If you're a bicyclist with an antipathy for steep hills but a love for rural scenery, you'll appreciate El Monte Road. Few rural roads in San Diego County can offer as long a stretch of …
April 5, 2001
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Stories by Jerry Schad (RIP)
Take a serene bike ride on Lakeside's El Monte Road, and get a glimpse of San Diego County's rural past.
English garden gone wild in Anaheim
Oak Canyon Nature Center, a 60-acre natural park tucked amid the hilly housing tracts of eastern Anaheim, offers small kids (and their interested parents) plenty of room to roam on its tightly nested five miles' …
March 29, 2001
Hike up the Merigan Fire Road in the Cuyamaca Mountains for a bit of solitude.
Standing apart from nearby peaks, Viejas Mountain can be seen from many parts of metropolitan San Diego as a dusky, obtusely triangular feature along the eastern horizon. A faint, partially overgrown trail Fed by countless …
March 22, 2001
Witness fault action in freeze-frame at Devils Punchbowl Natural Area in Los Angeles County.
Tens of millions of years in the making, Devil's Punchbowl is certainly Los Angeles County's most spectacular geological showplace. When looking down into this 300-foot-deep chasm, you sense the enormity of the slow yet inexorable …
March 15, 2001
See Kitchen Creek Falls in the Laguna Mountains at its seasonal best.
What San Diego's backyard mountain ranges lack in terms of scale and grandeur is outweighed by the sublime and circumspect beauty to be found in some of its remote canyons. A case in point is …
March 8, 2001
Hunt for obsidian and view volcanic mud pots near the Salton Sea
About as fast as toenails grow, the Imperial Valley continues to widen in an east-west direction. As fast as fingernails grow, Imperial Valley's west side shudders northwestward relative to territory farther east and north. The …
March 1, 2001
Get up-close and personal with boulder stacks in the southernmost reaches of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
Drive an hour east on Interstate 8 from San Diego toward El Centro and you won't fail to be impressed by the enormous stacks of rounded boulders thrusting skyward over the high-desert landscape. How did …
February 22, 2001
Visit Palo Comado Canyon, China Flat, and Simi Peak in a circle tour of new parkland in the Simi Hills of Ventura County.
Leapfrog suburban growth has surrounded the once-remote Simi Hills of western Ventura County, but not before the National Park Service and local agencies succeeded in setting aside more than 5000 acres of contiguous public open …
February 15, 2001
Climb from Discovery Lake in San Marcos to the summit of Double Peak.
South of the spreading suburbs of San Marcos, a scruffy ridgeline scrapes the southern sky. Topographic maps note the obscure names of its various high points: Cerro de las Posas, Double Peak, Franks Peak, and …
February 8, 2001
Head for the rambling byways of Rancho Santa Fe.
If outdoor exercise is part of your New Year's resolution, perhaps it's time to pull your ten-speed or mountain bike out of cold storage in the garage and head for the rambling byways of Rancho …
February 3, 2001
Climb Sitton Peak in the Santa Ana Mountains for views of the ocean and of toylike cars
From below, 3273-foot Sitton Peak looks unimposing -- a bump atop the rambling Santa Ana Mountains, just north of the San Diego County line. On the summit, though, the feeling is decidedly "top of the …
February 1, 2001
Follow Horsethief Canyon's trickling stream into the Pine Creek Wilderness, south of Descanso.
Horsethief Canyon offers one of the quickest escapes into a designated wilderness area available to urban San Diegans. The canyon is a major entryway into the 13,000-acre Pine Creek Wilderness, south of Descanso and Pine …
January 25, 2001
Search for a small waterfall and grotto in Los Pinetos Canyon, near Santa Clarita.
Barely ten minutes' drive from the northern San Fernando Valley and the sprawling suburb of Santa Clarita, Placerita Canyon Natural Area nestles comfortably at the foot of one of the more verdant slopes of the …
January 18, 2001
Hike alongside a bubbling stream in Anza-Borrego's Oriflamme Canyon to reach a 15-foot waterfall.
Oriflamme Canyon's gurgling waters are borne to the open air high on the east slope of the Laguna Mountains. For five miles they trickle over polished granite and schist bedrock, tumble over small waterfalls, and …
January 17, 2001
Seek out evidence of prehistoric landslides at Anza-Borrego's Split Mountain.
So crazy is the juxtaposition of rock formations at Anza-Borrego's Split Mountain that it makes your head spin. You can't help being amazed at the appearance of orderly sedimentary rock layers in one spot, curved …
January 11, 2001
Discover intertidal-zone marine organisms at Malibu's Point Dume.
Like the armored bow of an ice-breaker, flat-topped Point Dume juts into the Pacific Ocean about 20 miles west of Santa Monica. East of the point itself, an unbroken cliff wall shelters a secluded beach …
January 4, 2001
Pedal up and coast down new roadways striped with bike lanes through south Carlsbad and La Costa.
