Los Angeles, California

Located in Laguna Beach, California, Heisler Park is just past Main Beach, so it's the perfect place to avoid the typical tourist crowds. There's plenty of parking at Heisler Park, however you will have to pay, so come with a friend to split the cost! Luckily, if you plan on going to catch the su...

There are numerous ways to incorporate the Car Wreck trail into a larger loop through the Laguna Coast Wilderness and Aliso Canyon Park, but a common route is to begin at Alta Laguna Park at "Top of the World" in Laguna Beach. Take the West Ridge Trail .5 miles, bearing right onto the marked Car...

When you hear the report about snow in the San Gabriels, it's time to plan this hike!Only a short 90 minute drive is all that separates nearly a third of California's population from high-altitude snowy adventures. This isn't about Yosemite, but Southern California's very own San Gabriel Mountain...

Brooks Street Beach is just a couple of blocks off the Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach. Parking can be tricky, so be forewarned that you may need to walked a few blocks.  Winter can be good, but during the summer and big south swells are when you want to go surfing, so be sure to check out ...

Table Mountain Campground is a hilly campground that offers ADA-accessible sites, pit toilets, fire rings, picnic tables, BB! grill, water, and parking spaces for a two-car limit. Rules are strictly enforced, which is great, so we can enjoy nature and not someone’s party/music. Book your campgro...

Pearl Street Beach is a great spot to just chill and watch (and photograph) the sunset with friends and family. Parking for the beach can be found on S. Coast Hwy (the 1) and is meter parking. There is also free, but limited parking available along the smaller streets closer to Pearl Street Beach...

There's something magical about this strip of beach and it never fails to deliver at sunset. Lined with strange and jagged rock formations/caves, there are endless opportunities for finding unique compositions and new perspectives. Although it's become quite the popular spot for photographers and...

Dripping Cave sits tucked away in a corner of Wood Canyon, part of the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, and the trail to the cave, while short, requires *at least* a 2.25 mile hike in from the nearest trailhead (West Ridge Trail to Mathis Canyon), though this is less than ideal as that rou...

To find this little hidden treasure, put Victoria Beach into your phone as your destination and park for free on S Coast Highway anywhere between Sunset Terrace, McAulay Place, or Victoria Drive. Make your way down any of these streets toward the beach and you will see stairs going down at the en...

This is an awesome tucked away little adventure that will have you occupied all day! With plenty of picnic tables you can be sure to have your own privacy tucked into a corner free from other people. Grab a lake side picnic table or even the numerous ones around the grass fields, they are all won...

This wave is super fun to bodysurf and shoot photos of when there is a swell. It is a shorebreak so be careful of shallow water and little rocks. It usually isn't too crowded especially on weekdays. Bring your fins and a smile and you have a good time.

The Valido Trail trailhead can be found just off West street off the Pacific Coast Highway, just south of Aliso Beach. Park on West Street past the trailhead. The trail proceeds approximate .5 miles till it intersects with the Aliso Peak Trail. Go left .4 miles to the obvious summit and wooden p...

Laguna Beach is both the birthplace *and* and the capital of skimboarding, and for good reason: it boasts an impressive array of beaches where (if you know where to look) you can find one where the conditions are right for one of the most difficult but rewarding of water sports. Table Rock is one...

An island camping escape is a mere 50 minute boat ride away from the southern California coast. If you're feeling generous with your funds, you can also opt for a helicopter ride, leaving out of Long Beach and 15 minutes later landing in Catalina Island.Two Harbors campground is unique with the a...

Just 30 miles from the commotion and congestion of Los Angeles, is a small island village that time seems to have left behind. You won't find the usual traffic, development, and big crowds here.  You won't find movie theaters, concert venues, hotels, nightclubs, or sporting events either. At Cata...

This hike will be about going from the Bellview Trailhead to Dove Lake and back. Note that once you get to Dove Lake there are numerous offshoots that can take you in different directions (you can follow the road into the Dove Canyon housing community, take a paved road back to the Bellview parki...