hikes

It’s 10pm, and I’m chatting with new friends after dinner at a guesthouse in wilds of Catalonia. The candlelight flickers off stout terracotta jugs of wine and on to the faces of Thomas, a management consultant from New York, and Viktoras and Gabije, a charming Lithuanian couple I’ve been grilling about Baltic holiday spots. Ellen is German, living in Barcelona and training to be a therapist. It’s testament to the relaxed vibe that the conversation flows as smoothly as the wine.

I’m at Off Grid, a new 10-room retreat (plus four-bedroom barn) in Alta Garrotxa, a protected nature reserve about 30 miles (50km) north of Girona. A converted 17th-century masia (farmhouse), it’s encircled by the fertile green humps and limestone crags of the pre-Pyrenees, with sloping gardens sheltering a large swimming pool. With its rustic, slow-living ethos, it’s perhaps a surprising departure for owner Gerard Greene, former CEO of Yotel – the modern, tech-driven city-centre brand with hotels in New York, Amsterdam and Tokyo among other cities. Just being here is a kind of therapy.

It was only in spring 2024 that Greene spotted the site’s potential (a main farmhouse building, barn conversion and various outbuildings) and began doing it up. Inner walls have been whitewashed, bedrooms stripped back and painted with limewash shades of blush, ochre and sand. Sculptural stone sinks and brassy bathroom fixtures jazz-up en suites.

Outside, birds chatter in the treetops above the swimming pool. Dragonflies flit by and a vast mountain – Mare de Déu del Mont – looms behind the quaint tiled roof, a natural place to fix your eyes in a moment of meditation. I’m here solo for a few days’ respite. I had a baby 10 months ago, and have barely moved my body properly since. A DIY retreat: yoga sessions, walking, a little autumn sunshine is just what’s needed.

Another delightful aspect at Off Grid is that dinners are taken communally (poolside in summer, around the chunky farmhouse table in the dining room when cooler). It’s not enforced, but gently encouraged – a blackboard heralds a €30 three-course menu that changes daily depending on chef Joep’s market finds: a tomato salad with local cheese and toasted seeds, say, followed by a rustic oxtail pie and an orange-zest cheesecake. Guests tend to amble down for a vermut around 8pm – there are honesty bars in the hotel, plus a vintage spirits trolley.

There isn’t always a full house at dinner – on my first night there’s just myself, Alex and Judith: an Englishman and a Belgian visiting from Peckham. There’s plenty of choice for venturing out to dine nearby: La Guixera is a small bistro within walking distance (open Friday to Sunday only), while others are within a five- or 10-minute drive. My favourite is El Claustre de Palera, a terrace built into a restored Romanesque church, where I order platters of fried anchovies, and barbecued mackerel with rich ratatouille.

Beyond the hotel, this place is ripe for adventure. Spanish tourists mostly come for the epic cycling, while scores of walking trails traverse mountainside, forest and idyllic green pastures. I start with a hike around the Parc Natural de la Zona Volcànica (there are 25 recommended trails, ranging from one mile to 10 miles) with local guide Mike Lockwood, a Brit who has lived in Catalonia for 20 years, Spain for more than 40.

Parking up near the Croscat and Santa Margarida volcanoes, Lockwood tells me there are 40 dormant volcanoes in this park. “Would you like to go inside one?” he asks. I’m intrigued. On the far side of Croscat, a former quarry is revealed, a jagged cake-slice lifted from the volcano’s side. Lockwood deciphers its chalky stripes and fine cinder granules, layers of rust-red and huge chunks of rocks where the magma was blasted out at speed some 13,000 years ago. “It erupted for just three weeks,” he says. “That was enough to create all this.” Next we go to Fageda d’en Jordà, a striking beech wood whose undulating path was formed by the lava flow. It’s all fairytale mossy boulders and calf-height mushrooms.

On another morning I hire an ebike from the hotel, and skim along quiet roads, to sleepy, cypress-framed villages reminiscent of Tuscany. Both L’Alta Garrotxa and the Parc Natural are well signed and easy to navigate – having a guide is a plus, but solo travellers won’t struggle to explore. The really hardcore Lycra-heads take to the mountainside, or set off on the 35-mile (57km) route from Olot to Girona.

Yoga is currently available on-demand at Off Grid, but is set to run twice weekly from the new year in an onsite studio. Instructor Alba is from a nearby village, and is into bees, she says, lighting a beeswax candle and encouraging our group to buzz meditatively into the morning sunlight. Hunched from the past few months, I also book an hour with local masseur Jordi.

The whole place lends itself to relaxation. Much of the hotel’s charming atmosphere comes from its past: hefty wood beams, an ivy-coated courtyard and antique pieces of furniture reupholstered by local artisans and restored to their former glory. Alongside huge iron fireplaces, original artworks and farm trinkets are displayed prominently.

Off Grid owns some land across the road too, which is used to farm organic produce. The hotel is working to become as sustainable as possible, and much is locally sourced: small-batch coffee from the medieval town of Besalú (5 miles away); sustainable Bekume bed linen made in Olot (29km); toiletries from the Olively startup in the nearest city, Girona; wines from two Catalan wineries.

There are plans for solar panels, an aerothermal heating system, a yoga pavilion, even an alfresco sauna. For now guests have the huge, unheated pool, trimmed by pumpkin-coloured loungers and scented Mediterranean foliage.

Each morning, as the sun peeks through the trees, I venture down for a solitary swim – practically a cold plunge in these autumn days. Back home, motherhood can feel like a stream of anxiety about the next step, the next nap, the next choice to feel guilty about. Here, for the first time in months, I’ve time to think, to simply be – and it feels good.

The trip was provided by Off Grid. Doubles from €150 room-only

As someone who spends entirely too much time reading trail reviews posted on outdoors apps, I often wonder what everyone would agree is a five-star hike.

Because sometimes folks puzzle me when they recount their experiences in the L.A. wild.

An AllTrails user categorized Josephine Peak, one of my favorite hikes, as “by far the worst highly rated trail” they’d experienced, as it was essentially just a “gradually inclining fire access road.” No mention of the stunning views, the beautiful plant life or the short drive to the trailhead that leaves you feeling grateful for how close we all live to this magnificence.

I’ve seen people give a trail a one-star review because of something that happened during their hike, like they got stung by a bee or tripped over a rock. I’ve noticed other folks who angrily write how horrendously maintained a trail is, but I know from hiking it that those users didn’t actually take the correct path.

Once, I saw someone post a Craigslist-style missed connection as a review. (I can’t remember how many stars they gave the trail.)

I find the concept of rating trails a bit bizarre, especially when we zoom out and consider our luck. We live in Southern California, where we can hike every day of the year, often for free. In the winter, you can find snow within a short drive of L.A.

In the summer, you can escape the heat by traveling high into Angeles National Forest where the mountain air is cooler. Or by lounging in a cool river under the shade of native sycamores and oaks in the San Gabriel or Santa Monica Mountains. And of course, there’s Griffith Park, with more than 4,210 acres smack-dab in the middle of L.A. where you can hike at all hours of the day for free.

Here’s what I would like to propose: Outside of serious hazards or maintenance issues, the best trail is the one you’re on. That’s the spirit that went into my adventures for this week’s Wild. I wanted to highlight less popular jaunts through our public lands.

The sun peeks through the clouds above the San Gabriel Mountains, as seen from near the top of the Hoyt Mountain trail.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

1. Hoyt Mountain via Grizzly Flat

Distance: About 4.6 miles out and back
Elevation gained: About 1,450 feet
Difficulty: Strenuous
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Mount Wilson Observatory paved route

Hoyt Mountain is a 4,415(ish)-foot peak in the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains in Angeles National Forest. There are multiple routes to reach it. I chose to start at the Grizzly Flat Trailhead because it is an easier and shorter path to Hoyt Mountain than other options, like starting near the Clear Creek fire station.

You’ll start this trail via Hoyt Mountain Road, a wide dirt fire road. As you climb, notice the increasingly beautiful views. You’ll pass loads of buckwheat and other flowering plants, including California fuchsia, and chaparral yucca bursting out of the mountainside.

About a mile in, Hoyt Mountain Road explodes with green plants and trees, including California bay laurel.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

About two-thirds of a mile in, you’ll come to a split in the trail. Continue north on Hoyt Mountain Road. You’ll observe the trail’s foliage grow thicker about a third of a mile farther in. Take a moment to smell the spicy California bay laurel leaves (my favorite aroma of our local landscape). You’ll also likely see big berry manzanita, thick-leaved yerba santa and sugar bush.

I did notice a lot of animal scat — including bear — on this trail, so keep your eyes peeled for our mammalian neighbors. You will also notice that you can still hear the traffic from Angeles Crest Highway from the trail, but I think the striking panoramic views make up for it.

