The Marble Falls Trail leads to the cascading Marble Fork of the Kaweah River in a deep gorge just west from Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park. While the park is famous for the big trees and the high country, this trail features the foothills, which include chaparral, riparian, and oak woodland ecosystems.Distance: 4.8Elevation Gained: …
Batiquitos Lagoon
Batiquitos Lagoon is an easily accessible, well-maintained, and extremely popular trail that runs along the northern side of the tidal lagoon and adjacent salt marsh ecosystem. While you will never get a true sense of solitude here, it has great value as a convenient, relaxing respite from urban noise and stress.Distance: 3.5 MilesElevation Gained: 250'Difficult: …
Mission Trails Regional Park: South Fortuna, Oak Canyon, Junipero Serra
Mission Trails Regional Park is a 5,800 acre natural preserve situated entirely within the city limits of San Diego. A municipal park this size is so rare that Mission Trails ranks as the sixth largest municipally-park in the country, as well as the largest in Southern California. It features numerous rocky peaks with great views …
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Whale Peak
Whale Peak stands as a botanical island in the sky amidst the scorched, barren wastelands of the Anza-Borrego desert. Representing the high point of the Vallecito Mountains, Whale Peak supports a thriving pinyon-juniper woodland, which is more common to the higher elevations of the Mojave Desert and eastern sides of the Sierra Nevadas. Flora aside, …
La Jolla Valley
La Jolla Valley lies tucked into the westernmost end of the Santa Monica Mountains in Point Mugu State Park. This rare valley features wide open grasslands that somehow escaped development and now remain protected. The La Jolla Valley Loop Trail also features great ocean views, as well as views of Boney Mountain.Distance: 7 MilesElevation Gained: …
Year-End Review
2012 is almost over, capping an incredible year of hiking. Whether you've read every post or checked in on one or two that shared some information on a hike you wanted to take, thank you for allowing me to share this with you. Having the experience on my own would never have been as satisfying …
Las Virgenes Canyon
Las Vigenes Canyon comprises a portion of a network of canyons in the Simi Hills. These broad, shallow canyons feature riparian woodlands of valley oak, live oak, sycamore, and willow, while being framed by gentle, rolling hills covered in grass that turns a vivid green during the spring.Distance: 4.5 MilesElevation Gained: 400'Difficulty: EasyCritters: NoneGet there …
Baldy Bowl Snowshoeing
Mt. Baldy dominates the eastern section of the San Gabriel mountains, and it towers over the Los Angeles Basin as a major landmark. With numerous routes to the top, Mt. Baldy is one of the landmark hikes of Los Angeles. While the mountain is a popular destination for summer hikers, properly equipped winter hikers can …
Daley Ranch – Jack Creek Meadow Loop
This mostly flat section of Daley Ranch takes you past the ranch compound, which features a number of old, picturesque buildings, and into the long, narrow Jack Creek Meadow. Come for an early morning hike, and you will encounter a great variety of wildlife.Distance: 5 milesElevation Gained: 500'Difficulty: EasyCritters: deer, rabbits, hawks, egrets, coots, ducks, …
A Year of Palomar Mountain
A Hawk's Eye View of San Diego County from the Boucher Hill LookoutThis is a brief photo essay documenting the four seasons that I have witnessed this year at Palomar Mountain. The locales include High Point, the State Park, and the Observatory Trail. This is easily one of my favorite hiking destinations in all of …
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