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Trailhead: Humber Park, 24559 Fern Valley Rd, Idyllwild-Pine Cove, CA 92549 Parking: Parking lot at Humber Park which requires an adventure pass (can be purchased in town), or you can do this hike from the opposite end which has free street parking. Distance: 5.2 miles out & back Difficulty: Moderate Nestled in the San Jacinto Mountains and part of the San Bernardino National Forest, Idyllwild is a beautiful, little town to visit. With lots of trail options nearby, we chose t

Trailhead: Old Rag Parking, 2577 Nethers Rd, Etlan, VA 22719 Parking: There is a free parking lot at the trailhead. The trail does require a park pass as well as a day-use pass. The Shenandoah park pass is $30 and more information can be found HERE. The Old Rag day-use pass is $1/person and can be purchased HERE. Distance: 9.4 miles loop Difficulty: Strenuous/Extreme This is, as of today, the hardest hike I've ever done! The length, the elevation gain, and the intense rock sc

Trail Head: Scorpion Anchorage, Ventura, CA 93001 Parking: To get to the Channel Islands, you need to purchase a ferry ticket from Island Packers in Ventura, CA. Parking at the harbor is free. For more information on the ferry, click HERE. Distance: Approx. 6 miles loop Difficulty: moderate to challenging The Channel Islands are a national park only about an hour drive from Los Angeles. The only way to access the islands is by ferry boat. Island Packers is the company that is

Trailhead: Rocky Peak Rd, Simi Valley, CA 93063 Parking: Free parking either in the very small lot at the trailhead or on the other side of the highway overpass. Distance: 5.6 miles out & back Difficulty: Challenging The trailhead to Rocky Peak, in Simi Valley, literally starts at an exit ramp for the 118 highway. The parking area right in front of the trail is extremely small so if there aren't any spots available, there is more parking on the other side of the highway overp

Trailhead: 12869 Yerba Buena Rd, Malibu, CA 90265 Parking: Free parking in lot at the trailhead. Distance: 6.25 miles loop I had decided recently that I wanted to do a sunset hike in the mountains near Malibu, and I'd been given a recommendation by someone that Sandstone Peak was a great hike to do. It's the tallest peak in the Santa Monica mountain range and offers spectacular views of not only the surrounding mountains but also some of the ocean as well. The hike starts aft

Trailhead: Titus Canyon Parking Lot, End of Red Pass, Titus Canyon Road, Death Valley, CA Parking: Free parking in gravel parking lot. Death Valley National Park does have a $30 entrance fee. More about the park fees HERE. Distance: 6.6 miles out & back The hike for Fall Canyon starts at the parking lot for Titus Canyon. Google Maps may try to send you around to the Eastern side of the mountain range because Titus Canyon can be viewed by driving a one-way road from East to We

Trailhead: 3302 Lake Ave, Altadena, CA 91001 Parking: free street parking on Lake Avenue. Distance: 5.4 miles out & back. The Sam Merrill Trail to Echo Mountain starts in the town of Altadena at the gated entrance to the Cobb Estate. That gate is known as the mortuary gate from the movie Phantasm for any movie buffs out there. After walking through the open side gate to the right, you'll be on a paved (but not well kept) road for about a tenth of a mile. As the road turns nor

Trailhead: Mist Falls Trailhead, CA-180, Cedar Grove, CA 93633 Parking: Free parking spaces at Road's End. Kings Canyon National Park does have a $35 entrance fee. More about the park fees HERE. Distance: 8.4 miles out & back. King's Canyon is the sister park to Sequoia National Park and is well worth the extra drive to get to it. To get to the Mist Falls trailhead, you'll need to enter on the western side of the park and drive the scenic byway, Rt 180, to the other end. It's

Trailhead: Lakes Trailhead, 62260 Wolverton Rd, California 93262 Parking: Free parking spaces at Wolverton Picnic Area. Sequoia National Park does have a $35 entrance fee. More about the park fees HERE. Distance: 8.2 miles out & back. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are spectacular natural wonders and I was lucky enough to visit the two parks recently on a week-long vacation. We visited a number of hiking trails and points of interest within the parks, but I have to s

Trailhead: Strawberry Peak Trailhead, CA-1, Palmdale, CA 93550 Parking: Red Box Picnic Area, Forest Rte 2N24, Palmdale, CA 93550. Adventure Pass Required for parking. Distance: 7.2 miles out & back Strawberry Peak is a great hike if you are looking for a bit of a challenge. Its length, its numerous peaks and valleys, and the steepness of some of those inclines all make it a bit more difficult than some other hikes in the Angeles National Forest. But if you are up for the chal

Trailhead: Lost Horse Mine Loop Trail, Twentynine Palms, CA Parking: Parking lot at Lost Horse Mine Trailhead or nearby street parking. Joshua Tree does have a $30 entrance fee. More about the park fees HERE. Distance: 4.4 miles out & back (or 6.8 miles loop). The start of the Lost Horse Mine trail is at the end of a long dirt road. The parking lot at the trailhead is not that big so there is a chance you'll need to park somewhere along that dirt road and walk but it really d

Trailhead: Mt. Lowe Trailhead, Altadena, CA Parking: Depends on gate access but the closest parking is a tiny lot right in front of the trailhead. The next closest is a bigger lot at the Millard Trail Camp. Parking pass is required. Distance: 6 miles out and back Parking for the Dawn Mine Trail depends on a couple of factors. There is a gate on Chaney Trail that apparently has been closed at times during the pandemic. If that is the case, you'll need to park down on W. Loma A

Trailhead: 5267-5265 Jessen Dr, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011 Parking: Free street parking on Solliden Lane Distance: 7.2 miles out & back Starting in a little, unassuming neighborhood, this trail ends with a 360° view that is quite spectacular. Parking near the trailhead was a little difficult because the road the trail starts on is narrow and only allows parking on the north side. It's not that long of a road either so all of the available parking spots were taken. We ende

Trailhead: 286-330 Whiting Woods Rd, Glendale, CA 91208 Parking: Free street parking by trailhead on Whiting Woods Road Distance: 5.2 miles out & back The biggest perk of this trail: How quiet it was. The Verdugo Mountain trails aren't quite as popular as trails in neighboring Griffith Park, but they still can see a fair amount of people. But this trail, perhaps because it's on the eastern side and starts in a small neighborhood, was so quiet that it felt like we had the trai

Trailhead: Josephine Peak Road; Across the street from the US Forest Service Clear Creek Fire Station Parking: Free parking along the roadside just next to the US Forest Service Clear Creek Fire Station Distance: 8.6 miles out & back Josephine Peak is an easy to get to trail that is just 30-ish minutes from LA in the Angeles National Forest. The trail is a wide fire road that allows for easy passing of other hikers and the elevation gain is consistent but never too steep. The