About 1.8 miles in, you’ll come to a wide, flat area where you might, if more observant than this outdoors journalist, notice three paths. There’s one that leads to a transmission tower, which this reporter may have taken before realizing it was the wrong way. There’s also a wider path, Telephone Trail. If you’re planning to hike to Hoyt Mountain, you’ll want to take the goat trail in between these routes.

The moon rises over the San Gabriel Mountains in Angeles National Forest.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

This narrow, steep path is a fire break and is not an “official” trail. Its steepness reminded me of the scramble from Brand Park up to Mt. Thom. You will need hiking poles and footwear with good traction to help you find purchase on the steep hillside.

There are multiple false summits before reaching Hoyt Mountain. You do have the option — as controversial as it might be to suggest — to just vibe out on one of them. Go all the way to Hoyt Mountain if the spirit (and your legs) moves you.

The Castaic Rock Trail near Castaic Lake leads to a monolith measuring over 200 feet.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

2. Castaic Rock Trail

Distance: 1.3 miles out and back
Elevation gained: About 200 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: San Francisquito Creek Trail

The Castaic Rock Trail is a 1.3-mile out-and-back hike near Castaic Lake. It leads to a massive boulder — by some measurements, over 200 feet tall — that is known by many names, including Castaic Rock, Raven’s Roost and Rabbit Rock.

You’ll park on the shoulder of Lake Hughes Road and ascend a short, steep dirt path that quickly flattens out to become a pleasant jaunt through California buckwheat, sagebrush and other native plants. Look around, and you’ll notice panoramic views of Magic Mountain in the southeast and Cobblestone Mountain and Whitaker Peak in the northwest.

The trail meanders to the east side of the rock, where there’s historically been a bench located under the shade of hollyleaf cherry trees. Keep your eyes peeled for snakes and coyotes, as they’re common sights in the area.

Hikers can see sweeping views of L.A. from the Briar Summit Open Space Preserve.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

3. Briar Summit Open Space Preserve

Distance: About a mile out and back
Elevation gained: About 250 feet
Difficulty: On the easier end of moderate
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Lake Hollywood Trail

The Briar Summit Open Space Preserve is a 52-acre park north of Laurel Canyon that’s full of native plants, including laurel sumac. The preserve offers striking panoramic views of L.A. County that you’ll likely have to yourself (especially if you go on a weekday).

The hike is simple. You will park in the neighborhood near the entrance, taking care to read signage and be respectful of residents. Past the gate, you’ll take a short, steep paved path up until you reach a locked gate. You will quickly be rewarded with views of downtown L.A. to the southeast, the Griffith Park Observatory to the east and multiple mountain ranges in essentially every direction.

Briar Summit was saved from development just over 20 years ago thanks to private donations and public money. “Development of even a few of the property’s five legal lots could have spelled the end [for] all medium- and big-sized mammal species in the range between the Cahuenga Pass and Laurel Canyon,” according to a 2004 news release.

The Briar Summit Open Space Preserve features several spur trails, unofficial paths leading to various dead ends (and adventures) around the 52-acre park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

There is a spectacular lookout point just a third of a mile in where you can sit on a boulder and observe the city around you. From here, you’ll notice a dirt path leading south. You can take it for a short distance, but it will quickly lead you down a dusty, unstable hill. I wouldn’t recommend taking it downhill unless you’re ready for an intense off-trail workout. There are several unofficial “goat trails” or spurs leading in various directions throughout the preserve. You should follow these with caution, as they’re not regularly maintained.

Regardless of where you go, I hope you have a five-star time out there — whatever that means to you!

A speaker shares information with visitors during an Indigenous People’s Day celebration at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area. L.A. County Parks and Recreation will host multiple Indigenous People’s Day celebrations in October.

(L.A. County Parks)

3 things to do

1. Celebrate Indigenous People’s Day around L.A.
Several Indigenous People’s Day celebrations are scheduled throughout mid-October in L.A. County. The 5th Tuxuunga Indigenous Peoples Day is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at 12400 Big Tujunga Canyon Road in Tujunga. The event will include live music, dancing, storytelling and hands-on workshops. Vasquez Rocks Natural Area, the ancestral village of Mapipinga, will host a fireside gathering and celebration from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday. Visitors can listen to live music and storytelling around the campfire. The San Dimas Canyon Nature Center will co-host two events with the San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians Gabrieleno/Tongva: a tribal history and native seed planting event from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday and a tribal history and necklace-making workshop from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 17. The Stoneview Nature Center will co-host its celebration with the Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians — Kizh Nation from noon to 3 p.m. Oct. 18, an event that will include a nature walk and drum circle. Learn more at the Instagram pages linked above.

2. Sow seeds in Ascot Hills in L.A.
The Ascot Hills Park Green Team will host its monthly restoration event from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Volunteers should meet at the park’s nursery on the west end of the gravel parking area. The work will include collecting and sowing California buckwheat and other native plant seeds. Learn more at the group’s Instagram page.

3. Nurture oak trees in Topanga
The Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains needs volunteers from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday to help restore native oak woodlands at Trippet Ranch. Volunteers will water trees, yank weeds and apply mulch as well as potentially plant new acorns as needed. Learn more and register at eventbrite.com.

The must-read

Wild horses gather near Benton, Calif.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Wild horses grazing in the Mono Lake area are the source of a heated debate among environmentalists, Indigenous leaders and animal rights activists, and the government over how to best manage the herds so they don’t decimate the land. “This year, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management approved a plan to round up and remove hundreds of wild horses roaming beyond the roughly 200,000 acres designated for them along the California and Nevada border,” Times staff writer Lila Seidman wrote. “No date has been set, but it could be as soon as this fall.” Environmentalists argue the move is necessary to save the otherworldly landscape at Mono Lake, but local tribes and nonprofits point out the government’s method of rounding up horses — hiring contractors with helicopters to drive them into stables — is dangerous, and even deadly, to the horses. “They’re going to run them down with helicopters and genocide them, just like they ran down us,” Rana Saulque, vice chairwoman for the Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute tribe, said through tears.

This is yet another debate occurring around California about the best use and management plan of our public lands.

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

Want to help scientists understand our local wildlife? You can do just that by participating in the L.A. Nature Quest, which runs through the month of October. First, download iNaturalist, a citizen scientist app, on your smartphone. Next, simply go outside and start observing what plants and animals are in your neighborhood. Take good care to notice indicator and invasive species. After you’re finished snapping photos, upload your finds to the L.A. Nature Quest 2025 project on iNaturalist. Thanks for doing your part to protect our native species.

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.

Tourist taxes are being massively hiked up in a new bid to combat the effects of overtourism as locals have had it with the crowds of visitors coming for photos

Visitors heading to a beautiful city renowned for its gorgeous views and rich culture are about to face a 900% increase in tourist taxes.

Kyoto in Japan has long been a firm favourite with tourists from all over the world, thanks to its beautiful cobbled streets, traditional tea houses and countryside views. However, the city’s popularity means that it’s been fighting against overtourism for years, in a bid to manage the crowds.

Now, the city is taking new steps in a bid to help mitigate the effects of overtourism; last year alone the iconic destination saw over 10 million tourists visiting, marking a 53% increase on the previous year.

Kyoto has already had a tourist tax in place costing approximately £5 a night per tourist, but it’s set to increase this up to nearly £50 (£48.92) per person, per night. This will apply to visitors staying at the city’s more luxurious hotels, and is expected to come into force from early 2026. It marks a jump of approximately 900% cost for tourists.

READ MORE: World’s top 10 most beautiful cruise ports – and the cruise lines that sail thereREAD MORE: Europe’s most ‘overlooked city’ is ‘best in October’ and just 2 hours from the UK

It’s not the first steps that Kyoto has taken when facing the crowds of holidaymakers that flock to its picturesque districts.

Since 2019, the city has had a ban on tourists taking photos in its historic Gion district. Although some popular areas such as Hanamikoji Main Street are deemed acceptable, locals complained that tourists were heading to private streets and properties in the area, and taking photos without the owner’s permission. As a result, local authorities introduced a ban on photos, with fines for rule-breakers of 10,000 Japanese Yen (approximately £49).

The ban on entering private alleyways and taking photos was reinforced last year. Isokazu Ota, Gion Southside District councillor, said at the time that livelihoods were being “threatened”, not to mention the narrow alleys were becoming overcrowded and therefore posing a danger to both residents and tourists.

Signs have also been placed around private areas to warn off visitors, with requests for tourists not to sit down on people’s properties to eat and drink.

Visitors have also been warned not to take photos of the city’s geishas without requesting their permission first. Nicknamed the ‘maiko paparazzi’, tourists follow local maiko and geisha and wait outside teahouses where they work. Maiko and geisha live and work on these roads and apprentice geisha are often 16 to 17 years of age, with concerns for their safety amplifying after incidents which included them being hounded by strangers for a photo.