New suburban arterial streets in south Carlsbad and north Encinitas -- nearly every one striped with bicycle lanes -- invite you to take a spin on two skinny wheels. The looping route described here covers …
December 21, 2000
Visit Chino Hills State Park in winter, when emerald green grass spreads over rolling hills.
Serenely insular amid the spreading suburbs of Los Angeles, Chino Hills State Park spreads across some 13,000 acres of three counties: Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino. Fifty million dollars of public funds were expended in …
December 14, 2000
Early birds catch the winter solstice sunrise atop Viejas Mountain near Alpine.
Standing apart from nearby peaks, Viejas Mountain can be seen from many parts of metropolitan San Diego as a dusky, obtusely triangular feature along the eastern horizon. A faint, partially overgrown trail up the west …
December 7, 2000
Hike Chatsworth's Old Stagecoach Road, a crucial link in a 19th-Century stage route linking L.A. and San Francisco.
Sunrises are as spectacular as they come when viewed on clear, late fall or winter mornings from the Old Stagecoach Road -- now a hiking trail rising into the foothills outside Chatsworth in the San …
November 30, 2000
Discover desert fan palms in their native, oasis-like habitats at Anza-Borrego's Mountain Palm Springs.
The area called Mountain Palm Springs in southern Anza-Borrego Desert State Park cannot lay claim to the largest palm oases in our local desert, but it does feature some of the most charming ones. The …
November 22, 2000
Follow the meandering Sunset Trail along the forested west rim of the Laguna Mountains.
Big Sycamore and Serrano Canyons in Point Mugu State Park are a study in contrasts. As its name suggests, shallow and wide Big Sycamore Canyon harbors stately California sycamores, set at spacious intervals. Serrano Canyon …
November 16, 2000
Cleveland National Forest's Sunset Trail
The Sunset Trail facilitates easy access by foot to the entire west rim of the high Laguna Mountain plateau. Like analogous routes to the east -- Sunrise Highway and the sunrise-facing Pacific Crest Trail -- …
November 9, 2000
Visit the distinctive sandstone slabs of Vasquez Rocks outside Los Angeles.
A formerly popular location for filming old West movies and sci-fi extravaganzas, the distinctive Vasquez Rocks outside Los Angeles may be familiar from episodes of Bonanza, Star Trek, and countless old movies. The tilted sandstone …
November 2, 2000
Visit Anza-Borrego's Mortero Palms, and make the arduous trek to the giant San Diego and Arizona Eastern railroad trestle if you dare.
As temperatures cool in the desert east of San Diego, campers and hikers are again fanning out over the spacious 1000 square miles of territory in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. If it's solitude you're looking …
October 26, 2000
Hike, run, or bike to the summit of Sierra Peak high above Corona in the Santa Ana Mountains.
Wait for a late fall or winter storm to clear the air, then try this viewful trek to Sierra Peak, a rounded promontory anchoring the north end of the Santa Ana Mountains in Orange and …
October 19, 2000
Find out where to see and photograph the magnificent rising of the full moon over San Diego's city skyline.
Every 29 or 30 days -- weather permitting -- the natural rhythms of the sun and moon, plus the glassy exteriors of San Diego's tallest buildings, deliver a visual feast to those who are in …
October 12, 2000
Hike to Lone Tree Point above Avalon on Santa Catalina Island for a great view.
The languid pace of life on Santa Catalina Island reflects its aloofness from the increasingly frantic business of living on the Southern California mainland. A weekend visit there is truly relaxing, whether you choose to …
October 5, 2000
William Heise County Park, a fine spot for camping and hiking near Julian, features bright autumn colors in October and November.
For the purposes of camping, picnicking, and day-hiking in a superb mountain setting, William Heise County Park near Julian is surely the crown jewel of the San Diego County Parks system. About one-tenth of the …
September 28, 2000
Enjoy a telescopic panorama from the 11,000-foot summit of Telescope Peak in Death Valley National Park.
Telescope Peak, the highest peak on the Panamint Range overlooking Death Valley from the west, was christened in the late 18th Century by an explorer who thought the view from the top was so far-reaching …
September 21, 2000
August rains bring September and October flowers to Coachwhip Canyon and other sites in the Anza-Borrego Desert
Dark thunderclouds moved into Borrego Valley on the afternoon of August 29, terrorizing residents of Borrego Springs with 70 mph gusts of wind and a downpour of one and one-half inches of rain in less …
September 14, 2000
Journey to Baja's Sierra de San Francisco, where larger-than-life, centuries-old pictographs decorate canyon walls
Frozen on stone for centuries, the larger-than-life cave paintings of humans and animals in Baja's Sierra de San Francisco hover over the thousand or more awe-struck visitors who come to see them in a typical …
September 7, 2000
Hike, swim, or surf at San Onofre State Beach, just south of the Orange County line.
Just below one of San Diego County's few campgrounds dull enough to be insipid lies one of the more agreeably wild stretches of beach to be found in Southern California. Coastward of the 300 tent …
August 31, 2000
High above the L.A. fog and smog, ascend Mount Islip in the San Gabriel Mountains for a view of the Mojave Desert.
