All "Hikes" Stories in Southern CA

Glow Up
Tucked in the southeast corner of Griffith Park, Beacon Hill is an example of how you don’t have to travel far or aim high to reach one of the best panoramas of LA’s skyline
View
Hollywood Ending
Is the Hollywood Sign ready for its close-up? See it up close on the 3-mile round-trip hike up Aileen B. Getty Ridge Trail, which crosses the 1,820-foot summit of Cahuenga Peak.
View
Glow Up
Tucked in the southeast corner of Griffith Park, Beacon Hill is an example of how you don’t have to travel far or aim high to reach one of the best panoramas of LA’s skyline.
View
Old Tower, New Home
Castro Peak Lookout can be viewed via a 5.6-mile gut-bustin’, heart-thumpin’ out-and-back hike that delivers panoramic vistas of the San Gabriel Valley
View
High Rise
It’s a tall order to hike 3.3 miles up a series of steady switchbacks to the 3,375-foot summit of Jones Peak, but this trek rewards with views that get better the higher you go.
View
Sitton Pretty
Sitton Peak is a 3,273-foot summit in the Santa Ana Mountains. All in, a 10-mile hike gets you to a panoramic summit filled with hills galloping toward the Pacific.
View
Cave Culture
Cave Landing, a craggy headland between Avila Beach and Pismo Beach, is a storied stretch of the Central Coast that stirs potent reveries in the beholder.
View
Old SLO Hills
Hike Johnson Ranch, a sprawling 242-acre open space south of San Luis Obispo and north of Avila Beach where vistas seem to ever unfold in new directions.
View
Planet of the Oaks
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.
View
Arrowhead Ahead
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.
View
Rocky Picture Show
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.
View
Crunch Time
This 6.8-mile (round-trip) loop in northern Griffith Park is supernaturally enticing: four peaks, panoramic views, and ... ghosts.
View
Welcome to Mr. Cobb's Haunted Forest
The ruins can be explored on an easy 1.5-mile (round-trip) loop trail. Hike it close to dusk for maximum creepiness (just make sure you're out by dusk, when the park closes).
View
Hiking with the Shadow People
The Thompson Creek Trail in Claremont seems so benign. And it is, until you start encountering weird noises, “shadow people,” or bleeding trees! Test your bravery on the 5.6-mile (round-trip) trail.
View
Joshua Tree's Secret Aerie
You won’t find Eagle Cliff Mine on the official Joshua Tree National Park map—which is part of the appeal of this challenging 4.6-mile (round-trip) out-and-back trek.
View
Mr. Beek's Mountain Dream
Beek’s Place in the Santa Ana Mountains is one of those great California shrines to faded dreams, and well worth the thigh-burning 10.5-mile (round-trip) out-and-back hike to get there.
View
Old Tom's Cabin
The 1.5-mile hike to Vincent’s Cabin provides vast mountain views and dense forest shade—and a chance to visit an odd bit of SoCal history surrounding the man who was Tom Vincent.
View
Full Moon, 90049
City lights and ocean views: Brentwood’s dog-friendly, 7.4-mile (round-trip) Westridge Fire Road trail offers both, no headlamp required. The full moon is bright enough to light up this exposed trail on your return trip.
View
Famous Potato
On Potato Mountain, you get panoramic views, a great workout, and ... potatoes! The 4.4-mile trail through the foothills of the San Gabriels climbs gradually to the summit of Potato Mountain.
View
OC Astronomy 101
A guided full-moon hike of the Mesa Trail loop in Black Star Canyon Wilderness offers access to an area only open to guided tours, safety in numbers, a nifty leg workout, and ... astronomy lessons!
View