Sora News, a Japanese publication, stated last year: “One area struggling more than most is Gion, which, despite being a place of work and residence for many locals, has been treated like something of a theme park by tourists, who have been known to chase and photograph geisha and maiko (trainee geisha) in the area.”

A few years ago the city’s authorities also temporarily released an ‘etiquette guide’ for visitors to help them navigate the local customs and behave in a way that would be deemed appropriate.

Do you have a story to tell us? Email us at [email protected].

My friend Deborah and I had already walked two miles around the Arroyo Seco, and I was beginning to worry we’d missed it.

Somewhere along this path lay a labyrinth. “Whenever I trail run here, it just kind of appears,” I told her, telling myself we couldn’t have missed it. And then, just when I started to lose faith, I noticed a clearing ahead.

“It’s there!” I said.

I was hiking with my dear friend Deborah Netburn, a Times reporter who covers faith, spirituality and joy. (Yes, we both have cool jobs!) We’d come to Lower Arroyo Seco Trail in Pasadena to see whether it could serve as a place for Jewish Angelenos observing Yom Kippur, one of the holiest day of the year in Judaism, to reflect on their past year in a natural space, rather than attending services in a synagogue.

Yom Kippur, which begins Wednesday evening, is the final day in the Ten Days of Awe, which also includes Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur is a time for deep reflection and atonement. You take a full accounting of yourself over the past year, looking beyond what you want to see or believe. You unearth any harm you’ve caused before seeking forgiveness, including from those you’ve harmed, from God and from yourself.

“It’s hard work,” said Deborah, who is Jewish. “But having a really honest accounting is a beautiful tradition and a valuable way to spend a day — one day. The religion does not ask you to do that all of the time. On one day a year, though … you unearth it all. You’re cleaning [yourself] out. And then you’re clean, and it feels really good.”

Some Jews can have this experience in their synagogues, but not everyone can, because they aren’t part of a community, they don’t feel comfortable where they are or they find traditional services too much of a financial burden for where they’re at economically.

“You can still have the experience [and] still do that work without being in a synagogue, and for a lot of people, the outdoors is a space that will support that work,” Deborah said.

Two years ago, Deborah wrote about L.A. Jews who don’t go to synagogue for Yom Kippur.

Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and chief executive of the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, told Deborah for that story that he wasn’t surprised that roughly half of the Jewish adults in L.A. choose to spend Yom Kippur outside of synagogue.

They’re “up in the mountains, they are riding bikes on the beach, they are meditating on the waves or meeting with friends to come up with creative rituals on how to let go of what is holding them down,” he said.

The La Loma Bridge, originally built in 1914, as seen from the Lower Arroyo Seco Trail.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Back at the labyrinth, Deborah instructed me to consider what I was carrying that I’d like to leave behind, our practice that day inspired by a Jewish ceremony known as Tashlich (or Tashlikh), typically performed between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which I will explain more about later.

I immediately knew my answer. As a trans American, the current political rhetoric has made me feel unsafe in my own body, in my community, in this country.

Per Deborah’s instructions, I picked up a rock and started to imagine my fear flowing into it. I started slowly walking the path. I knew my fear wasn’t going to dissipate from just one trip through the labyrinth, but I imagined a hunk of rock falling off a mountain as I walked. I could at least chip away at it.

I started to internally chant, “This body is mine. In it, I’m safe.” I arrived in the middle and tossed my stone into a rock pile where presumably others had done similar.

Our feet crunched over the dirt and gravel as we slowly left the labyrinth. I exited feeling like I really had left a piece of my heartache behind.

Deborah and I hope the three hikes we selected, which are listed below, offer both Jewish and non-Jewish hikers opportunities to partake in practices that are most meaningful to them. And for those observing Yom Kippur, g’mar chatima tovah!

1. Lower Arroyo Seco Trail
Distance: From half a mile to 2.3 miles, depending on your route
Elevation gained: Less than 200 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: See map for trail notes; the eastern side of this trail is wide and flat with few rocks, while the western side, where the labyrinth is located, is rockier. If you’d like a more accessible labyrinth, consider Descanso Gardens.

The sunset seen from the Ray Miller Backbone Trail in Point Mugu State Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

2. Ray Miller Backbone Trail
Distance: 5.4 miles out and back
Elevation gained: About 1,000 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed? No
Accessible alternative: Marvin Braude Bike Trail

The Ray Miller Backbone Trail, named after California State Parks’ first official campground host, is a 5.4-mile route through coastal sage scrub, including native plants like laurel sumac, coastal prickly pear and black sage. As lizards dart and butterflies flit across the path, take in the stunning views of the coastline. This is a great time to reflect on the past year.

Afterward, head over to the beach for a Tashlich ceremony, where you can symbolically cast out your sins — using natural elements like leaves, pieces of bark or sand — into the water. (Note: The concept of “sin” in Judaism is different from Christianity and what’s taught in the dominant culture.)

“That’s a really accessible ritual that’s Jewish, but it would work for anybody. The symbolism is universal, of casting out your sins,” Deborah said. “You wouldn’t traditionally do it on Yom Kippur because you’re at services, but it’s a great thing to do on Yom Kippur if you’re out in nature.”

The Vital Link Trail starts in Burbank’s Wildwood Canyon Park. It is one of the most challenging hikes in the L.A. area.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

3. The Vital Link Trail
Distance: 3.8 miles out and back
Elevation gained: About 1,700 feet
Difficulty: Strenuous
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Brace Canyon Park, which doesn’t offer the same level of difficulty but is in a geographically similar region of the county.

The Vital Link Trail in the Verdugo Mountains is one of the hardest hikes in L.A. County. It has limited shade and no on-trail water sources, so if you choose to tackle it, please pack extra water.

That said, this trail offers hikers an incredible physical challenge that doesn’t require a long drive into the mountains to reach.

Deborah and I wanted to offer a challenging trail option because, as she put it, “The experience of being in synagogue on Yom Kippur is a marathon, you are pushing yourself.”

For those who’d like a challenge on Yom Kippur, this trail delivers while offering expansive views of L.A. County. At the top, you’ll find the Willie Mann memorial chair, a lounger built in memory of a motion picture grip and hiker who loved this trail. It is a phenomenal meditation spot.

“At the end of Yom Kippur, you are exhausted, you are done, your head is killing you, you haven’t eaten, you haven’t drank anything,” Deborah said. “I wouldn’t do a hike like that on no food and no water, but I can see how it can give you that same sense of, ‘I’m clean, I just left a lot on the trail,’” even if you didn’t do a ritual like a labyrinth. The hike is the ritual.

Because of its steepness, sandy soil and some erosion, the trail is easier to navigate, especially on your way down, with trekking poles. It is easy to make a wrong turn because others have created off-trail shortcuts that can sometimes lead to dangerous drop-offs. Please download a map on your favorite outdoors app before going.

3 things to do

Coast live oaks shade the Canyon Trail in Placerita Canyon.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

1. Join a hiking book club in Newhall
The Placerita Canyon Nature Center will host Books & Hikes from 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday at the nature area. The group will discuss “Assembling California” by John McPhee as participants hike along the Canyon Trail. Event details are regularly shared in the book club’s Facebook group. To register, email [email protected].

2. Walk, bike and stretch through Glendale
Walk Bike Glendale will host a community gathering from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at Verdugo Park (1621 Cañada Blvd.). Children can ride their bikes through a skills course, while adults can take learn-to-ride lessons. There will also be a bike repair station and maintenance class. Other activities include yoga, a trash pickup and 5K run. Learn more at the group’s Instagram page.

3. Yank invasive plants in Marina del Rey
The Ballona Wetlands Land Trust needs volunteers from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday to yank invasive weeds from at Area A (13748 Fiji Way) in Marina del Rey. Participants should bring water and wear close-toed shoes and sun protection. No pets allowed. Learn more at the group’s Instagram page.

The must-read

The Point Arena Lighthouse on the Mendocino Coast in Northern California was built in 1908 to replace the original, which was built in 1870 and destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Times staff writer Hailey Branson-Potts is on a quest to see all of California’s lighthouses. In the process, she’s learned a lot, and we, dear Wilder, are lucky that she’s willing to share that knowledge with us! Hailey penned a guide on visiting 14 of the state’s lighthouses. She outlines the nuts and bolts: how to see them, when they’re closed, how to get a stamp in your U.S. Lighthouse Society Passport. She also infuses every entry with charming local lore of each site. “In 1917, keeper William Austin and his wife moved in,” Hailey writes of the Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro. “They had eight children. My favorite part of the tour is an upstairs bedroom from which two teenage daughters, Thelma and Juanita, slipped out a window, scurried across the roof and sneaked away to go dancing.” I am so eager to add some of these lighthouses to my list of places I’d like to visit in California!

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

Are you free tonight? Have you been thinking about volunteering your time in our mountains? The Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy will host a volunteer town hall from 5 to 7 p.m. at Taco Social (1627 Colorado Blvd.). You can get your questions about volunteering with the organization answered and enjoy free tacos with the new friends you’ll undoubtedly make! You can register here. Thanks for being a good human.

