Find hikes in Santa Monica Mountains, Los Angeles city area, Angeles National Forest, San Bernardino National Forest, Cleveland National Forest and more. There are dozens of LA trails!
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Hike with the Best View of the Hollywood Sign
Hike the Innsdale Trail for the best views of the Hollywood Sign. This hike is short and east with close views in less than one mile.
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10 Malibu Hikes You Need to Do (Ocean View Hikes, Easy Hikes, Best Hikes)
There are many hikes along the coast in Malibu that offer beautiful ocean views & some gems deeper in the Santa Monica Mountains
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A Complete Guide To Malibu Creek State Park
Malibu Creek State Park in the Santa Monica Mountains offers an easy escape to nature to hike, rock climb, fish, or camp! Plan a day trip or weekend adventure with this guide
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Cowles Mountain Hike – Highest Peak in San Diego City
Cowles Mountain is the tallest point in SD with 360 views of the city, beach, and mountains. This short but steep hike is a worthy quick workout
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13 Best Sunset Hikes in Los Angeles (by a local)
LA has some of the best views for sunset hikes, ranging from city to ocean to mountain views. See my guide to the best (and my favorites) sunset hike views.
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Hollywood Sign Hike: The Best & Shortest Trail to Get to the Top
The shortest hike to the Hollywood Sign that’s open to the public is from the Wisdom Tree – it’s also one of the hardest and best trails.
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Josephine Peak: The Best Underrated Hike in Angeles National Forest (By a Local)
Josephine Peak is one of my favorite moderate-level hikes in Angeles National Forest with stunning mountain and valley views at only 8 miles out and back with 1800 ft of elevation gain.
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Weir Canyon: Best Wildflower Hike in Orange County 2023
Short hike with a variety of wildflowers in the Spring and beautiful views of Mount Baldy and the ocean from Orange County, CA
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Climb San Gorgonio from South Fork Trail and North Face
San Gorgonio Mountain has many hiking trails to the summit and a North Face chute for mountaineering. Spring is a great time to climb this chute to the tallest mountain in Southern California if you’re experienced.
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13 Best Waterfall Hikes in LA to Visit Now (By a Local)
SoCal waterfalls typically flow until Spring depending on the rainfall. Here are the best waterfall hikes near LA including current closures.
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Annie’s Canyon Trail, Best Easy Hike Near San Diego
Looking for where to hike in San Diego? Annie’s Canyon is an unexpected local gem for a CA beach city. Slot canyons and mushroom caves near San Diego? Let’s go!
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Hike and Scramble Lawson Peak Trail in San Diego
Lawson Peak is a short, moderate-level hike near San Diego that’s fun for the whole family. It starts off on a wide dirt road and finishes scrambling on rocks.
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Easy Hike to Trail Canyon Falls in Los Angeles
Trail Canyon Falls is one of my favorite short, easy, family-friendly waterfall hikes in the Los Angeles area. It’s been a dry winter so GO NOW while the waterfall is still flowing. Be aware though, there is a lot of poison ivy along the trail, specifically around the first half closer to the water.
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Safety Concerns When Planning a Winter Hike in Southern California Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains and San Bernardino Mountains are home to many accessible trails, but also some rugged mountain terrains. In the wintertime particularly, SoCal gets hit with a good amount of snow which makes these mountains a different level of playing field compared to Spring, Summer, and Fall.
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Ladyface Mountain: One Mile Ridge Hike in Agoura Hills
This short, but steep, day hike near Los Angeles reminds me of island ridge hikes.
The trail includes some short class 3 scrambles but can be bypassed by hiking the dirt trail around most of it.
It’s a good hike if you’re looking for a quick, short, booty-blasting workout with a little spice.
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Climb Mount Baldy in the Winter via Mountaineers Route
Climbing to the top of LA’s highest mountain, Mount Baldy (10,064 ft) via the Baldy Bowl in the snow can be exciting if you’re experienced with mountaineering. If you don’t own the proper gear (crampons and ice ax), you can still hike the Ski Hut Trail in the winter with microspikes.
