin Canyon Park a try. Hastain Trail can actually be used for two loops, one easy 1.8-mile loop with 350 feet of elevation gain and one moderate 2.2-mile option with 550 feet of elevation gain. Each trek is a satisfying way to explore Franklin Canyon Park. Both loops... Read more.

The Getty Museum sits on a ridge in the Santa Monica Mountains above the 405 Freeway and has sweeping views over the west side of Los Angeles. East Sepulveda Fire Road (also known as Casiano Fire Road) crosses the ridge on the opposite side of the freeway and has great views of the Getty Museum and Santa Monica Bay. The wide dirt trail crosses a protected section of the Santa Monica... Read more.

The city of Cambria is located on Highway One at the north end of San Luis Obispo County, and has earned the nickname "Gateway to the Big Sur Coast." Like that stunning area to the north, Cambria has its own beautiful waterfront. Explore sandy beaches and rocky tide pools on a 2.85-mile round trip hike down Moonstone Beach Boardwalk, crossing a pristine beach that is preserved by Hearst San... Read more.

This short, level hike in Big Sur's Los Padres National Forest ventures to the end of a grassy point topped by a crown of spiked boulders. The bluff offers fantastic views of the coves and rocky sea stacks up and down the rugged coastline of Big Sur. The trailhead is conveniently located along Highway One, and at 1.1 miles round trip with 50 feet of elevation change, the views far outweigh... Read more.

To describe this hike, you have to use a couple phrases that you wouldn't normally associate with Orange County, Central Park and Lake Trail, but you will also use a few phrases that are quite fitting for Southern California, laid back and leisurely. Like the Big Apple, there is a Central Park in Huntington Beach (the Big Orange?) with over 350 acres of green space just a couple miles from... Read more.

Vanalden Cave near Tarzana is one of the most unusual sandstone formations in the Santa Monica Mountains and is quite easy to hike to. Vanalden Cave is a sandstone den about 25 feet tall, 25 feet wide, and 50 feet deep. The roof of the cave is only a few feet thick with a few holes that, like skylights, illuminate cave walls covered with curious carvings and graffiti. Hike 0.6 miles... Read more.