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.

The California Public Utilities Commission is expected to allow Southern California Edison to hike customer bills by nearly 10% next month, and there may be more increases to come.

Edison’s plan would boost the average residential bill by $17 a month or about $200 a year, the commission said. The monthly bill for a customer using 500 kilowatts would jump from $171 to $188 on Oct. 1.

The five commissioners are scheduled to vote Thursday on the PUC administrative law judge’s proposal. It’s just one of multiple rate hikes Edison has asked the commission to approve in the coming year.

Scores of angry customers have written to the commission since Edison proposed the hike, asking the panel to deny it.

Some customers have pointed out that even as Edison has charged more for tree trimming and equipment upgrades meant to make its system safer and more reliable, its electric lines continue to spark fires.

The company now faces dozens of lawsuits from victims of the Jan. 7 Eaton fire, which killed at least 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Altadena. Video captured the fire igniting under an Edison transmission tower. The investigation into the fire’s cause is continuing.

“Please, do not let SCE pass their damages on to their customers,” Sara Green, a Crestline resident, wrote to the commission. “Let them cut executive salaries and forgo dividends, rather than pass this on unilaterally to every customer.”

Other customers have complained about increasing outages, including the preventative blackouts the company uses to try to stop its equipment from sparking fires in hot, windy weather.

William Pilling, a resident of Rovana, a small unincorporated community near Bishop, told the commission last month that he and his neighbors were experiencing “highly frequent service interruptions.”

“This is the very definition of unreliable service,” Pilling wrote. ”We are now being asked to pay more per unit for a lower quality good.”

David Eisenhauer, an Edison spokesman, said in an interview that the company was sensitive to concerns about rising rates. “We know that rate changes are challenging for customers,” he said.

“The cost of action is high, but the cost of inaction is higher,” Eisenhauer said. The increases, he said, were needed to support “a reliable and resilient electric grid that is ready to enable the clean energy transition.”

The proposed 10% hike is the result of what the commission calls a general rate case, where the agency allows utilities to propose how much they need to spend to operate and maintain the electrical grid for the next four years.

After months of hearings and debate, an administrative law judge recommended that the commission allow Edison to spend $9.8 billion on those costs this year — 13.7% more than the amount authorized for last year, according to the release. The proposal is less than the nearly $10.5 billion that Edison had initially requested.

Under the plan, Edison will get additional increases for inflation — and customers will see corresponding hikes — for each year through 2028, the commission said.

Edison says it has increased its spending aimed at preventing wildfires, including by undergrounding lines, installing new insulated wires and increasing equipment inspections in areas with high fire risk. The company has also increased the trimming of trees and other vegetation growing near its equipment.

Eisenhauer said that since 2019 wildfire-related investments have helped drive up rates.

He added that demand for electricity is “growing faster than it has in decades” leading to higher costs. In addition, he said, “threats to grid safety and reliability are becoming more frequent and more costly.”

Since 2014, Edison’s rates have risen by 80% — more than twice the rate of inflation, the commission’s public advocates office said in a May report.

More than 860,000 Edison customers — or 19% of the total — are behind in paying their electric bills, the report said. The average unpaid balance was $957.

The proposed 10% hike is one of several increases Edison has asked the commission to approve, or that state officials have already greenlighted.

In November, customers who use little electricity, like those living in small apartments or those owning solar panels, will see higher bills when the company begins adding a $24 monthly fixed charge, according to a recent Edison release.

In return, the price per kilowatt hour will fall, leading to possible savings for those using more power. For example, a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatts per month — double the average — will see their bill decline to $355 from $380, according to the release.

The commission designed the new monthly charge, which applies to customers of the state’s three largest for-profit electric companies, so that revenue increases from the new fees match the loss from the lower price per kilowatt hour.

The new fee was created under a bill pushed through the state Legislature in 2022 by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The utilities asked for the change in how electricity was billed to encourage Californians to switch to electric-powered vehicles and home appliances.

Edison also expects to raise rates for the damages from two catastrophic wildfires that investigators found the utility’s equipment sparked.

It has asked the commission for a nearly 2% increase to cover $5.4 billion in damages from the 2018 Woolsey fire, which killed three people and destroyed more than 1,600 homes and other structures in Malibu and nearby communities.

Earlier this year, the commission agreed Edison could increase rates by less than 1% to collect $1.6 billion from customers for damages from the 2017 Thomas fire. The blaze burned more than 280,000 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and left barren hillsides that helped set off mudslides in Montecito that killed 23 people. The commission must still sign off on final approval of the hike.

Eisenhauer said that under state law utilities are allowed to shift fire damages to customers if they have operated their system prudently and reasonably. He said the two fires were “largely driven by unprecedented and extreme weather events and other factors outside SCE’s control.”

In another proposal, Edison has asked the commission to raise customer bills by 2.1% to increase profits going to its investors, according to its customer notice. The plan would increase its cost of capital — the rate that helps determine how much profit it earns when it builds electric lines and other infrastructure.

The utility asked for the increase in investor profits after its stock price plummeted in January when lawyers claimed its transmission line had ignited the Eaton fire. The company told the commission that because of California’s high risk of wildfire, it needed to earn higher profits to encourage investors to continue holding its stock and to bolster its credit rating.

Despite Edison’s rapidly rising spending on insulated wires, tree trimming and other fire prevention work, its equipment sparked 178 fires last year — up from 90 in 2023.

Company executives said most of those ignitions were small fires that did not spread. The number of fires each year, they said, depends on the weather. Last year, heavy rain and then hot weather, they said, left more dried vegetation.

Edison has said its increased fire prevention work will decrease the number of times that it must shut off power to communities in hot, windy weather to stop lines from sparking fires.

Yet the company said at an Aug. 19 meeting that it expects the number of days of preventative power shutoffs to increase by 20% to 40% this year and that the number of customers subject to them could be twice as high.

Eisenhauer explained that the number of preventative shutoffs was expected to rise because the utility recently lowered the wind speed thresholds that trigger them. The company also added 47,000 more customers to areas believed to have high fire risk, which are subject to the preventative shutoffs, he said.

At the August meeting, Edison executives touted the success of the company’s fire prevention work.

In a presentation, Timothy O’Toole, an Edison board member and head of its safety and operations committee, noted the devastation the January fires caused in and around Los Angeles.

“Nonetheless, we remain very proud and confident in the progress we’ve made,” he said.

O’Toole said the utility’s fire prevention work had “created ever greater protection for our communities and our customers.”

Later in the meeting, Caroline Thomas Jacobs, director of the state Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety, questioned O’Toole’s repeated praise of the company’s work to prevent fires.

“Your tone sounded defensive and justifying the progress that’s made as opposed to acknowledging the humility of what an event like the January fires I would think would bring,” she said to O’Toole.

The public can comment on the proposed hike at the meeting on Thursday or in the docket for the case.

I was so tired of being hot, and my patience for city life was wearing thin. I needed to find a place with a cool breeze and without the groan of my wall air conditioner and without honking, sirens or tailpipes that sound like unhinged bumblebees.

After an hour’s drive, I pulled into the Islip Saddle trailhead parking lot, and I was alone with birdsong and a chilly breeze. I had arrived!

A view of the Antelope Valley from the segment of the Pacific Crest Trail from Islip Saddle to Little Jimmy Trail Camp.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

But as I faffed around preparing my hiking bag, a roaring construction truck pulled into the parking lot, blessing me with the smell of diesel. And then another. And then a road-paving machine that looked so advanced and alien, I wondered whether it could pave the moon.

Did these Caltrans workers miss the memo that this was a place of peace and solitude? How could they do this to me?

A bit huffy, I crossed Angeles Crest Highway and started the 2.1-mile trail — which is part of both the Pacific Crest Trail and the Silver Moccasin Trail — from Islip Saddle to Little Jimmy Trail Camp. I’d chosen this hike because it includes a north-facing slope, which means it gets less direct sunlight, and it starts at about 6,600 feet, climbing to 7,500 feet at the campground, which also helps ensure a cooler temperature.

Thick bunches of rabbitbrush grow along the trail from Islip Saddle to Little Jimmy Trail Camp.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Ambling up and through native plants, though, I kept grumbling to myself about the noise, clearly unable to appreciate the first views of the surrounding mountains.

And then I asked myself: “What in the world are you doing here?” I started laughing. Was I really going to let perfection be the enemy of the good? Had the heat cooked my brain?

Soon, I was pausing to appreciate the yellow rabbitbrush covering both sides of the trail. I spotted a molting lizard, looking haggard, and hoped I could make a similar transformation of my mood.

As chipmunks darted across the path, though, I was brought down, again, by the seemingly endless number of burned trees killed by the 2020 Bobcat fire. Would they ever grow back? Were they dead now?

