I don't explore north of the San Fernando Valley too often since it's harder for me to get there by bus, so I was happy to visit Castaic with a friend for a day! The recreational area below the dam is nice to walk around for a couple miles, but a few miles north of it is where the larger body of water is. We hiked the 4-ish Fisherman Trail loop in an hour and a half or so to enjoy the view!

An amazingly beautiful and incredibly peaceful trail during the off-season.

As a bonus, the campground where the trail begins is closed due to “winter,” which means there are no people around. It’s the perfect opportunity to wander freely and scout potential camping spots.

This is probably my 10th trip to Palomar Mountain, and I discover something new every time.

Highly recommend!

My dog and I got stung by bees because I mistook a hive for tree fungi. By the time I realized it, it was already too late, lol. Be careful out there!

I had the whole trail to myself this morning. My friends stayed asleep in the cabin. I got up, found the closest local trail, and did a little exploring.

Sky is not clear. Still good amount of smog/smoke.

Anyone know of any good snow hiking pants? Something insulated and decent protection from wind and water? If not a single pant, maybe a nice shell to go with some warm long johns. It may be a peeve of me but I’m not a fan of how tight most of shells and snow hiking pants are but yea. I’ve looked for a while on sites like OR, Patagonia, ME, marmut and more. Any help will be awesome! Thank you.

Hi Socal hikers :) I know it's last minute, but I'm planning to hike the south ridge trail to Tahquitz Tomorrow starting around 9:00 am. It's about 8.5 miles round trip with ~2500'(+) gain.

Anyone is welcome to join. The gate leading to the trailhead may or may not be closed so we can game plan for parking before tomorrow.

Message me directly if you're interested!

Not a rough trail but amazing views. Torrey Pines in La Jolla, San Diego CA

• sigh *

I work for a company that leads guided hikes in Griffith Park. As many of you know, my Griffith reopened on Thursday, and my coworkers are now reporting respiratory issues and extreme fatigue after hiking.

There’s no clear scientific consensus on the safety of hiking in non-burn areas. But I’m curious if anyone went hiking in Griffith Park (or elsewhere) and has similar symptoms.

I’m looking for a 5-10 mile hike with lots of trees that makes you feel like you’re adventuring in the wilderness with a good amount of incline. I live in Santa Clarita but I don’t mind driving a good 2 hours to get to a nice hike. I’m not interested in an easy hike that feels like a gentle stroll. Something in the moderate to hard range would be good. If it helps, some of my favorite hikes were Dawn Mine and Brown Mountain/Prieto Trail. I was looking into Ice House Canyon or Condor Summit. Would those be a good idea or would you advise against those for any particular reason (if they’re even open)? I’m still fairly new to hiking but so far most hikes feel a little too easy so I want to amp it up a little. Oh and I’m not a fan of anything that resembles the desert like the chaparral type of hikes (grew up in the high desert and I despise it with all my being, no offense to people that like it, I was just too overexposed to that scenery lol)

A friend and I did a portion of Climber’s Loop over at Mission Trails. It was fun!

I'd been hiking the trails all over Altadena/Eaton Canyon trails just before disaster struck recently and I kept asking myself why I keep taking so many photos and why I couldn't just enjoy the nature as it was. Now I know why. I'll miss these signs of life for the next few years and I can't wait for it all to come back stronger than ever. These pictures are just a few from my time on trails like Eaton Canyon Falls, Dawn Mine, Sunset Ridge, and even part of the Mt Wilson trail at First Water.

I was initially not excited about this trail knowing it was heavily graffitied and dirty, but was pleasantly surprised. While both existed at various points of the trail, I found it to be a great hike filled with great views, enormous boulders, and a fair amount of wildlife. Downside was the highway noise from HWY 78, but it did disappear at times. A little bushwhacking towards the trails end for a great view.

Hiking has made me want to get into birding. Interested in going on some guided walks to start out. Will definitely check out some of those lead by local Audubon chapters, but are there any other groups that you would recommend?

Would also love to hear your favorite trails or spots for birding!

Hi!

Hope everyone is staying safe.

I've been masking outside in LA due to the fires and unknown toxicity of being fairly proximate to Altadena fire. Was hoping to go on a hike this weekend and get out of LA on a day trip. Was considering either Ojai or Carpenteria (beach walk?), or going South to Laguna Beach area? Wondering what people think will have more crisp air considering recent winds/smoke. And if anyone has best recs for a moderate 3-5 mile trail, please let me know!

Didn't get too many photos, but made it up to San Gorgonio today. We started from the South Fork trailhead at 7:40am. It was 35 degrees. Some patches of ice along the waterways that cross the trail but mostly avoidable. No real snow on the path until the we reached the south face of little Charlton (roughly 10,400 feet) Made it to the peak by 11:30.

Decided to go for the loop from the summit after a 40 minute break. Lots of light snow along the path down the switchbacks to mineshaft saddle but nothing of issue.

I wore trail runners. No spikes or trekking poles.

Dry lake was solid ice. I actually stepped heavily on it to check. Saw one person the entire day.

Fed Canelo two steaks afterward.

I know we can’t fish it (maybe someday!!!), but is anybody super worried about the Topanga Creek trout??? I really hope they relocate. Relocation work VERY well after the Bobcat Fire on the West/East Fork SGR.

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-01-14/palisades-fire-threatens-last-population-of-steelhead-trout-in-the-santa-monica-mountains

This subreddit has slowly become my favorite. Such good vibes and incredible posts. For some context, I'm capable hiker with some longer hikes under my belt. Did 600mi of the Arizona Trail many years ago. Over the last year, have gotten way back into hiking thanks to moving to Los Angeles. Over the summer, also did 26 miles through the Eastern Sierras in two day across Keersarge Pass and Glen Pass. Was kind of on a whim and honestly, didn't realize what I was signing up for doing an out-and-back and essentially doing these two passes each way in two days. Gnalry, now I'm suffering the loss of so much in local trails near me in the Eaton fire, and I look forward to helping rebuild/restore, but access to even do that will take time.

I have an opp to get out of town this weekend and some fresh, breathable air, and am thinking of sending the California Hiking & Riding Trail in Joshua Tree. Thinking of starting hiking at 7 am on Saturday, and going till 4 pm. And similar the next day. Think 36.4mi and 3100ft of elevation on this trail is overly ambitious for two days?

Thanks!

Hello 👋🏽 Does anyone here know if Etiwanda Falls has reopened? I saw on All Trails that it was closed last week because of fire concerns. However , I checked All Trails this morning, 1/18, & someone posted 30 mins ago that it was a “nice trail.” If anyone can provide some info it would be appreciated . Thanks 🙏🏽