Rise to the East

The next few weeks are some of the best of times to visit one of California’s best kept secrets. Ancient, rugged, and remote, Owens Valley and the adjacent Eastern Escarpment are the otherworldy flipside to the well-trodden Western Sierras … a visual passage of ancient volcanic and glacial occurrences, a place of cinematic history, a land where superlatives properly apply as you adventure among the oldest trees in the world and the highest peak in California. Go before the snow and snag some great camping, too!

Week: 09.22.2016
Regions: Southern CA

Alabama Backdrop

Hiking among rare formations at Alabama Hills in Owens Valley California

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 Nevada and the town of Lone Pine in the Owens Valley is Californian to the core, embodying a mythic
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Redding-Made Getaway

Early Fall Getaway to Redding

Vacations are like a pizza: Everyone loves it. But the question is, what kind of pizza? Pepperoni? Cheese only? Extra olives? Redding is the pizza pleaser of weekend getaways! It’s got so much outdoor variety in such close proximity, all you have to do is choose your adventures!
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Old and Gnarly

Hiking the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest of the White Mountains in California

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 Valley features epic vistas of the Sierra Escarpment, ultra-dark night skies, exposed metamorphic ro
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Lone Oasis

Hiking a section of Mount Whitney Trail in California

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 required permit to enter the “Whitney Zone” due to the Forest Service’s strict quota system. The goo
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Purely Purisima

    Take a relaxing hike on the lower section of Purisiima Creek Trail in Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.

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  2. Been There, Dome That

    Surrounded by granite domes, craggy peaks, and miles of hiking trails, the High Sierra landscape of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park is famous for good reason. For a truly grand view, take a short hike to bold—and bald (except for snow at times)—Lembert Dome.

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  3. Wapama Wows

    Hetch Hetchy can be overlooked in Yosemite National Park because of its more remote location and limited facilities. But this is where you’ll also find one of the best day hikes in the park: Wapama Falls.

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    Take the Exit to the Best of the San Francisco Peninsula

    The San Francisco Peninsula is proof that some of Northern California’s greatest surprises are hiding just off Highway 101. All you have to do is take the exit.

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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Ballona Beach Hopper

    This easygoing bike escape is proof that you don't have to drive for hours to feel the vast benefits of nature. The Ballona Creek Bike Path is part of the “Park to Playa Regional Trail,” a 13-mile network connecting parks and open spaces from Baldwin Hills to the Pacific Ocean.

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  2. Lookout Ahead!

    A 3.7-mile loop hike to Boucher Hill Fire Lookout in Palomar Mountain State Park reminds us just how stunningly beautiful are the mountains of this remote, lightly visited portion of northern San Diego County.

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  3. A Thousand Steps to Paradise

    A picture is worth a thousand words, but is a gorgeous beach in Laguna worth a thousand steps? The answer is yes, though the question is moot, because it’s only 223 steep steps down to the 400-yard stretch of sand known as 1000 Steps Beach.

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  4. Strawberry Peak Lookout Hike

    Strawberry Sunday

    The 2.5-mile (round-trip) lollipop loop climb to the Strawberry Peak Fire Lookout near the town of Lake Arrowhead dishes up some delicious views.

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