Then I realized I was literally missing the forest for the trees. Yes, there were so many burned, and presumably dead, pine trees. But the forest floor was alive! The ground was covered in manzanita, Grinnell’s beardtongue and purple-pink Parish’s wild buckwheat.

A chipmunk darts around the detritus near Islip Saddle in Angeles National Forest.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

I heard the tap, tap, tap of a nearby woodpecker, perhaps in search of its next meal. Curious little mountain chickadees flitted past. And the chipmunks, as always, made me laugh as they hopped from rock to rock, unsure of whether they wanted to eat a snack or hide.

A molting lizard scurries across a rock pile near the trail to Little Jimmy Trail Camp.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

All I could initially see was what we’d lost to the fire, and I was missing what had returned. Amid the blackened trunks, pine saplings dotted the forest floor.

About 1.4 miles in, I spotted living, breathing green trees, the survivors. I kept trudging along, feeling a newfound sense of awe at nature’s resilience.

Soon, I reached Little Jimmy, a 16-site backcountry trail camp. There were no campers, just me and the hulking pine trees. Sweaty, I felt a little cold as the wind blew past me. I had arrived.

I hope regardless of which of these three hikes you take, nature helps you free yourself from what’s weighing you down.

The view from Little Jimmy Trail Camp if one chooses to lie down and meditate on a picnic table.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

1. Islip Saddle to Little Jimmy Trail Camp
Distance: 4.2 miles (with an option to extend to Mt. Islip)
Elevation gained: About 850 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Paved paths through Buckhorn Campground

A stingray swims in the Colorado Lagoon, which was once part of a wetlands ecosystem that encompassed most of east Long Beach. The lagoon is now part of a 29-acre park in Long Beach.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

2. Colorado Lagoon path
Distance: 1.4 miles
Elevation gained: Minimal
Difficulty: Easy
Dogs allowed: Yes
Accessible alternative: This is an accessible hike!

This 1.4-mile accessible urban hike through a 29-acre marine wetland in Long Beach includes walking along the sidewalk, crossing over the lagoon’s causeway and taking a wide dirt path shaded by native plants and trees. And as a bonus, when you’re finished, you can go swimming at the lagoon’s sandy beach.

As I traversed the path, I paused on the bridge to look around the lagoon. I saw motion in the water and realized I’d spotted a sting ray! I watched the sand ray swim along for a bit, amazed at my luck. That said, if you do choose to go swimming in the lagoon, make sure to practice the sting ray shuffle.

Because of a large construction project, you cannot complete the full loop around the lagoon. You can either start at the eastern corner of the beach on the paved path and take the path in a northwesterly direction or start near Monrovia Avenue and East 6th Street, and take the sidewalk toward the lagoon.

Also, if you visit this weekend, look for the Friends of the Colorado Lagoon, who will host an educational talk from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday where visitors will learn about the lagoon’s history and ecology and then participate in a hands-on activity helping clean up the lagoon. Learn more at the group’s website.

Upper portions of the Rising Sun Trail afford elevated ocean views from Solstice Canyon in Malibu.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

3. Solstice Canyon Trail
Distance: 3 miles
Elevation gained: About 400 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed: Yes
Accessible alternative: Legacy Park loop

Even when its seasonal waterfall is dry, Solstice Canyon is a lush landscape of coastal sage scrub (with the occasional black-hooded parakeet). This moderate hike takes you through the canyon, along its creek where black walnut and oak trees offer shade as lizards dash across the path. You can either take this more moderate route 1.5 miles in and turn around. Or if you’re thirsty for ocean views, make a loop by taking the Rising Sun Trail, a 1.4-mile more challenging route.

Regardless of where you go, please make sure to check the weather beforehand and go early in the day to avoid the hottest parts of the day. Thankfully, autumn is coming!

3 things to do

Churchgoers pass out water to cyclists at a previous CicLAvia event.

(CicLAvia Los Angeles)

1. Bike through Historic South–Central and Watts
Nonprofit CicLAvia will host a free open streets festival from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday where participants can traverse a 6.25-mile route through Historic South-Central and Watts. Visitors can walk and bike the route or choose any other people-powered means of transport. The route will include music, local food vendors and more. Learn more at ciclavia.org.

2. Bare it all on bikes in L.A.
L.A.’s World Naked Bike Ride will start at 10 a.m. Saturday downtown. Riders can choose from a more challenging ride at 10 a.m. or an easier 9-mile ride at 2 p.m. Participants can skate, scoot, jog or bike in their birthday suits along the ride. Body paint optional! Learn more at the group’s Instagram page.

3. Star gaze in Malibu
The Malibu Creek State Park docents will host a night of stargazing and astronomy from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the park’s amphitheater. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and their curiosity. Learn more at the park’s Instagram page.

The must-read

(Photo illustration by Avery Fox / Los Angeles Times; photos by Tiana Molony)

Whenever you visit Santa Barbara, a two-hour jaunt northwest of L.A., your trip most likely includes a visit to one of the city’s gorgeous beaches. But as Times contributor Tiana Molony points out, “Santa Barbara is a place of dual delights.” Molony outlines the best places to hike in the region, where you’ll have views of both the Pacific Ocean and the mountains. Saddle Rock Trail, for instance, offers a sweeping panoramic view. Or if you want to take a dip in freshwater, check out Rattlesnake Canyon. Any of the eight hikes she writes about sound like a worthy side quest on a trip along the Santa Barbara coast.

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

Dear Wilders, we have an important task at hand this fall. The California State Parks Foundation is asking nature lovers to report sightings of western monarch butterflies as they overwinter along the Pacific coast from October through March(ish). You can do so by downloading iNaturalist, a free community science app, and register for an account. You will use the app to upload photographs of monarchs you spot, noting the location where you saw them. I spotted a monarch last week near my apartment complex’s dumpster and immediately uploaded the blurry but helpful image. For those with extra time, you can register to volunteer to help count monarchs in overwintering sites near you. Let’s help document these important pollinators and do our part to ensure their survival.

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.

When you live in a town where the ocean is just around the corner, it feels almost wrong to spend a sunny day anywhere but the beach. As a lifelong Santa Barbara resident, my favorite way to savor those golden afternoons is by doing exactly that: toes in the sand, waves crashing at my feet, a turkey sandwich in one hand and an Agatha Christie novel in the other. Honestly, does it get much better?

I’m here to tell you it does. Santa Barbara is a place of dual delights. And while the coastline tends to steal the spotlight, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also shine some light on the other side of town that visitors often overlook. Because here, we’re not just flanked by sea; we’re also cradled by mountains, which means that in under 20 minutes, you can go from your beach towel to hitting the trail.

That unique geography is what makes our mountains stand out. Unlike most of California’s coastline, where mountain ranges tend to stretch north to south, the Santa Ynez Mountains run east to west. This rare alignment creates dramatic, side-by-side views of both the Pacific Ocean and the mountains — especially breathtaking from higher elevations during sunrise or sunset.

And if that doesn’t convince you to trade your beach nap for an uphill trek — and you happen to be a nature enthusiast — know that Santa Barbara is one of the most biodiverse regions in the state, boasting a variety of breathtaking flora and fauna. Take the Matilija poppy, for example: visually striking and curiously reminiscent of a cracked egg. Or consider the California scrub jay, whose vibrant cobalt feathers never fail to turn heads.

While it’s hardly a novel take, I’ve always believed that the best way to explore a place is by immersing yourself in its terrain. Sure, the beach is tempting, and I don’t blame anyone for choosing the comfort of the sand over a sweaty excursion. But as someone who’s hiked every trail on this list, I urge you to give the mountains a chance — if not for the stunning views, then for the adventure.

Los Angeles and its surrounding landscapes offer limitless opportunity for adventure. But which one should you take your out-of-town guests on?

Should you trek up to Mt. Lee in Griffith Park where you and your pals can take selfies with the Hollywood sign? Or do you wake up early and take on the infamous Bridge to Nowhere trail, making sure to Google its history before you arrive? Or do you escape to the nearby desert, keeping weather in mind as you marvel at the Mojave?

I am a perfectionist, so I have spent hours considering this topic before my guests arrive. Thankfully I’ve found a way to channel that energy into my reporting, including this piece about very specific types of visitors and the hikes they might enjoy.

The sunset as seen from Griffith Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

When considering hikes for out-of-town guests, I like to ask myself, and usually my guests, the following:

• What kind of footwear are they bringing for their visit? (L.A. soil is too sandy to hike in a Vans slip-on, full stop.)
• What level of effort would we like to expend?
• How much time do we want to spend on this excursion?
• What’s the weather up to? ☀️

Regardless of what you decide, please remind your guests to pack a hat and sunglasses, and make sure to check the weather forecast wherever you’re headed, as August is bringing the heat.

With that in mind, here are my latest recommendations on fun hikes to tackle with visiting friends and family.