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Hike to Mount Lawlor 5928 ft. in Angeles National Forest
HIKE TO: Mount Lawlor TRAIL: Strawberry Peak Trail > Firebreak MILES: 4.55 miles loop TIME: 2:43 hr DATE I WENT: 2/14/20 DIFFICULTY: moderate ELEVATION: 5928 ft ELEVATION GAIN: 1309 ft PARKING PERMIT: yes, the US National Parks Pass doubles as an Adventure pass in Angeles National Forest LOCATION: Angeles National Forest Mount Lawlor (5928 ft) […]
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Challenging Hike To Strawberry Peak In the San Gabriel Mountains
The hiking trail to Strawberry Peak in the San Gabriel Mountains is different from the challenging class 3 scramble route from Colby Canyon. The Colby Canyon Trail is a mountaineering climb so be comfortable navigating uphill through rocks and boulders
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Hike Iron Mountain via Heaton Flats in Angeles National Forest
Iron Mountain via Heaton Flats in San Gabriel Mountains is a strenuous hike but great for training! It’s almost 7k ft of elevation gain in just under 7 miles.
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Stoddard Canyon Falls: Short Hike To A Swimming Hole
Stoddard canyon falls is a short and fun hike to waterfall slide and swimming hole near Los Angeles up by Mount Baldy – perfect hike on a hot day
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3 Easy Hikes in Lake Arrowhead: Plan a Weekend Getaway
TRIP DATES: November 13-15, 2020 LOCATION: San Bernardino Mountains, CA (Crestline/ Lake Arrowhead) CAMP: Thousand Pines via HIKES: Deep Creek Hot Spring, Heart Rock, & Pinnacles National Take a Hike Day: Best Hikes Near Lake Arrowhead There are 60k+ trails in the National Trail System and with the convenience of a cabin near Lake Arrowhead […]
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Hike to Bighorn Peak in Angeles National Forest
Icehouse Canyon in Angeles National Forest is home to many peaks in the Southern California region including the locally famous Cucamonga Peak and Mount Baldy, but if you are looking for a less-trafficked trail in the same area, Bighorn Peak is a great option for a moderate hike with similar views. HIKE TO: Bighorn Peak […]
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Cooper Canyon Falls: Easy 3-mile Waterfall Hike in Angeles National Forest
Day hike to a roaring waterfall deep in Angeles National Forest, within a 1-2 hour drive from Los Angeles. The Burkhart Trail to Cooper Canyon Falls is a short, easy 3-mile roundtrip hike. It is well shaded and fun for the whole family with lots of wildflowers in the Spring and early Summer.
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Portuguese Bend Reserve: Hike South Bay
The Portuguese Bend Reserve took me by surprise – this beautiful coastal hike in the South Bay is a great option this time of year because the rain makes everything green and the wildflowers already started to bloom. The Portuguese Bend Reserve has a system of many interconnected trails with one main fire road (Burma […]
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South Mt Hawkins Hike in San Gabriel Mountains
HIKE TO: South Mount Hawkins TRAIL: Windy Gap Trail > South Mt Hawkins Trail > Hawkins Ridge Trail MILES: 9.33 miles TIME: 3:40 hrs DATE I WENT: 11/10/19 DIFFICULTY: easy – moderate ELEVATION: 7760 ft ELEVATION GAIN/ LOSS: 1943 ft HIKE PERMIT: no PARKING PERMIT: yes, LOCATION: Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles/ Southern California Day […]
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Snow Hike to Smith Mountain Saddle
HIKE TO: Smith Saddle (the saddle before Smith Mountain) TRAIL: Upper Bear Creek Trail MILES: 5.98 mi TIME: 4:05 hr total time, 3:18 hr moving time DATE I WENT: 11/30/19 DIFFICULTY: easy ELEVATION: 4291 ft ELEVATION GAIN/ LOSS: 982 ft HIKE PERMIT: no LOCATION: San Gabriel Mountains in Angeles National Forest, California This past Thanksgiving […]
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San Gabriel Peak: Hiking San Gabriel Mountains at Sunset
San Gabriel Peak is one of the best hikes in San Gabriel Mountains. It’s only 3.2 miles total with 360 views of DTLA, the coast, and Angeles National Forest.
