Roam-O-Rama
The dark west flank of Monserate Mountain rises abruptly alongside Interstate 15, its chaparral-coated surface relatively uncut by roads and graded residential lots. The Fallbrook Land Conservancy has established its largest preserve here, the 340-acre …
Diminutive Arroyo Sequit Park, a 155-acre former ranch that is now a unit of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, is a bit hidden in one of the more remote parts of the mountains …
The northernmost stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in San Diego County traverses the flank of the colorfully named Bucksnort Mountain. Combs Peak is the highest summit on that mountain ridge, and rates as …
The Los Santos-Trans Preserve loop hike on the Santa Rosa Plateau near Temecula traverses open meadows, grassy hillsides, and shady glens presided over by oversized specimens of Engelmann oaks. You'll enjoy superb views throughout, plus …
Standing tall amid lesser bumps on the west slope of the Cuyamaca Mountains, Eagle Peak has a view of the island-dimpled ocean, scattered parts of urban and suburban San Diego, and the higher mountains -- …
In the midst of what is regarded as one of America's hottest and driest deserts, it seems a bit surprising to find a place where mosses, ferns, sycamores, and cottonwoods flourish around a sparkling waterfall. …
The Main Divide of the Santa Ana Mountains follows a significant Southern California watershed division, and also quite closely marks the Orange/Riverside county line. On the divide, you can often spot both the Pacific Ocean …
The California Riding and Hiking Trail, a designated, regional multi-use (hiking/biking/equestrian) trail that strikes a southwest-to-northeast course through the middle of San Diego County, is still a work in progress. Most of the trail is …
The rustic city of Sierra Madre, just east of Pasadena, has long been a departure point for hikers seeking exercise and solitude in the adjacent San Gabriel Mountains. That part of the mountain range, known …
Balboa Park has plenty of "tame" places to walk, such as landscaped sidewalks on the grassy west side, paved trails inside the San Diego Zoo, and a number of semiwild trails in canyon bottoms near …
Although it slices only six miles inland from the Pacific shoreline, Zuma Canyon harbors one of the deepest gorges in the Santa Monica Mountains -- and it has the further distinction of never having suffered …
The linear, V-shaped gash of Hauser Canyon slices across one of the really remote, southern parts of San Diego County. Many years ago, travelers could descend into the canyon by car on a dirt road …
The north-to-south Bluewater Traverse route takes you through the heart of southwestern Riverside County's San Mateo Canyon Wilderness by way of old roads and primitive trails. You can do it quickly as a long day …
Sunny winter days are perfect for exploring San Diego County's population-equivalent of Saudi Arabia's Ar Rab al Khali, or "Empty Quarter." Virtually no one lives in the county's northeasternmost 100 square miles, an arid region …
With a little hyperbole added, you might think of the upper San Diego River area as being San Diego County's "Little Yosemite." A number of waterfalls 100 or so feet high exist either on the …
The Tenaja Falls hiking or backpacking traverse takes you one way through Cleveland National Forest's San Mateo Canyon Wilderness -- Southern California's only large coastal wilderness area. You can see plenty of winter and early …