1. For ocean views: The Willow Creek Trail to Nicholas Flat Loop

The coastline as seen from the ocean vista lookout point in Leo Carrillo State Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Distance: 1.8 miles (with an option to extend)
Elevation gained: About 575 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed? No
Accessible alternative: Marvin Braude Bike Trail

Along with striking views of the Pacific Ocean, the Nicholas Flat Trail offers great vantage points of local peaks.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

The Willow Creek Trail to Nicholas Flat Loop is a 1.8-mile jaunt through coastal sage scrub at Leo Carrillo State Park that quickly rewards hikers with breathtaking ocean views.

You start near the park’s campground and take the Willow Creek Trail about 0.7 miles northeast before it jags to the west. There, you will find a sign for an ocean vista lookout point, which I recommend as long as body and spirit allow. It’s steep but only about 235 feet and provides panoramic views of the mountains and coastline.

From here, you can either take the Nicholas Flat Trail back down to the parking lot or you can continue on another section of the trail that takes you north and eventually to a quaint preserve with a small pond.

If you don’t mind a farther drive from L.A., an alternative option would be to take the Ray Miller Trail at Point Mugu State Park about two miles to a magnificent lookout point where you can see much of the nearby coastline.

2. For mountain views: The Tee Pee Trail

The teepee that you’ll find at the top of the trail, which starts near the Angeles Crest fire station.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Distance: 5 miles
Elevation gained: About 1,000 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Mt. Wilson Observatory paved loop (with optional, more challenging side quest to Echo Rock)

One of many spectacular views from the top of the Tee Pee Trail in Angeles National Forest.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

The Tee Pee Trail is a five-mile moderate hike mostly along a wide fire road that switchbacks up the hillside. At the top, you’ll find a teepee and panoramic views of L.A. County and the San Gabriel Mountains. It’s the perfect spot for a picnic or extended snack break.

Remarkably, the trailhead is only a 25-minute drive from downtown L.A. You’ll park near the Angeles Crest fire station. If you park across Highway 2, please take good care as you cross the street.

There isn’t much shade on this trek, so consider taking it early in the day or later in the evening — perhaps for a nice group sunset hike. If you bring your dog, please make sure to check the ground temperature by placing the back of your hand against the earth for five seconds. If it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for them!

3. For an enchanted forest walk: The West Fork National Scenic Bikeway

Waterfalls are a common sight along the West Fork Trail, especially after rain in early spring.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Distance: 14 miles
Elevation gained: About 1,000 feet
Difficulty: On the easier end of moderate
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Surprise! It’s this hike. The path remains mostly paved and moderately flat for at least 2.5 miles. Park here to avoid stairs.

The West Fork Scenic Bikeway is a mostly paved 14-mile out-and-back trail in the San Gabriel Mountains.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

The West Fork National Scenic Bikeway is a 14-mile out-and-back, mostly paved path that runs parallel to the river the trail is named after. After a good rain, waterfalls run down the hillsides next to the path. It’s a great spot to practice birding and observe local wildlife, including deer, fox and rainbow trout.

This is one of my favorite places to take visitors, as it is a precious peaceful green space. You can walk any distance along the path and have a nice day in nature.

I generally turn around at Glenn Camp Campground because it’s a nice spot to take a break and the final mile is quite steep, ending at Cogswell Dam.

3 things to do

Musicians entertain cyclists at a previous Culver City-meets-Venice CicLAvia.

(CicLAvia Los Angeles)

1. Bike worry-free through Culver City
CicLAvia will host its 61st car-free, open-streets festival from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday on a 6.75-mile stretch of roadway from Culver City to Venice. The route includes segments of Washington and Venice boulevards and is open to cyclists, walkers, joggers and anyone else on a people-powered form of transportation. The event is free and will feature several activities along the route. Learn more at ciclavia.org.

2. Fly a kite in Long Beach
The Pacific Kite Club will host the 12th Long Beach Kite Festival from 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Granada Beach (5100 E. Ocean Blvd). The event started as a small Bangladeshi community gathering and is now a free public celebration showcasing the art form and craftsmanship of kites. Participants can grab free kites as long as supplies last. Register at eventbrite.com.

3. Sit with birds in Montecito Hills
The Audubon Center at Debs Park will host a community bird sit from 8:15 to 10 a.m. Sunday on the center’s property (4700 Griffin Ave.). It is a stationary birding opportunity where visitors will stay in one place as they scan the area for birds. Binoculars and field guides will be provided. No dogs, please. Learn more at audubon.org.

The must-read

(Los Angeles Times; Photo by Getty Images)

After the devastating and deadly January wildfires, it was impossible not to think about the future of L.A.’s varied landscapes. Thankfully we now have a guide of what to consider. In “Imagining a Future L.A.,” my Times colleagues explore how we can create this: “a future that works for all of us,” writes Alice Short, a (legendary) senior editor at The Times. The project outlines what the future of housing, development, water and our environment could look like. “The future gives us an opportunity to reimagine ourselves, to see how the region’s disparate and far-flung communities transform themselves,” Thomas Curwen, a former longtime staffer, writes. I found myself feeling surprisingly hopeful as I read through the project, especially as I learned about the future of firefighting and how we might more effectively extinguish blazes right as they start.

It’s an understatement to say we’ve been through a lot in L.A. this year. The project offers us a robust and realistically optimistic perspective for what we can do to create better days for ourselves and our city.

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

I’ve been writing The Wild for a little over a year now and I’d love to hear from you. What do you want to learn more about? What types of trails would you like to see more of? What questions do you have about our local landscapes? If you’re a Wild subscriber reading this in your inbox, simply reply to this email to send me feedback. If you’ve discovered this article on The Times’ website, you can find my contact information here. Thank you so much for reading The Wild!

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.

My plan for today’s Wild was to write about three shady hikes near L.A. where you could escape the summer heat.

But last week, as I was busily researching via mapping technology about slope angles, sun exposure and the elevation of various canyon walls near L.A., an editor, observing my fury, suggested I zoom out and teach Wilders how to find their own shady hikes.

This week, you get to peek behind the curtain and learn about some of the tools I use to find the best hikes around L.A.

My goal in writing this is to empower you to find hikes near you that you didn’t realize provided good shade at various times of the day. Lists of hikes are great, as they introduce you to new adventures. But sometimes reaching those hikes involves a long drive when, in actuality, there‘s a great trail waiting for you basically in your backyard.

Griffith Park is a great place to hike and learn how the sun and shade move throughout the day.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

To find a shady hike, you need to consider a few factors:
☀️ Time of day (and year)
📈 The day’s forecast
⛰️ Local topography
🌳 Tree cover

Before we dive in, I want to note: Sometimes it really is too hot to hike. Please use your best judgment when heading out and, as the temperature creeps up, remember to drink more water than usual.

OK, let’s find our next adventure!

The sun sets at Griffith Park, casting shade over the park’s various trails.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

🌅 Time of day (and year)🌇

Let’s say we’d like to find the best time and place to hike at Griffith Park this Saturday without getting up before 7 a.m. or burning our faces off from the sun. (Kudos to the the 5 a.m. Crew. Your faces are always safe from the burn.)

The Gabrielino Trail, a 28-mile trek through Angeles National Forest, passes through various plant communities and through canyons, providing pockets of shade along the way, including near Valley Forge campground.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

This Saturday, the sun in L.A. will rise at 6 a.m., according to data compiled by the Griffith Park Observatory. But where will the sun rise, and how does that help us discern where the shade will be in the morning? (Yes, the sun always rises in the east, but we’re about to get way more specific!)

To figure that out, I’d like you to grab your cell phone and open your phone’s compass app. With the app still open, set your phone on a flat surface parallel to the ground. Your compass app should have a number next to the direction it is facing. For example, my iPhone’s compass app is showing 59 degrees northeast right now. This number is your compass bearing, which is a precise way to describe a direction.

Now, slowly rotate your phone until it reads 66 degrees northeast. That, my friends, is the exact direction the sun will rise this weekend, according to Griffith Observatory’s website.

Why does this bearing point matter? Because the direction the sun rises from will help you discern where the shade will be.

The northeastern side of Griffith Park receives the first rays of sun in the early morning as the sun rises.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

🌄Local topography🌄

Back to our example. We want to hike Saturday morning in Griffith Park. Since the sun rises northeast of the park this time of year, that means that the earliest rays will shine onto the northeast-facing slopes.

The Fern Canyon Trail in Griffith Park in January.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

This includes trails near the Merry-Go-Round, including the Old Zoo Loop, and the Mineral Wells and Bill Eckert trails, along with the area near Amir’s Garden, where the sun will be shining by 6:30 a.m. (Again, this doesn’t mean trees won’t provide you with shade.)

Meanwhile, hikes along southern and southwestern-facing slopes are more likely to be shady, including Fern Dell and trails near the bird sanctuary where a nearby west-facing slope blocks the morning sun.

For a visual, take a look at this map I made focused on sun exposure in Griffith Park at 8 a.m. with bearing lines pointing to the directions of the sunrise and sunset.

