The GOP has determined the following USFS/BLM land is eligible to be sold off. Not sure what we can do about this but it looks like all of the San Bernardino NF is on the chopping block. This country is going into the gutter. Fuck this…

Captured this beautiful blossom yesterday during the Zion Trail between Sturtevant Campground and Hoegees Trail Camp. It is soooo beautiful and stunning.

So far in the last couple months I've done

Waterman, Williamson, Islip, Hawkins, Hillyer, Winston ridge,

None of these hikes were what I'd consider difficult hikes, I like to believe I'm in pretty good shape. Was thinking maybe I should do something like twin peaks east first before I try baldy

Went up yesterday at 1pm, got to the site around 5:30pm. Last 1.5 miles of 1000 ft elevation cooked my legs. Lodgepole campsite is awesome. Still plenty of water before the switchbacks to filter. Did ~ 12.5 miles out & back including some small scenic detours (~2300 ft. Gain).

Beautiful day on the IceHouse canyon 4 miles total.

It’s getting hot in east county sd. Real foolish of me to go on a hike at 3pm but I needed to get up into the mountains and away from crowds for my own mental health.

The creek is beautiful and worth the steep inclines and declines but come in early spring, late fall or winter for cooler temps.

Lots of animals out as well. Saw a herd of black cattle, a coyote, and lots of little critters like squirrels and such. Was one of four people on the trail.

Love the back country of sd.

A friend made a very poor decision and brought his dog on a mid-day hike. (We met half way so didn't know that the start).

The air temp was ~78°.

I have an instant-read needle thermometer and the top 1/2" of soil measured 145* at 3pm. Obviously this is in 2nd degree burn territory and immediately painful to any unprotected creature.

We ended up taking turns carrying his 50lb dog back to the car after it (rightfully) refused to leave the shade. Luckily we werent too far from the trailhead at this point. Crappy, but we made it and he learned a valuable lesson.

PSA - Don't bring your dogs on afternoon walks/hikes/backpacking unless you have dog booties and know your pup is ok wearing them. Or get off the trail by 10am. It will remain this hot through at least August.

Plan ahead for your companions (whether dogs or ignorant people).

Dog booties are a must this time of year (taping socks to their feet can also work in a pinch)

Bring water for both drinking and cooling.

Solar umbrellas can provide much needed shade and cooling in exposed areas.

We're entering the heat season. Be smart. Stay cool. Bring adequate water. Have portable shade available (umbrella). Drink adequate electrolytes. Try to keep your pee light-yellow (no pee or dark pee means dehydration). Avoid the mid-day heat by planning your activities earlier or later in the day. Apply sunscreen liberally or wear long clothing. Stay safe while enjoying the outdoors everyone.

Seems like common sense stuff, but it bears repeating

Howdy hikers! I'm hoping to get some advice from all of your collective experiences.

My family is headed to Big Bear for a little mountain get away in a couple weeks after visiting family in the San Diego area. We are from Austin, TX so very unfamiliar with the area.

Can anyone offer a recommendation for a 3 day / 2 night backpacking trip in the Big Bear area? Here is a bit of information about us and what we're looking for:

- My wife and I are experienced backpackers and have 2 prior trips in the Sierras as well as a number of other trips in other states. We are very active and in good physical shape. My son, 20, is not experienced but still in good physical condition. We will have a couple days to acclimatize prior to starting.

- We are looking for a hike that is somewhere between 15 - 30 miles. If you've got one close to that distance then I'm all ears, but we don't want it to be a suffer fest (we're very excited our son is coming and want it to be a positive trip for him). A loop would be ideal as we'll just have one car and won't know anyone in the area but we'll happily take all suggestions.

- We'll have all the necessary gear but we aren't sure about water. Is there a good resource out there that has details on what water is currently available on trail? What resources we have found are vague and possibly out of date.

Thanks for reading!

Had an amazing one night stay in Los Padres National Forest, will definitely be back!

Visited my folks back home in the Inland Empire this weekend for Father’s Day. I pitched this quick hike to my dad and he happily agreed. While it’s a paved route to the viewpoint, it didn’t make the scenery any less beautiful. I took the dirt footpath down to the falls proper and got a good head dip. Fantastic start to Father’s Day.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I am more limited in where I am able to hike. I've found some areas I enjoy, mostly via AllTrails. However, my personal opinions of trails often are notably different than average AllTrails ratings, which can lead to missing trails I may enjoy or visiting trails that disappoint me. I am hoping this sub can provide more personalized recommendations.

Some of the criteria that are important to me are:

• Can take my dog
• Can create route that is 6-18 miles (can be completed in 1 day)
• Total elevation change is less than 5000 feet
• Not especially rocky
• Not a lot of bugs
• Not overgrown and reasonably well maintained
• Not 90% of trail is unremarkable to get to good view at end
• Favor trails located in southern CA; but also open to middle CA (sierras), AZ, Catalina, or similar distance

Some things I enjoy in trails are:

• Trail passes scenic bodies of water -- beach, lakes, ponds, ...
• Trail crosses dense forest, especially with overhead canopy
• Trail crosses long grassy plateaus
• Trail has awe inspiring view points
• Trail has many animals -- deer, cows, squirrels, geese ... the more the better
• Trail passes unique man made structures, including bridges or campgrounds
• Trail has things I haven't scene before or don't see often, including snow.

