Volcan Mountain Wilderness sunset hike

Gold Rush

Who says there’s no fall in SoCal? Ours lasts right on through November! We have leafy trees (yes, they change color!), we have perfect weather ... and we have three hikes that are fall-out gorgeous.

Week: 11.14.2019
Regions: Southern CA

Planet of the Oaks

Fall Color Hike in Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve in San Diego

Hike San Diego Volcan Mountain Wilderness
Let us count the number of oak tree species in the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve near Julian: coast, scrub, canyon, black, and Engelmann. Five! The preserve’s Five Oaks Trail is a 3.2-mile hike that boasts all five.
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Arrowhead Ahead

Fall Color Hike on Sawmill Road Loop Trail Near Lake Arrowhead

Fall Color Hike Sawmill Road Near Lake Arrowhead
Deciduous black oaks and Fremont cottonwoods line the Sawmill Road Loop Trail near Lake Arrowhead, making it one of the best places in SoCal for a seasonal kaleidoscope of changing leaves.
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Ahhh-tumn Yosemite

Fall Getaway to Yosemite's Tenaya Lodge

Tenaya Lodge Explorer Cabin
Fall colors and fewer people are just a couple of reasons autumn is one of Yosemite’s most beautiful seasons.
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Rocky Picture Show

Fall Color Hike to Suicide Rock in Mount San Jacinto State Park

Suicide Rock Mount San Jacinto State Park
Suicide Rock near Idyllwild is a SoCal hot spot for changing colors in the fall, and a great workout as well. The 6.3-mile out-and-back hike rewards with autumn yellows and sweeping views.
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Aloha from California

    Say Aloha without leaving California with a 7-mile out-and-back hiking adventure to Lake Aloha in El Dorado National Forest. You can also camp here, a premier place for stargazing.

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  2. Sequoia Re-opens Crystal Cave

    Step inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park's hidden world by visiting the newly re-opened Crystal Cave—the only cave in the parks open to the public. Closed for four years, this rare marble karst cavern is welcoming visitors once again, but only through the summer season!

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  3. Easiest Best Hike in the World

    Choose the easiest and most view-rewarding hike in Yosemite. Okay, we’ll go first: the combination of hiking to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. Both of these lookouts are within a couple miles of each other on Glacier Point Road

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  4. Hiker in the forest at Mount Sutro in San Francisco

    San Francisco's Middle Earth

    No need to travel to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth. San Francisco’s Mount Sutro Open Space is practically Hobbiton—a hidden “shire” in the middle of the city. Okay, maybe not quite as magical, but still an incredible place to take a hike in city limits.

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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Can't Top This

    San Francisco’s Presidio was already a fantastic place to hang out for the afternoon, a beautiful site within the largest urban national park in the United States (the Golden Gate National Recreation Area). And Presidio Tunnel Tops is like a cherry on top. Make that two cherries on top, with the newly opened (July 2025) Outpost Meadow, a 1.5-acre green space located at Old Mason Street across from the Crissy Field Marsh in the Presidio.

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  2. Underground Garden

    Looking to escape the summer heat? Head to Fresno and discover its cool secret: the Forestiere Underground Gardens–an enchanting garden and architecture oasis like no other.

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  3. Volcanic Activity

    Northern California is home to one of the most unique ecosystems in the country: Lassen Volcanic National Park. The region features geothermal areas, including the largest dome volcano in the world, Lassen Peak. Hike to the top of this active volcano on a 5-mile out-and-back.  

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  4. Oh Ryan

    Sure, it’s those whimsical trees that give Joshua Tree National Park its marquee billing; but this beautiful landscape also has surrounding mountains and its night sky—one of the darkest in Southern California and designated an International Dark Sky Park. Joshua Tree has four allowable stargazing parking lots, and a newly opened haven for spending the night nearby...

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