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12 Places to see wildflowers in Southern California
Wildflowers in SoCal bloom late-Feb through April in the low elevation hills, sometimes even into May! Use this guide to find a hike near you to see some wildflowers
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My First Solo Backpacking Trip – Henninger Flats
HIKE TO: HENNINGER FLATS, UPPER CAMPGROUND TRAIL: MT WILSON TOLL RD MILES: 6 MILES OUT AND BACK ELEVATION: 2600 FT ELEVATION GAIN: 1300 -1500 FT ish TIME: 1 NIGHT (2 HR TOTAL HIKE TIME) DATE I WENT: 6/29 – 6/30, 2018 DIFFICULTY: MODERATE BACKPACKING TRIP HIKE PERMIT: NO, BUT YOU NEED TO SIGN IN AT […]
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Temescal Canyon Hike
The world is your playground. The trails are just maps holding potential adventures. Enjoy it. [7.27.15] My friend and I planned a hike to Malibu to cliff jump, but since the weather was gloomy and humid, we opt to stay away from the bugs and went about hiking Temescal Canyon. I’ve never been hiking without […]
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Challenging Hike to San Jacinto Peak, the 2nd Highest Mountain in SoCal 10,834 ft
Marion Mountain Ridge trail to San Jacinto Peak is a strenuous hike but a great training hike. The views from Mt San Jacinto are worth it.
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National Trails Day: Wisdom Tree
I had to come back to one of my favorite trails for a quick hike on National Trails Day [6.6.15] — the Wisdom Tree in Hollywood. I do this one so much so I am not going to do a full write up. From the car (I was in the first spot) to the tree, it took […]
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Longest Hike of My Life: San Bernardino Peak 10,649 ft
HIKE TO: San Bernardino Peak TRAIL: San Bernardino Trail TRAILHEAD: end of Camp Angelus Road 1N53, off hwy 38 MILES: 18.7 miles TIME: 10 hrs 34 mins (including nap at top, so about 9 hr 45 mins w/o break at peak) DATE I WENT: 7/17/22 – 7/18/22 DIFFICULTY: long and strenuous ELEVATION: 10,649 ft ELEVATION […]
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Memorial Day Hike: Claremont Wilderness
Well my birthday was Memorial Day weekend last month. I went to Vegas and made it back by that Sunday, just in time for a hike Memorial Day morning. I went with my friend to a moderate trail, but on the easier size — Claremont Wilderness Trail. I guess I’m just used to the strenuous […]
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La Quinta Cove Hike, Palm Springs
My friend rented a house in Palm Springs for his birthday the weekend of Mother’s Day, so Saturday [5.9.15], we drove out to shop, BBQ, play games, chill, and of course hike. The house was less than a mile from the trails… I had to… the mountains were calling me. 😛 We walked to the […]
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Whitney Training for Me, Half Dome Training for Her
On Sunday [5.3.15], my friend and I decided to hike in training for our upcoming adventures. I rarely ever see this girl, but ran into her on Mt. Baldy just the week before, and decided to do a hike together. In all fairness, I went out the night before, had a couple drinks… and woke up not […]
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Hiking LA’s Famous Mt Baldy for the First Time as a New Hiker
There are multiple trails that lead to the top of Mount Baldy, the tallest peak in Angeles National Forest and the LA region. The Baldy Bowl/ Ski Hut hiking trail is the shortest and steepest hiking trail which is why I always pick to go up this — it’s about 4 miles and 4k ft […]
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Dawn Mine Hike Adventure
Ok so I’ve been a little preoccupied to blog lately, but last month [04.19.15], Twinny, our friend Amanda and I went on quite the adventurous Sunday Funday. We decided to explore the Dawn Mine in Altadena, which is the same mountain as Echo Mountain/ Mt Lowe Railway Trail. Normally I do a full research on […]
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Los Leones Trail to Parker Mesa Overlook in Santa Monica
HIKE TO: Parker Mesa Overlook TRAILHEAD: Los Liones Trail (Los Leones Trail) MILES: 8.3 miles out and back TIME: 3:10 hr DATE I WENT: 4/18/15 DIFFICULTY: moderate ELEVATION GAIN: 1,352 ft HIKE PERMIT: no PARKING: street parking LOCATION: Pacific Palisades, Southern California Los Liones Trail (aka Los Leones) to Parker Mesa Overlook is one of […]
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Hiking Cucamonga Peak as a Beginner with a Little Snow
This is a full review of my hiking experience to Cucamonga Peak, the second of the Socal Six Pack of Peaks series.
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Castro Crest and Bulldog Road, Malibu Creek State Park
HIKE TO: Castro Crest and Bulldog Road in Malibu Creek State Park TRAILHEAD: Castro Motorway/ Bulldog Motorway trail MILES: 5.89 miles + 0.24 miles to rock labyrinth TIME: 2 hrs 18 mins DATE I WENT: 3/14/15 DIFFICULTY: moderate ELEVATION: 3,606 ft ELEVATION GAIN: 1,443 ft HIKE PERMIT: no PARKING PERMIT: yes LOCATION: Santa Monica Mountains, […]
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Echo Mountain Hike to Inspiration Point and Muir Peak
Hike Sam Merrill Trail to Echo Mountain and Castle Canyon to Inspiration Point for a 10 mile loop near Pasadena. Add 2 miles for Muir Peak.