Eight thousand feet above the monotonous, flat grid of San Gabriel Valley streets, Mount Islip pokes its head above the sticky, warm marine layer and basks in cooler, drier, pine-scented air. The view from the …
August 24, 2000
A summer stroll under cool live okas
Sycamore Canyon Open-Space Preserve sprawls across more than 2000 acres of granite-ribbed mountains southeast of Poway. About ten miles of old ranch roads, fire roads, and newer trails presently lace through the area. For a …
August 17, 2000
View the Pacific from the south-facing vantage of Leo Carrillo State Beach near Malibu
Upcoast from Malibu, in the serene western half of the Santa Monica Mountains, Leo Carrillo State Beach encompasses a bit more than a mile of ocean frontage plus 2000 acres of interior hillsides and canyons. …
August 10, 2000
Visit El Monte Park near Lakeside, where massive oaks spread below the stony gaze of "El Capitan" mountain.
Tucked against a rocky, sunburnt hillside in the San Diego River valley outside Lakeside, El Monte Regional Park is a shock to the eye on a bright summer day. The park spreads across 98 flat …
August 3, 2000
Discover the "secret" steps and stairways of La Mesa and Rolando
Books on the stairway walks of San Francisco and Los Angeles can be found on the shelves of bookstores in those areas. No such guidebook exists for San Diego, because -- despite the substantial vertical …
July 20, 2000
Mountain-bike the old road through Telegraph Canyon in Orange County's Chino Hills.
Chino Hills State Park, 13,000 acres of rolling former ranch lands near the juncture of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties, is a mountain biker's paradise. Some 40 miles of dirt roadways suitable for cycling …
July 13, 2000
Mission Trails Regional Park and the Suycott Wash
Last May, Mission Trails Regional Park opened a new trailhead parking lot and gateway that provides easy access to the park's western area from the community of Tierrasanta. To check out and make use of …
July 6, 2000
Hike or backpack to four summits over two miles high on the crest of the San Bernardino Mountains.
Tucked amid the tall, straight trunks of lodgepole pines at nearly two miles high in the San Gorgonio Wilderness, the wind-sheltered and mostly bug-free Trail Fork Camp is a peakbagger's delight. Just above the trail …
June 29, 2000
Tour the La Jolla coastline by bike.
The pleasantly tepid, breezy days of late June and early July (on the coast, at least) are perfect for the following eight-mile bicycle ride from downtown La Jolla to Bird Rock and back. The looping …
June 22, 2000
Hike or bike along the rim of Upper Newport Bay, Orange County's best coastal estuary.
The marshland surrounding Orange County's Upper Newport Bay is but a small remnant of a wetland that once reached inland to the present city of Tustin. During the past 100,000 years or more the Santa …
June 15, 2000
Scout out the diminutive Los Jilgueros Preserve in Fallbrook.
Flanked by avocado orchards and brand-new suburban housing, the 43-acre Los Jilgueros Preserve (jilgueros means finches) stands as a quiet oasis of tranquillity in booming Fallbrook. Endowed with two good-sized ponds and patches of freshwater …
June 8, 2000
Veer off I-5 north of LA for a short hike on the Oak Flat Trail.
The Oak Flat Trail, the only developed hiking trail along the Interstate 5 corridor through Angeles National Forest, offers ever-widening vistas of the fault-tortured canyon country north of Los Angeles. Drop by here sometime for …
June 1, 2000
See some of San Diego County's tallest and fattest trees on Middle Peak in the Cuyamaca Mountains.
If you like big trees, Middle Peak is the place to go in San Diego County. Middle Peak's cone-shaped form is capped with some of the largest coniferous trees in the Cuyamaca Mountains and in …
May 25, 2000
Visit the "Bridge to Nowhere," deep in a roadless section of Angeles National Forest.
Born of snow-fed rivulets, the many tributaries of the East Fork San Gabriel River gather together to form one of the liveliest mountain streams in the San Gabriel Mountains. At a spot called "the Narrows" …
May 18, 2000
Hike under a 400-foot-high bridge carrying I-8 traffic over the gorge of Pine Valley Creek.
Starting from the spacious Pine Creek Trailhead outside Pine Valley, the Secret Canyon Trail weaves and bobs its way along the canyon of Pine Valley Creek, finally emerging some 15 miles later at Horsethief Canyon, …
May 11, 2000
Visit the lush recesses of Cold Creek Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains.
The extravagantly lush Cold Creek Canyon Preserve is a crown jewel set in the patchwork of public lands known as the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The preserve lies in a steep, north-facing bowl …
May 4, 2000
Steer your mountain bike over 20 miles of rural roads southwest of Julian - near Eagle Peak and Cedar Creek.
Real mountain bikers don't putter around on pavement, which is why (if you identify with this description) you should try the following route on mostly dirt roads through the western foothills of the Cuyamaca Mountains. …
April 27, 2000