Los Angeles, the city of hikes, has been on quarantine for a little over two months now. Although we are doing our part to obey social distancing rules, and limit our group activities, the city’s hiking trails have recently been reopened with certain rules and regulations. With so much free time, being in nature has been a quarantine necessity to maintain mental and physical health. I went on five hikes in five days, crushing my expectations and sending my body into a deep rest. Load up the cooler, strap on your boots, and explore the local trails before you clock back in to your “normal” routine.

Temescal Canyon Trail - Pacific Palisades, CA
One of L.A.’s more well known hikes, Temescal Canyon is a 20 min drive from West L.A. down PCH. The 3 mile loop goes at an incline giving you major ocean views and a good pump. Enjoy a little waterfall and epic scenery. This is a moderate hike but can be challenging if you haven’t gotten out in awhile.
Escondido Falls - Malibu, CA
You can find this hike further down PCH past Pepperdine University and downtown Malibu. This 3.7 mile trail has you going through one of Malibu’s luxurious neighborhoods to get to the start. I love this hike because it’s shaded and beautiful. The waterfall here is the main attraction and offers good rocks to hang out and admire the water from. This hike has the option to go harder, offering ropes to help you climb higher and explore more.
Deep Creek Hot Springs - San Bernardino, CA
This was by far the craziest and hardest hike of the week. I had no idea where I was going or what to expect. My friends picked me up and told me that the hike was 2 1/2 hours away. “You didn’t have anything else to do today, right?”, my friend asked. We headed down the 15 North on the way to Vegas and ended up going into the San Bernardino mountains. We drove a couple miles down an unmarked dirt road until we approached a cabin on a ranch with a man who charged us $5 per person and proceeded to give us a hand drawn map telling us how to find the hot springs. We were a bit apprehensive with his directions and the fact that he told us that people are rescued every day hiking there. Where the hell had my friends taken me?!
We begin our walk into the desert and find our way through the canyon and at the top of the San Bernardino mountains. We follow a narrow trail all the way down the side of the mountain into a nude desert oasis with a flowing river and multiple hot spring pools. From the car down to the pools it took about and hour and a half. Everywhere we look around we see people basking in the nude, swimming and soaking in the healing mineral waters that nature provides. A hiker told us not to dip our head in the water because there is a brain eating amoeba caused by all the people that soak in the pools. I can neither confirm or deny but I can tell you that I never fully dunked my head. We did end up going a little more than waist deep in the running part of the river and drinking beers under the sun.
We had strict orders to leave the bottom by 6:15pm at the latest to make it back before dark. Now the thing about this trail is that most of the way in you are going downhill which means, you guessed it, the whole way back is up. After hours of blasting sun, beers, and exploring the pools, the way back was tough. At least we kept encountering happy people on their way down to camp for the holiday weekend, or other hikers completely in the nude conquering the trail. It was a sight to see. Overall this was a trail for the books and would definitely go back more prepared now that I know what to expect. Pack a lot of water, food, sunblock, and make sure you have good shoes!
Rose Valley Falls - Ojai, CA
Took a day trip with my roommate and two friends who I have been seeing through the quarantine. We have been confined to the city, and previously our homes, and the need for escape was overwhelming. I wanted to take them to Ojai and show them around. Rose Valley Falls is one of the more popular hikes in the area. About an hour and a half to two hours away from L.A., you get the full trip experience of new scenery while still being relatively close to home. About 3-4,000 feet up in the Los Padres national forest you drive into the mountains and come to an easy, family friendly one mile hike that leads to a beautiful waterfall. We hung out in some pools and wrote out our new moon intentions.
Gabrielino Trail - Altadena, CA
This has quickly become one of my new favorite trails. I’ve been here four times in the past two weeks already. Family friendly, great for dogs and kids to join in. This trail is great for a long run or a great walk with many river crossings and pools to get into and hang out in if you like. The trail is shared by mountain bikers, hikers, and horseback riders so there can be a lot of traffic at times. It’s best to go on during the week just like any hike. This hike is right behind JPL in Altadena making it a relatively short drive from the city. I like to hike this particular trail in water shoes to off road and walk down the river and explore.

Stay safe, stay grounded.

Nature is the way.

Dani D