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Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook at Sunset
I’ve only been back from my vacation for a week but I’ve been itching to go hiking. This little hill will have to suffice for now. I may come here often, but I can never get sick of this view… or the stairs workout. I went early evening around 5:30pm yesterday, Monday [2.16.15], and only […]
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I Conquered Mount Wilson!! 😀
……… and it was f*ckn hard!! This is my toughest hike accomplished to date and it is not for beginner hikers! I went with my coworker last, last Sunday [1.18.15] and we spent the whole day on that mountain. It’s nice that it’s conveniently close in Sierre Madre, but 8 hours was more time there […]
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The Luscious Green Landscape of Baldwin Hills: Culver City Stairs
Yup, I’m back. I have a friend in town from the East Coast so we came here one morning [Wednesday, 1.14.15] before I headed off to work. Like I said before, everytime I come here, it looks different. This time, was one of the most beautiful visits I have ever been here. The hill was […]
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Hike to Potato Chip Rock from Mt. Woodson Trail at Lake Poway
Potato Chip Hike in Poway is an iconic hike near San Diego. It’s an 8 mile hike with 2,000 ft of elevation gain.
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Highest Peak in Santa Monica Mountains: Tri Peak and Sandstone Peak Hike
Sandstone Peak is the highest peak in Santa Monica Mountains. Hike the Mishe Mokwa loop trail to Tri Peaks and Inspiration Point.
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Torrey Pines Hike at Sunset in San Diego
Nestled along the rugged coastline of Southern California, Torrey Pines Natural State Reserve by San Diego is a natural gem that never fails to captivate the senses. There are many beach hiking trails here and sunset is the best time to go. With its dramatic cliffs, unique Torrey pine trees, and sweeping ocean views, this […]
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Strenuous Hike to Jones Peak from Bailey Canyon
Jone’s Peak is a good, short training hike on the edge of the San Gabriel Mountain.
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Culver City Stairs: Night View
Read the full Culver City Stairs hike description here. Yesterday [11.11.14] was pole fitness class again. The Culver City stairs is only a couple of miles away so I stopped by on the way home. Knowing I was going to hike this morning, I didn’t go for the exercise but more for the view. & […]
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Rustic Canyon’s Murphy Ranch: Nazi Ruin Hike
Last Saturday [11.08.14], my friend and I went for a little adventure in Pacific Palisades. This hike was to the old Nazi base. By the time we decided to go, we didn’t arrive until 4pm… and the sun sets just before 5 pm w/ daylight savings now. Needless to say, we didn’t finish it all… […]
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Early Morning Hike at the Stairs!
Last Thursday [09.25.14] I went hiking with a friend super early in the morning. I’m not much of a morning person, but if it’s to do something I love or with someone I love, I’m less cranky about it. So Dana and I conquered the stairs of death at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook at […]
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Saddle Peak Hiking Trail, Malibu
HIKE TO: Saddle Peak TRAILHEAD: Piuma Rd MILES: 4.7 miles out and back DATE I WENT: 9/6/14 TIME: 2 hrs DIFFICULTY: moderate ELEVATION: 2,805 ft HIKE PERMIT: no LOCATION: Santa Monica Mountains, Southern California Saddle Peak in Santa Monica Mountains is a short hike and can be a little confusing. I had read it was […]
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Parker Mesa Overlook
This past weekend, I went to Vegas, but I rushed back by 6pm on Sunday so I could still make it hiking. My friend was training to climb Mt. Whitney and asked if I wanted to join his hike, so I thought it would be good to get in some exercise after how much I […]
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Bridge to Nowhere Hike in San Gabriel Mountains
The Bridge to Nowhere hike in Azusa, CA is a 10 mile hike full of adventure. It’s relatively flat with multiple creek crossings to keep it fun and cool off. There are also bighorn sheep sightings out here in Sheep Mountain Wilderness.
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Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook in Culver City
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook is home to LA’s famous Culver City Stairs. This steep hike is a great workout and sunset hike in the city.
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Wisdom Tree Hike in Hollywood
The Wisdom Tree hike in Hollywood is a short but steep trail that leads to a unique tree and 360-degree views of Los Angeles.
