Rocky Picture Shows

What a show to behold! The strangest forces of SoCal geology could star in their very own cult movie. Crazy uplift, bizarre evidence of faulting, massive lava flows, weird underwater formations risen to the desert surface—they’re all ripe for exploring if you know where to look. And we do!

Week: 10.12.2017
Regions: Southern CA

Planet of the Pinnacles

Exploring the Trona Pinnacles

The Trona Pinnacles have costarred as backdrop in sci-fi epics like Planet of the Apes and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, but seeing these tufa towers in person is far more jaw-dropping than the virtual version. When you stand before this rock fantasy, your feet are firmly plan
Read the full story

Cave Country

Cave Adventures in Lake Shasta and Lava Beds

Take your explorations to new heights … or, rather, new depths, by visiting some of California’s coolest cave country. Get all Indiana Jones at Lake Shasta Caverns National Landmark, where your adventure begins with a boat ride across Shasta Lake, and ends on a mountain with a gu
Visit our sponsor Visit Redding

Psychedelic Lava

Exploring Fossil Falls

You’d be hard-pressed to find a volcanic landscape in California as memorable and psychedelic as Fossil Falls. This chasm of water-sculpted lava rock in the Coso Mountain Range northwest of Ridgecrest was carved thousands of years ago by the Owens River after an eruption dammed t
Read the full story

Behold the Superslabs

Exploring Mormon Rocks in Cajon Pass

Bored with the scenery between LA and Vegas along I-15? You must have missed Mormon Rocks. Wedged smack on the San Andreas Fault in Cajon Pass, these massive, tilted slabs of sandstone are a stunner. Even if you’re not en route to Sin City, it’s worth driving out to explore. The
Read the full story

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Keough's Hot Springs

    Soaking Up History

    When you slide into the soothing water of Keough’s Hot Springs, you’re bathing in a piece of Owens Valley history.

    View
  2. woman hiking Buck Gulch Falls Novato

    Buck Wild!

    Tucked back beyond the residential ranch-style homes and golf courses of Novato in the North Bay is a wild and wondrous 30-foot waterfall that springs to life in the rainy season. Buck Gulch Falls in Novato’s Ignacio Valley Preserve is in peak flow right now, and it’s a short and Middle-earthy hike to reach it.

    View
  3. Grover Hot Springs

    State 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 very own hot springs.

    View

  4. Hike to New Lights

    For an enlightening late-day hike, catch the San Francisco skyline at sunset from high atop Ring Mountain in Tiburon. This 2-mile (round-trip) hike to Turtle Rock is a perfect late afternoon wander.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Redding Ironman Whiskeytown lake
    Sponsored

    New Year, New Goal: IRONMAN 70.3 Northern California

    2026 is off and running! And swimming. And biking. Don't get left behind! Commit to one of the upcoming year’s most exciting endurance events—IRONMAN 70.3 Northern California in Redding.

    View
  2. Woman swimming in Carson Hotsprings natural thermal pool

    Hot Springs, Naturally

    Thermal spring waters are famous for their curative, relaxing elements, and Reno Tahoe is filled with them! Sink into these amazing thermal respites for a wellness super soak.

    View

  3. O Enchanted Night!

    Prepare to be mesmerized! Holiday-season nights in Descanso Gardens are a magical interplay of lights and natural beauty that dazzle as you stroll through the Enchanted Forest of L

    View
  4. Hikers sitting on a large rock slab next to Three Sisters Falls in Cleveland National Forest Southern California near Julian

    Three Sisters

    Good things come in threes at this hike to a lovely trio-tiered waterfall in Cleveland National Forest. The 4.25-mile out-and-back hike rambles among rolling hills, with rocky mountain views as switchbacks take you down to a lush canyon and the falls.

    View