Tucked away in the empty stretch of desert between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, the Mojave National Preserve is the perfect escape for people looking to take a break from civilization. Continue reading
Posts Tagged With: Photography
Mojave National Preserve: Peace and Beauty near Las Vegas
Categories: Trip Report
Tags: California, Camping, Desert, Dogs, Hiking, Mojave National Preserve, Photography, Wilderness
4 Comments
Angelus Oaks to San Bernardino Peak
The Sierra season is quickly approaching, so Callie and I took advantage of one last opportunity to get a big training hike in before the summer’s adventures begin. Our destination this time was the San Bernardino Peak trail, a first for both of us but definitely not our last. With gorgeous open views and very few hikers to contend with, this is a fantastic trail to hike with your dog.
Categories: Trip Report
Tags: California, Dog, Hiking, Los Angeles. San Bernardino Mountains, Photography, San Gorgonio Wilderness
9 Comments
Mount San Jacinto via the Marion Mountain Trail
With the suburban sprawl of the Inland Empire surrounding its west side and plush resorts in Palm Springs flanking the east, San Jacinto State Park provides a convenient refuge for Los Angeles hikers looking for an escape from the grid. Most visitors access the park via a tram that ascends from Palm Springs for close to a mile of elevation gain to an altitude of 8516 feet. On the opposite side of the mountain, a number of trails offer more ambitious and desolate routes to the summit. The Marion Mountain trail is probably the most popular of those routes, and with good reason. It’s a phenomenal hike that at times feels more like the Sierra than a local LA trail.
Categories: Trail Guide
Tags: California, Hiking, Los Angeles, PCT, Photography, San Jacinto State Park
14 Comments
Sandstone Peak – Mishe Mokwa Trail Loop
About an hour west of Los Angeles, Sandstone Peak features a dazzling vista of the Pacific that rivals any view that I’ve seen in Southern California.
Categories: Trail Guide
Tags: California, Dogs, Hiking, Los Angeles, Photography, Sandstone Peak, Santa Monica Mountains
5 Comments
The Devil’s Chair Trail
Tucked away on the northern side of the San Gabriel mountains, the Devil’s Punchbowl is one of LA’s best kept secrets. The juxtaposition of mountain scenery with desert geology gives it the type of rich diversity that defines California’s landscape.
Categories: Trail Guide
Tags: California, Devils Chair, Devils Punchbowl, Dogs, Hiking, Los Angeles, Photography, San Gabriel Mountains
7 Comments
Kauai’s Na Pali Coast: Kalalau Trail to Hanakapiai Falls
The Kalalau Trail is neither dog friendly nor in California. It really has nothing to do with the whole point of this site. However, we do travel out of state sometimes, and we often leave Callie behind when we do that. Every once in awhile, we find a hike that is so amazing that it rivals the best that California has to offer. The Na Pali Coast is one of those areas, and so when we hiked the Kalalau Trail this past December, it felt natural to document and share it as I normally would with a local trail. I plan on making this exception again in the future, but only for trails that are truly extraordinary like this one.
Categories: Trip Report
Tags: Hawaii, Hiking, Kauai, Na Pali Coast, Nature, Photography, Rainbows, Waterfalls
11 Comments
Icehouse Canyon to Cucamonga Peak in Snow
Under the right conditions, the Cucamonga Peak trail transcends what one expects from a local Los Angeles hike. Two years ago on a beautiful winter day, a ten month old Callie and I shared an amazing experience on the trail. I was blown away by the prospect that a hike with scenery and solitude that matched the Sierra was within such close proximity of my doorstep. That hike was a huge inspiration for the creation of this website, and I have been looking forward to returning to it ever since.
Categories: Trip Report
Tags: California, Dogs, Hiking, Los Angeles, Nature, Photography, Snow, Winter
7 Comments
The Devils Slide Trail to the Tahquitz Peak Lookout
Don’t let the name fool you, the Devils Slide Trail is a heavenly slice of Southern California hiking.
Categories: Trip Report
Tags: California, Dog, Hiking, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, San Jacinto, Snow, Tahquitz Peak, Wilderness
15 Comments
Idling away on Altadena’s Idlehour Trail
Tucked away in the foothills above Altadena, the Idlehour trail is a rarely traveled section of the San Gabriel Mountains that provides Angelenos an easy escape from the city’s crowds.
Categories: Trip Report
Tags: Angeles National Forest, California, Hiking, Los Angeles, Photography, San Gabriel Mountains
7 Comments
Mount San Gorgonio via the Vivian Creek Trail
Mount San Gorgonio’s Vivian Creek trail is one of the most epic day hikes that you can do with your dog in California, so it has been on our list for awhile. The opportunity finally arose last weekend and we had a blast checking out a new part of California.
Categories: Trip Report
Tags: Califorina, Dogs, Hiking, Nature, Photography, San Gorgonio Wilderness, Travel
10 Comments
CaliTrails 