You’ll see much of the map covered in yellow, which represents sun exposure, while purple patches remain on the south and southwestern sides of slopes where there will be shade at 8 a.m. By 9 a.m., those patches start to shrink, although the map is only taking into consideration the angles of the slopes and not whether these paths have tree cover.

Although some hikes, like this path in Dunsmore Canyon in Glendale, may appear exposed during the day, you might find they’re shadier in the morning or evening, depending on their local topography.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

☀️The day’s forecast🌥️

OK, we’ve learned about the direction of the sunrise and a bit about local topography. Let’s dive a little deeper.

Let’s plan a hike to Angeles National Forest, somewhere that starts above 5,000 feet elevation. Why? Because this cooler-than-average July will not last forever (sad), and we’ll need to escape to higher elevation soon.

Let’s say it’s going to be a hot day in L.A., and you’d like to hike in the San Gabriel Mountains in a hopefully less hot area. (Also, for the purpose of our example, there’s no strong inversion layer, which can create a scenario where it’s hotter in the mountains than it is in L.A.)

Although some hikes, like this path in Dunsmore Canyon in Glendale, may appear exposed during the day, you might find they’re shadier in the morning or evening, depending on their local topography.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

The plan is to arrive by 8 a.m. to the trailhead. Where can we find a shady reprieve along with hopefully a lower temperature?

First, it will depend on how high we go. “In general, for every 1,000 feet you ascend, the temperature drops approximately 3.5 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit. This predictable temperature decrease is known as the lapse rate,” as this HowStuffWorks article points out.

The amount the temperature drops, though, will vary depending on the weather, humidity and time of day.

I usually start to notice a temperature drop in Angeles National Forest once I travel beyond 5,000 feet. For example, I’ve found on a hot day the parking area at Mt. Wilson might be 10 to 15 degrees cooler than L.A. The Buckhorn Campground, which sits at about 6,500 feet elevation, and the nearby Burkhart Trail are my other go-tos on hot days. You can find the elevation of the hike you’re considering by using Google Maps’ terrain function or by finding your hike on CalTopo, right clicking and choosing the “point information” option.

But how do we find a shady spot at a higher elevation in Angeles National Forest?

The angle and direction a slope faces can help you understand where and when shade will be, like at this range off the Pacific Crest Trail near Three Points.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

For one, we need to consider the direction that a slope faces. I must admit: Figuring out the direction a slope faces broke my brain. I am a bit directionally challenged (a great attribute for an outdoors journalist!). That’s to say if this feels confusing or a bit heady, I understand.

The simplest way to understand the direction a slope faces, or its aspect, and thus how much sun it will get is this: A slope’s direction is the cardinal direction in which it slopes downward.

For our purposes, we’re looking for north-facing slopes because those get less direct sunlight. Why? Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun is always to our south, never directly overhead, as it travels across the sky. (Thank you to Mt. Wilson telescope operator and volunteer Nicholas Arkimovich for explaining this and more to me.)

North-facing slopes with trails through them include the Mt. Waterman hike and Mt. Baden-Powell via Vincent Gap. I’ve also found nice shade on the Rim Trail at Mt. Wilson, a path that descends a north-facing slope to Newcomb Pass.

Oak woodlands and riparian habitats are among several plant communities in the mountains around L.A., including along the Gabrielino Trail near Pasadena.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

🌲Tree cover 🌳

Lastly, as mentioned, tree cover plays a huge role in temperature, given we have a dry heat here in Southern California. The type of tree cover you’ll find will vary widely among the San Gabriel and Santa Monica mountains, as these ranges feature robust and different plant communities depending, in part, on elevation and a slope’s direction (and thus sun exposure). I could probably write a series of Wilds about this topic (maybe an entire book). In short: Oak woodlands, areas around rivers and higher elevations with tall pine trees will provide you with great shade.

Oak woodlands, like this area of Placerita Canyon, provide incredible shade on a warm day.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

I know this was a lot of information, but I hope today’s Wild will be something you can repeatedly come back to when planning your summer hikes.

If you’d like a little homework, take a look at the map and look for canyons near you. Do they run north-south or east-west? Is one canyon’s wall taller than the other? How does that affect how much shade the canyon floor will get? And is there a trail leading through the canyon, waiting for you to explore it?

Let me know how it goes! I love hearing from you.

3 things to do

A wigeon is a small duck and one of several waterfowl that birders can spot around the Madrona Marsh, especially after rain when its ponds have water.

(Madrona Marsh Preserve and Nature Center)

1. Bend the curve for birds in Torrance
Keith Haney, a biologist and California naturalist, will present “Bending the Curve with Audubon” at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Madrona Marsh Preserve and Nature Center in Torrance. Haney will explain how the Audubon Society is addressing the downward trend in bird populations and how residents can help locally. Register at eventbrite.com.

2. Meander past murals in East L.A.
People for Mobility Justice will host an art-focused bike ride at 9 a.m. Saturday through East L.A. and Boyle Heights. Riders will start at Mariachi Plaza and ride together to murals in the area. Beginner riders are welcome. Participants should bring a working bike or wheeled device, a helmet, front and back bike lights, reflective clothing and a water bottle. Register at eventbrite.com.

3. Marvel at moths in Valyermo
In celebration of National Moth Week, the Invertebrate Club of Southern California will host a black lighting event from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area in Valyermo. The group will set up black lights to observe moths and hike a short distance into the valley to observe scorpions and other invertebrates. Register to learn more.

The must-read

Professional diver Juan Heredia of Angels Recovery Dive Team, searches the Kaweah River on July 12 for signs of Jomarie Calasanz of Los Angeles, who was swept away in the swift waters near Paradise Creek Bridge during a Memorial Day weekend outing with her family inside Sequoia National Park.

(Gary Kazanjian / For The Times)

Jomarie Calasanz was visiting Sequoia National Park when, seemingly in a flash, she was swept away by the Kaweah River. Her family longed for news — that at the very least, her body could be recovered. But rescuers found the water too treacherous to keep searching. “On the family’s last morning at the hotel, a waitress who had kept her distance out of respect approached (Jomarie’s) grieving mother and gave her a hug and a tip: There’s a local legend, a man not affiliated with official emergency service agencies, who finds people,” Times staff writer Jack Dolan wrote. That man is Juan Heredia, a 53-year-old scuba instructor from Stockton. Over the past year, Heredia has found the bodies of a dozen drowning victims after authorities had either temporarily or fully stopped searching. Heredia has gained a significant following online and has been getting calls from across the world from families pleading for his help. “I think when they call and tell me they have a loved one who has drowned, it opens up a wound in me, too. And then I need closure,” Heredia said. “I can’t stop thinking about them alone in that dark water.”

Stay safe out there, friends.

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

As I was researching this week’s Wild, I called the Mt. Wilson Observatory, as it has a long history of studying the sun (and I had a lot of questions about how the sun moves about). I was greeted by an automated voice prompt: Press 1 for information about visiting the observatory, press 2 to leave a message for the office and “if you’d like to hear an excerpt from the poem ‘The Observatory’ by Alfred Noyes about first light on the 100-inch telescope, press 3.” I pressed 3 and listened for about four minutes to a dramatic reading of a beautiful moment in L.A. space history. “The observatory loomed against the sky; / And the dark mountain with its headlong gulfs, / Had lost all memory of the world below,” a line that reminded me of all the times I’ve escaped to Mt. Wilson on a hot summer day. I politely request more places offer poetry as an option to callers.

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.

Thanks to popular shows like “Squid Game,” plus price hikes and growing advertising revenues, Netflix on Thursday reported strong growth in the second quarter, beating analysts’ expectations.

The Los Gatos-based streamer’s revenue rose 16% to $11.1 billion, while the company’s net income increased 46% to $3.1 billion compared to a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected about $11 billion in revenue and $3 billion in profit.

Wall Street analysts have long deemed Netflix the winner of the streaming wars. The company no longer gives quarterly updates on how many customers it has, last revealing it had more than 301 million subscribers in 2024. But there’s still pressure on Netflix to continue to show financial growth, as the company aims to attract more advertising dollars and subscribers around the world.

Many analysts believe that Netflix’s future sales boost will come from its advertising business, which began in November 2022. The streamer is expected to generate $2.07 billion in ad revenue this year in the United States, which is estimated to climb to nearly $3 billion in 2027, according to research firm Emarketer.

“They’re seeing some substantial revenue and they are also getting a lot of people to sign up or switch to the ad supported tier,” said Paul Verna, a principal analyst at Emarketer.

Netflix said it expects total revenue in to grow 17% in the third quarter. The company increased its full-year 2025 revenue forecast, estimating that it will generate $44.8 billion to $45.2 billion. That’s up from the range of $43.5 billion to $44.5 billion that it previously projected.

