3 campgrounds near L.A. where you can start the morning with a hike
Even though I’m technically a “professional” hiker, I do not excel at arriving to trailheads early. Unless I’m camping. Camping removes all distractions and simplifies…
How trails are recovering from the Eaton and Palisades fires
Eaton Canyon and adjacent federal land that burned in the January wildfires in L.A. County will remain closed through 2026 and maybe longer given the…
What to do if you get stung by a stingray in the ocean
Last year, I started teaching you, dear Wilder, what to do if you see an animal on the trail who could possibly hurt you. We’ve…
A coastal L.A. hike with views, wildflowers and a path to the beach
Whenever friends or family visiting L.A. ask to go spend a day swimming in the ocean, I always take them to Leo Carrillo State Beach.…
Meet the hiker bringing off-roading wheelchairs to L.A.
It’s a crisp, clear Southern California day, and I’m at Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park with Austin Nicassio. He’s ripping up a steep dirt trail…
3 splendid L.A. waterfall hikes to see before the end of spring
Waterfall hikes have long been a staple of any hiker’s Instagram feed, a stunningly gorgeous brag of where you got to hike that day.But hiking…
3 L.A. activities where you can observe wildlife up close
I did not expect the hummingbird to be so calm as a biologist gently placed the bird’s wing on a caliper to measure it. The…
3 simple and sunny hikes to do with family this weekend
I was just starting to meditate when the children began screaming with delight. “Look at this place!” one of them shrieked. “This is amazing. Where…
These 34 hikes and picnic sites are reopening after the L.A. fires
Just over three months after the Eaton and Palisades fires ordered their closure, several trails have reopened throughout the San Gabriel and Santa Monica Mountains.…
These 3 L.A. hikes will show you a spring super bloom of native plants
My friends promised me that our hike through Claremont Hills Wilderness Park would feature something I didn’t expect — a superbloom. How could this be?…
3 incredible L.A. hikes to fill the void left by burned L.A. trails
Some people stay up late binging a TV show. I recently found myself awake long past midnight zooming in and out of maps, tagging every…
3 hikes near L.A. where you can frolic in the snow
Last week, I stared out the window at the mountains like a little kid, watching the rain come down. I knew at higher elevations the…
Can the Woolsey Fire teach us how to recover burned Palisades trails?
Reporting on the 2018 Woolsey fire remains vivid in my mind. I remember observing its bright orange glow from outside the gates of the shuttered…
Want amazing views? Hike to this L.A. fire lookout
In California, firefighters have a true range of tools available to alert them of wildfires: live cameras mounted throughout forests, satellites orbiting Earth, pilots scanning…
Cuts to National Park Service could harm L.A.’s wildlife
I felt conflicted as my friend Taran and I pulled into Death Valley National Park this past Friday evening. I was over the moon to…
3 ambitious L.A. hikes to try before winter ends and it gets too hot
My New Year’s resolution this year was to walk, jog, bike or hike at least one mile a day. By Jan. 6, I’d traversed almost…
Where to find peace and quiet in nature around L.A.
I’ve spent the past week in one of the least quiet places on Earth: a windowless room in a hospital’s intensive care unit. Among many…
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue rips his team after loss to the Lakers
Tyronn Lue sat with his arms crossed, his voice steady and his message clear about his displeasure with how the Clippers provoked him with their…
3 L.A. hikes where you can breathe freely and finally enjoy nature
I was walking my dog Saturday evening when I started to feel a slight drizzle overhead.“Oh, it’s raining,” I thought in passing. Then it clicked,…
These 54 L.A. hiking trails burned in the SoCal fires
To some it might feel flippant to bemoan the hiking trails that burned up in the Eaton and Palisades fires. After all, thousands of people…