Maricopa, California

Any drive up the I-405N or I-5N is going to result in some pain: Either you leave early enough to avoid traffic, or you are sitting in some slowness for a while. But once you turn onto Frazier Mountain Road from the interstate, you are in a completely different world. It could be 85° in Los Angel...

There's no better feeling then camping out and having a whole site to you and your friends...wouldn't you agree?!?! ...Deep in the Sespe Wilderness in Ojai, California sits a tucked away, well-managed campsite called "Bear Trap Campground". This campsite can be reached at any point of the year a...

Pine Mountain is closed intermittently for the winter season due to snowfall, usually from November through February. Outside of those months, take the Highway 33 north out of Ojai, heading north for about an hour and a half. You’ll see a large turnout as well as a sign reading “Pine Mt Road” on ...

Park at the Lions Camp parking lot. Adventure Passes aren't technically "required" but it never hurts to have one. You can stop at the Forest Service in Ojai (1190 E. Ojai Ave) or stop at the Wheeler Gorge Station on your way up to buy one for $5 for a night. The trail begins at the far side of t...

Close to Ventura and Ojai, California, this spot is an easy weekend getaway from the hectic coast of Ventura. Follow Highway 33 east toward Ojai. This road will lead into the Los Padres National Forest and become very curved and sleep as it gets closer to Rose Valley. The sign for the Park with b...

Note: This trail is temporarily closed. For more updates, please visit the Forest Service website for more updates.  ...If you've read most of my blogs, you'll probably notice I have a fascination for waterfalls! I've done this hike multiple times, but it wasn't until this day where I saw these ...

I was looking for a last minute adventure out of LA and found this epic view.  Easy backpacking trip for one night, no permits needed, less than 3.5 hours from LA, and secluded.  Go to REI and pick up your adventure pass for your car. Plug into your GPS "Davy Brown Campground" in Los Olivos / Los...

Great little campsite very close to the town of Ojai.  My discovery of this gem was totally coincidental. I was trying to book a hotel room in Ojai; however, that particular weekend all the rooms that were within my budget were sold out. Instead of giving up, I looked for alternative options and ...

The campground here is extremely well developed and tightly run (for better or worse). The sites afford very little privacy: I recommend looking for the "Prime" campsites along the bluff, or choosing a weekday. If you can afford to spend a little extra, the park offers yurt rentals, which have th...

There are 2 campgrounds close to Rincón, but Carpinteria State Beach is a little bigger and easier to find a spot. There are 4 campgrounds: Santa Cruz, Anacapa, San Miguel and Santa Rosa. Most of them are RV sites, but if you stay at Santa Cruz Campground you can set your tent right at the beach,...

This is part of the Pacific Crest Trail. If you're through-hiking or sectional hiking, you'll have to hit it eventually. Try and avoid it in the late summer or early fall because of heat, and gnats. Find a way to check the bug report, we got marauded by gnats 90% of the way (early October) and ap...

Take the I-5 exit North of Castaic, CA at Templin Hwy. Turn onto Golden State Hwy heading the only direction it goes from the exit, North. When it dead-ends in a few miles at the National Forest Gate, you are at Frenchman's Flat.You can camp here, or hang with the day hikers. Heading North along ...