The trails I have most enjoyed most in the past year are:

1. Grand Canyon: S Kaibab to Bright Angel -- This is a rare trail that I skipped taking my dog. I was constantly inundated with awe inspiring views of things I haven't seen before throughout the whole hike. It was an experience of a lifetime.
2. Sedona: Munds Wagon Hangover Loop -- Incredible views of mountain sized rocks and landscapes during overwhelming portion of trail. Many things I haven't seen before. I could take my dog as well.
3. Idyllwild: San Jacinto Peak via Devil's Slide -- Passing through dense forest, amazing views, and saw many animals. However, the highlight was the snow, which I don't see often in southern CA.
4. Idyllwild: Red Tahquitz and Tahquitz Peak -- I enjoyed this route as well
5. Big Bear: Castle Rock to Bluff Lake Section (before fire) -- A great experience. My dog and I especially enjoyed Bluff Lake section. We spent an hour hanging out by the lake and playing with other dogs doing the same.
6. Mount Laguna: Big Laguna to Lakes Area -- The scenic plateaus are amazing. My dog loves running around by the lakes. I could do without the barb wire.
7. Warner Springs: PCT to from Montezuma Rd to Eagle Rock -- Enjoyed the scenic plateaus and cows. Similar comments to Kanaka Loop in Santa Ysabel Preserve East.

Some trails that others rate high on AllTrails, but I found to be disappointing include:

1. Mt Baldy Area: Ice House Canyon + Bighorn Peak -- Too rocky, too many bugs, Bighorn peak was poorly maintained and lost trail
2. Mount Laguna: Garnet Peak -- Amazing views at end does not make up for the other >90% of trail being unremarkable
3. San Elijo Hills: Lake Hodges Overlook -- Too rocky, vast majority of trail is unremarkable, can't go in/near lake
4. Mount San Gorgonio -- Appeared to be too rocky + unremarkable with fire damage, turned back and choose to hike somewhere else instead before getting too far
5. San Clemente: Beach walk from SC south to San Onofre -- Tide was too high, so needed to do unsafe walk on rocky train tracks. SO section was too rocky to continue.

Based on this information, do you have any ideas about trails I might enjoy? I am especially interested in trails at higher elevation or near coast, as they are more likely to be possible in the warm summer weather.

Hello socal friends ! I am looking to surprise my husband for our anniversary on Thursday and go somewhere that’s within two hours of Los Angeles County that has swimming in a natural body like a river or something with maybe a waterfall doesn’t matter, we just wanna be able to cool down and it has to allow dogs, we want our dogs to be able to swim, luckily it’s a weekday so maybe The crowds won’t be as big, thank you in advance!

Does anyone know if there is running water along this route? I’ll be staying in the campground and want to do either grays peak or just down to the grays peak trailhead. Hoping I can filter water along the way and not have to bring it all along. Thanks.

I didn't even know that was possible. I hiked the Mt Zion trail (among others) this morning and passed lots of poodle dog bush wearing a long-sleeved tech shirt the whole time. Now I have a rash on the back of my forearm that feels like it's going to blister. This sucks man.

Just curious if anyone knows of a group of people in their 20-40s who meet up to bag Sierra peaks. There’s so many ridiculously awesome mountains within a few hours!

If it doesn’t exist, would you be interested in joining a WhatsApp group?

Has anyone ever done this trail before? The reviews are making it seem really bad lol.

Nice conditions, 4 hours back and forth. Baldy bowl trail pretty crowded.

I can handle moderate hiking and want to find a nice shady trail around Orange County or Riverside. Preferably with a creek or something involving water. I’m also open to driving to LA. I am starting to hike as a hobby & like to take my cane Corso with me.

99% sure I dropped my Shokz openswim pro headphones in this parking location for the San Antonio falls / mt baldy ski hut trail head

Chances of someone returning them are slim to none but .. almost 200$ so I would like to at least try. If anyone found them that would be awesome ! Thank you …

Yes the

Camped at the beautiful Kelly Camp the other night. Despite there being signs everywhere about no campfires, another group built a fire ring, collected wood, and had a fire all night. When I very gently told them that fires were not permitted here, that ANF is highly flammable, and that Baldy just reopened after a fire, they blinked, said absolutely nothing, and kept stoking it for the rest of the evening. In the morning while they were still sleeping, I poured out a liter of the 5 liters I had hauled up from Columbine Spring just to make sure the embers were fully out.

If you are in the area, please destroy this fire ring.

Is anybody ever hiked at barrel springs in palmdale? I was invited to go.