101 Hikes in Southern California: Exploring Mountains, Seashore, and Desert

Product Description Discover 101 of the best hikes in Southern California, from family outings to 50-mile treks.
The Southland is unparalleled for its beauty and diversity. A coastal trail, a desert hike, and a mountain trek are always just an hour or two away. Experience 101 of the region’s best hiking trips with authors David Harris and Jerry Schad. See a spectacular geological showcase cradled between two faults at the Devil’s Punchbowl. Find the ruins of a once grand Malibu mansion, now Solstice Canyon Park. Enjoy the natural hot springs alongside a mountain stream at Deep Creek.
Take the guesswork out of choosing a trail that’s right for you. Each entry in this guidebook provides vital information like total distance, elevation gain or loss, hiking time, highlights, and difficulty—not to mention a full description of the route. You can take the entire family on a 1-mile stroll, or challenge yourself with a 52-mile backpacking trip.
Inside you’ll find:
101 spectacular hikes, ranging from 1 to 52 milesEssential details such as distance, elevation change, and difficulty
Route descriptions and directions to the trailheads
Full-color maps and photographs
Leave the urban world behind and discover the natural splendor of Southern California—from the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains to the Laguna Mountains and Anza-Borrego Desert, from the Torrey Pines beaches to the summit of San Jacinto Peak.
About the Author David Harris is a professor of engineering at Harvey Mudd College. He is the author or coauthor of seven hiking guidebooks and four engineering textbooks. David grew up rambling about the Desolation Wilderness as a toddler in his father’s pack and later roamed the High Sierra as a Boy Scout. As a Sierra Club trip leader, he organized mountaineering trips throughout the Sierra Nevada. Since 1999, he has been exploring the mountains and deserts of Southern California. He lives with his three children in Upland, California, and delights in sharing his love of the outdoors with them.
Jerry Schad (1949–2011) was Southern California’s leading outdoors writer. His 16 guidebooks, along with his “Roam-O-Rama” column in the San Diego Reader, helped thousands of hikers discover the region’s diverse wild places. Jerry ran or hiked many thousands of miles of distinct trails throughout California, in the Southwest, and in Mexico. He was a sub-24-hour finisher of Northern California’s 100-mile Western States Endurance Run and served in a leadership capacity for outdoor excursions around the world. He taught astronomy and physical science at San Diego Mesa College and chaired its physical sciences department from 1999 until 2011. His sudden, untimely death from kidney cancer shocked and saddened the hiking community. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Sandstone Peak
Location Circle X Ranch (Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area)
Highlights Most expansive view in the Santa Monicas, volcanic rock formations
Distance & Configuration 6-mile loop
Elevation Gain 1,400'
Hiking Time 3.5 hours
Optional Maps Tom Harrison Point Mugu State Park or Trails Illustrated Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Best Times October–June
Agency Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Difficulty Moderately strenuous
Trail Use Dogs allowed
Permit None required
Google Maps Sandstone Peak Trailhead
Sandstone Peak is the quintessential destination for peak baggers in the Santa Monica Mountains. The 3,111-foot summit can be efficiently climbed from the east via the Backbone Trail in a mere 1.5 miles, but the far more scenic way to go is the loop outlined below. Take a picnic lunch, and plan to make a half day of it. Try to come on a crystalline day in late fall or winter to get the best skyline views. Or, if it’s wildflowers you most enjoy, come in April or May, when the native vegetation blooms most profusely at these middle elevations. In addition to blue-flowering stands of ceanothus