Explore 376 write-ups tagged with Free Trails

Crafty mountain bikers have built a playground for themselves in a eucalyptus grove in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains near Cal Poly. It is 1.85 miles from a trailhead on Stenner Creek Road to The Eucs, where bikers can zip down freeride trails with impressive banked turns and jumps. Hikers can enjoy the trail up Stenner Creek Canyon too, taking in views of nearby Bishop Peak and surrounding San Luis Obispo County landscapes. ...Read more.

Are you looking for a hike that's an action-packed adventure? Rarely does a 2.1-mile loop offer as much excitement as the hike to the Cave of Munits and Castle Peak. You'll start with a gradual warm-up across El Escorpion Park to Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve to find a fun vertical cave just begging to be explored. You won't need any ropes or gear to get through the cave, just an adventurous spirit that will lead you out the top of the cave to a tough off-trail ascent to Castle Peak, a panoramic summit towering over the west end of the San Fernando Valley. ...Read more.

Perched atop a hill on the south side of Palos Verdes Peninsula, Deane Dana Friendship Park offers hikers panoramic ocean views on an easy 1.1-mile loop. While exploring the 123-acre park, the hike gains 200 feet to views west across the Pacific Ocean toward Catalina Island and around the south end of the peninsula toward Long Beach Harbor to the east. ...Read more.

Old Youth Camp Loop presents a short hike and a decent workout to the cool ruins of an abandoned and burned down camp in the Verdugo Mountains. In addition to the old camp, the 2.6-mile loop with 700 feet of elevation gain passes an overlook with broad views over the San Fernando Valley and several other scenic spots. The hike begins from the Stough Canyon Trailhead, where there is a nature center for another environmental experience. ...Read more.

Within the Verdugo Mountains, the small mountain range north of Burbank, you'll find a big league suburban hike up an abandoned fire road called Skyline Motorway. Skyline Motorway should probably be renamed Skyline Trail since the overgrown track is no longer suitable for vehicles. The Skyline half of the name is still quite valid though, as the trail presents sensational sights over the skyline of downtown Los Angeles (as well as Glendale, Studio City, and Burbank). ...Read more.

El Cariso Nature Trail is a self-guided hike in the Santa Ana Mountains, beautifully situated on the range's main divide straddling the border of Orange and Riverside counties. The 1.35-mile loop is lined with small panels that identify and describe the area's plants. Starting just off Ortega Highway, at 2,600 feet above sea level, the short loop presents excellent views across the range. ...Read more.

No doubt LA is a busy city, but you can still find calm within the chaos at Franklin Canyon Park. This 605-acre park is tucked into a canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains in Beverly Hills and has a number of trails that allow Angelinos to escape for a couple hours of exercise in nature. North of Hastain Trail (where you can get more of a workout), you will find Upper Franklin Canyon Reservoir (Franklin Canyon Lake), a soothing 3-acre lake joined by an add-on called Heavenly Pond. ...Read more.

Bishop Peak rises high over San Luis Obispo and there is nothing it overshadows more than Felsman Loop Trail. This 2.7-mile loop in Bishop Peak Natural Reserve crosses oak, sagebrush, and grass-covered slopes around the base of Bishop Peak, providing excellent views of that notable rocky summit and its San Luis Obispo surroundings. Felsman Loop Trail can be combined with Bishop Peak Trail for a 5. ...Read more.

San Jacinto Peak is one of the true crowns of Southern California and is a crowning achievement for any hiker who reaches the summit. San Jacinto Peak is the second highest mountain in Southern California and the pinnacle of the San Jacinto Mountain Range at 10,834 feet above sea level. Hikers who spar with San Jacinto Peak should be prepared for an all day challenge. ...Read more.

The 6-mile round trip hike to Indian Mountain starts from a convenient trailhead on Route 243, the main road between Banning and Idyllwild. While San Jacinto Peak is the blockbuster summit in the San Jacinto Mountains, this Indy is a crowd pleaser too, requiring a feature-length time commitment of two to three hours to hike to and from the 5,790-foot summit. ...Read more.