“Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands.” – Reese Witherspoon, “Legally Blonde” I celebrated my 45th birthday with a hike. Even as I enjoyed the views from the top and along the way, the sounds of trickling streams and the peace and quiet, I couldn’t help feeling…
“Early to bed and early to rise. Out jogging about 5:30am. Jog a mile and walk it back briskly. It takes me 12 minutes to jog the mile and 15 minutes to walk it. Do some upper trunk exercises, work in the yard, and walk to the market, and work.” -Hulda “Grandma Whitney” Crooks (1896-1997;…
Read more Top tips for active seniors interested in hiking: Guest post by Ashley Halsey
Almost everyone loves to travel as it introduces us to new experiences and create long-lasting memories. An increasingly popular trend in traveling is backpacking: traveling with simply a bag and its contents. Backpacking is usually dependent on public transportation, hitchhiking, and shelter is usually found at more public locations rather than homes for rent. Backpacking…
Photo: Fred Green Part of the joy of hiking is finding new locations to explore and discover. If you’re an avid hiker, you might have already explored all the trails around your house and need a change of scenery. A small trip to a new location might be exactly what you need. Small islands are…
Read more Small islands that are great for weekend hiking trips
When you go camping, you end up compiling a lifetime’s worth of memories, get closer to nature, and also end up doing a lot of self-reflection. However, sometimes these experiences can be dampened by terribly cold weather conditions, and you end up spending a lot of your time trying to figure out how you are…
Read more Camping Tricks: 8 Tips for Fighting the Cold While You Sleep
All photos by the author. Not included in the Experience Gear light backpacking kit: crampons; mattress pad in yellow sack and gloves I am a day hiker. When I backpack, it is not something on which I tend to geek out but rather a means to an end, the most recent end being not having…
Read more Review: Experience Gear camping and backpacking kit rentals
Southeast of Yosemite National Park lies the tiny town of Mammoth Lakes, population 8,000. Many Californians are familiar with Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort, California’s snow sports playground. You most likely know friends who have visited for its famed natural beauty. Among the pristine lakes and snow capped mountain views, Mammoth Lakes is the perfect setting…
Read more Beyond L.A.: Natural Hot Springs of Mammoth Lakes (Guest post by Keilah Keiser)
Location: One Tram Way, Palm Springs. From I-10, take Highway 111 southeast for 8.5 miles. Turn right on Tram Way and drive 4 miles to the parking lot. Parking is $5 per vehicle. For current ticket prices, hours of operation and other information about the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, click here. Agency: Mt. San Jacinto…
Location: South Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs. From I-10, take the exit for highway 111 (which happens to be exit #111) and head southeast for 9.4 miles to downtown Palm Springs. Continue onto North Palm Canyon Drive for 3 miles and bear right onto South Palm Canyon Drive. In 1.8 miles, turn left onto Bogert…
Location: North of Alpine in San Diego County. From I-8, take the Tavern Road exit (30). Head left on Tavern Road for 0.2 mile to Victoria Park Terrace. Bear right and go 0.9 mile to Victoria Drive. Go 1.4 mile to Anderson Road (easy to miss; if you find yourself heading back south toward the…
Greetings hikers! Nobody Hikes in L.A. is proud to announce our second annual food drive hike “Will Hike for Food” – and we will tie it in to the #OptOutside movement on Black Friday, November 24th, 2017! Skip the crowds at the malls and enjoy a hike in scenic Rice and East Canyons. Also we…
McGinty Mountain Location: East of San Diego, near Alpine. Take Highway 94 east for 5.1 miles past the junction with Highway 125. Turn right onto Campo Road (still Highway 94) and go 4.5 miles to Lyons Valley Rd. Turn left and go 0.7 mile to Jamul Rd. Turn left and go 0.4 mile to the…
Location: 4198 Colina Dorada Drive, San Diego. From the south, take the 15 Freeway to the Tierrasanta Blvd. exit (9). Turn right and head east on Tierrasanta Blvd. for 1.9 miles. Turn left onto Colina Dorada Drive and follow it 1.1 mile to the trail head, on the corner of Calle De Vida. From the…
Location: Stone Creek Campground, Mt. San Jacinto State Park, Idyllwild. The campground entrance is on Forest Route 4S02 (signed as Azalea Trails), on the east side of Highway 243, 19 miles south of Banning, 5.5 miles north of central Idyllwild and 9.8 miles north of the intersection with Highway 74. (If you are coming from…
Location: Harvey Moore Trailhead, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, eastern San Diego County. From I-8, take the Highway 79 exit (40) and head north on Highway 79 for 2.7 miles. Turn left to stay on Highway 79 and go another 4.8 miles to a large parking lot on the right side of the road. If you…
Read more Monument/Arroyo Seco Loop (Cuyamaca Rancho State Park)
Location: Oak Glen Road, Yucaipa. From Interstate 10, take the Oak Glen Road/Live Oak Canyon exit (85) and head northeast for 6.8 miles. The park entrance will be on your left. Alternately, from points south and east, take Interstate 10 to Oak Valley Parkway (exit 92). Head east on Oak Valley Parkway for 1.4 miles…
When I first started hiking, I thought it was simple as packing a bag and leaving for the adventure of a lifetime. Soon I realized it wasn’t quite so simple. Here are the seven things that I did not know I needed until I started hiking: A detailed guidebook If I’d had a guidebook with…
Read more Guest post: “Seven things I didn’t know I needed until I started hiking” by Shawn Michaels
Cabrillo Tidepools Location: Cabrillo National Monument, Point Loma, San Diego. From the western end of I-8, head south on Nimitz Blvd. for 1.3 miles. Bear right onto Chatsworth, go 0.9 miles and turn left onto Catalina Blvd. Follow Catalina Blvd. to the park entrance (it becomes Cabrillo Rd. en route). Pay the entrance fee of…
Sea Summit Trail (San Clemente) Location: Pico Park, San Clemente. From the north, take the 5 Freeway to Avenida Vista Hermosa (exit 77). Turn right and follow Avenida Vista Hermosa 0.6 mile to Avenida Pico. Turn right and go 0.3 mile to the park entrance, on the right. From the south, take the 5 Freeway…
Bogart County Park Location: Near Cherry Valley, Riverside County. From points east, take the 10 Freeway to Highland Springs Ave (exit 96). Head north for 2.4 miles to Brookside Ave. Turn left and go one mile to Cherry Ave. Turn right and go 1.5 mile to the park entrance (Cherry Ave. becomes International Park Road). …
