Rock Star Hike

Hike Vasquez Rocks in Los Angeles County

Hike Vasquez Rocks Natural Park Area

There’s a reason some geological formations become a hotspot for filmmakers, history buffs, and adventure seekers alike: They’re just so cool. And the sandstone giants of Vasquez Rocks might be the coolest damn formations in Southern California. Explore the craggy slabs on a 2.5-mile (round-trip) hike that also connects to a segment of the Pacific Crest Trail. Park at the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park Interpretive Center and grab a map.

Then follow signs for the Nature Heritage Trail. As you continue south, passing a campground, interpretive signs tell of local flora, such as a glorious California juniper, sagebrush, and yucca, as well as a Tataviam dwelling, grinding bowl and pictograph. Keep straight at the next junction (with Horse Trail), but be sure to climb the hill to your right for some great first views of the massive rocks, named after the notorious bandit Turbicio Vasquez, who hid from the law here. You can climb the 45-degree-angle behemoths that have been featured as alien terrain (Star Trek) and western backdrops (Blazing Saddles, Westworld).

These rocks were formed through roughly 25 million years of erosion. Keep heading southeast and follow signs to hike a section of the PCT, where you’ll stay left to keep the rock formation views going. This trail soon becomes the Geology Trail, passing through more boulders and depositing you at a dirt road leading back to the start. Rock on.

To get to the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park Interpretive Center and parking lot, take the I-5 to the CA-14 for 14 miles, exiting Agua Dulce Canyon Rd. and turning left. Stay on Agua Dulce Canyon Rd. for 2 miles, which becomes Escondido Canyon Rd. After another 0.5 mile, the entrance will be on your right. Dog-friendly!

Story and photos by Matt Pawlik

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Camp at Goose Lake in the Lakes Basin

    Duck, Duck, Goose!

    Try to get a first-come, first-served campsite at one of the Lakes Basin’s lakeside campgrounds. We love Goose Lake Campground, where there are just 13 sites and no motorized boats.

    View
  2. This Is Paradise

    Granite mountain-scape, superb sunset views, crystal lakes, and shoreline campsites … the trip to Paradise Lake in Tahoe National Forest lives up to its idyllic name.

    View
  3. 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.

    View
  4. 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!

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  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.

    View
  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.

    View
  3. 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...

    View
  4. 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

    View