In May, Netflix said its cheaper plan with ads reaches more than 94 million monthly active users, indicating that its version with commercials is gaining traction as other services follow a similar strategy.

“We continue to make progress building our ads business and still expect to roughly double ads revenue in 2025,” Netflix said in its letter to shareholders.

Earlier this year Netflix raised prices on most of its subscription plans in the U.S. Its cheapest plan with ads went up $1 to $7.99 a month. Netflix said the response to its recent price adjustments has been “broadly in line with our expectations.”

Netflix continues to face competition from other streaming services globally and entertainment companies like YouTube and TikTok that also take up significant amount of watch time among consumers.

During the second quarter, Netflix released popular programs including Korean animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” drama “Sirens” and the third season of “Squid Game.”

“Squid Game’s” third season, which premiered late last month, was the most watched series in 93 countries during its debut week and broke a record for the most views for a show in its first three days on Netflix, a boon for a streaming service that thrives on capturing the attention of audiences worldwide by releasing must-watch programs.

“These are positive initiatives and they’re the quality of the content that shows the uniqueness of it,” said Melissa Otto, head of research at S&P Global Visible Alpha, on shows like “Squid Game” Season 3. “These are all things that pull the users in and make them want to subscribe to Netflix or watch Netflix content.”

Netflix also has received critical acclaim for its programming, noting it has received 120 Primetime Emmy nominations for shows including the limited series drama “Adolescence” and comedy-drama series “Nobody Wants This.”

Netflix stock closed at $1,274.17 on Thursday, up about 2%.

If you’re after alpine adventures then you won’t be disappointed in one of Europe’s breathtaking regions with idyllic chalets and amazing views

Striking the right balance between relaxation and exploration can prove a challenge on any trip. The temptation when on the clock in a new place is to rush around ticking off sights, often resulting in blurred memories and fatigue.

My visit to the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland taught me a lesson in how to really take in my surroundings and resist the urge to press on with a hurried stride. Take time to smell the roses, or in my case, the cheeses.

This awakening experience began in the picturesque village of Adelboden, an idyllic chalet village 4,430ft above sea level, with blooming alpine meadows and crystal-clear lakes.

Home to only 3,500 inhabitants, versatile Adelboden comes alive during winter with tourists swooping in for its mountain sports on its dream pistes and World Cup race in January.

It actually became the destination for the first winter sports package holiday, ­organised by tourism pioneer Sir Henry Lunn in 1902.

In the warmer months, it’s ideal for those wanting to gaze at the scenery at their own pace while traversing its walking trails, mountain bike routes, cable cars, or swimming in the lakes.

The village’s standout hotel was acquired by Welsh brothers Craig and Grant Maunder in 2009 and renamed The Cambrian – a subtle nod to their home country (Cambria translates as Wales in Latin). This stunning, four-star superior hotel, rebuilt in the Belle Epoque style in the 20th century, is the perfect place to unwind, offering a swanky spa with pool, Finnish sauna, steam bath and outdoor infinity pool, which comes with breathtaking views of the Swiss Alps.

At the hotel’s Bryn Williams restaurant, named after the chef who hails from North Wales, diners can enjoy dishes created with Swiss and Welsh influences.

From here, take a short bus journey to nearby mountain village Elsigen where you can ride the gondola to reach an alpine cheese farm hidden away in the peaks.

Welcomed into the home of the Germann’s, father-and-on duo Adolf and Peter offered expert insight into their longstanding family tradition of cheesemaking.

After explaining the process of producing cheeses including Alpkase, Mutschli, Raclette and Ziger, which are heated at temperatures ranging from 36-90C, I was able to sit down and sample the freshly made blocks. They were full of flavour, thanks to added extras such as garlic and chilli.

It is not only food production keeping this area ticking nicely over, however, with the natural wonders of the lakes and mountains serving as a major pull.

With the sun beating down, I grabbed the chance to take a dip in the crystal-clear water of the Brandsee Lake and could not resist the inflatable slide invitingly positioned only several strokes away.

It’s a short drive to Engstilgenalp where you can jump on a cable car and head above the second tallest waterfall in Switzerland, 1,969ft Engstilgenalp Falls.

A trip to the ­neighbouring town of Gstaad was next on the agenda. Famed for its old-world elegance, which has attracted the likes of Princess Diana and Madonna to the region, I enjoyed a taste of the finer things, checking in at the new Mansard Boutique Hotel.

Located centrally, The Mansard boasts the only rooftop bar in Gstaad and was a hit among locals, who were drinking in the views with a few glasses of wine.

Equally as impressive was the food in the ground floor restaurant. I opted for the starter special of mushroom pasta, followed by a main of sole with parsley butter, spinach and mashed potatoes. Finishing on a sweet note, a glass of vanilla ice cream with strawberries and Maraschino liqueur rounded off a memorable meal.

The following morning in Gstaad, I got to experience a great annual celebration, which is loved by tourists and locals. Visitors began to pour into the town during the early hours of the morning, creating an instant buzz.

This was the start of the Zuglete, the procession of cattle from the mountains to the heart of the town. A tradition kept for centuries to signify the return of the herds and herdsmen to the valley, thousands of people line the streets of Gstaad for a glimpse of cows, dressed in colourful floral headdresses, and goats that continually serve the area.

Such a day presents a lucrative opportunity for local businesses. One woman I met had spent 30 years on the Landfrauen Saanenland selling items ranging from cheese to marmalade. “I will not get rich with what I’m doing,” she insisted. “I do this out of passion, for the community, because being together is not about having an income, it’s out of love.”

Aside from the ­heightened sense of drama created by the Zuglete, Gstaad’s relaxation-related motto of “Comeup, slow down” can’t be argued with.

But those seeking a total escape should head to the tiny village of Ablandschen – situated on the edge of the Bernese Oberland and the Freiburg Alps, 4,265ft above sea level. Known locally as Detox Valley and home to only 32 inhabitants, here you can pay a visit to the smallest church in Switzerland and dine at the inviting Berghotel zur Sau.

“Welcome to the end of the world” is the message from owners of the cosy establishment to prospective guests, who can try a range of Swiss dishes.

Mushrooms and potatoes that accompanied my main dish of pork were grown just around the corner while the starter salad was made up of handpicked ingredients.

A bottle of the sparkling Blanc de Noirs – a Swiss spin on Champagne due to its mirrored production process – was the perfect accompaniment.

My trip ended by catching the state-of-the-art GoldenPass Express train from Gstaad to Montreux – an 80-minute journey offering panoramic views of the Swiss Alps and valleys plus Lac Leman (Lake Geneva).

This route is included in the Swiss Travel Pass (see information box above right) and seated in prestige class – elevated in terms of height in the carriage and service – I tried out my heated leather seat, capable of rotating 180 degrees, before enjoying a cheese board and coffee.

Gazing out the window as I glided through this breathtaking scenery, I was offered one final reminder of how avoiding well-trodden paths, going out of the main season and taking in the sights at your own pace makes travel so much more satisfying.

Book the holiday

• Neilson offers seven nights on club board at the Messini Beach Club near Kalamata, Peloponnese, Greece, from £1,467pp based on a family of four sharing and departing from Stansted on August 24. Includes transfers, kids’ clubs, activities, and expert tuition. Birmingham and Manchester flights also available. neilson.co.uk
• More info at visitgreece.gr

Monrovia Canyon Park reopened just in time for this week’s heat wave to remind us that summer is here.

This 80-acre wooded treasure was closed for a few years after it burned in the 2020 Bobcat fire and then suffered significant damage from subsequent flooding. This past week I visited the park, which reopened June 27, where I marveled at massive oak trees and spotted the first bear I’ve seen on a local trail.

Upon entering the park, it’s easy to notice all the great work that volunteers and staff have completed to improve this cultural treasure. I appreciated the smooth paved roads leading into and through the park. I was greeted by a friendly ranger in a well-made kiosk who was happy to answer my questions about the park’s trails. And I easily found parking on a weekday (and as a bonus, under a shade tree).

The waterfall trail in Monrovia Canyon Park is shaded by several bay laurel and oak trees.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Soon, Maggie May, the official dog of The Wild, and I headed onto the waterfall trail, a moderate jaunt through the canyon that ranges in length from 1.5 to 3 miles, depending on whether you start at the nature center, cabin or ranger station.

Maggie and I took our time as we headed to the waterfall. One of us lay down in the creek — I’ll let you guess who — appreciating the lush landscape around them. I loved seeing the massive oak trees. How many wildfires have they survived? They always remind me to slow down and appreciate what’s around me, including the resilience of these ancient beauties.

I also spotted a few patches of wildflowers, including bright orange California poppies and the Matilija poppy whose fried egg appearance always makes this breakfast lover a little hungry.

A Matilija poppy, small patches of poppies, and a cliff aster grow in Monrovia Canyon Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

The trail ends at a 30-foot waterfall that’s flowing for now. Overall, Monrovia Canyon Park reminded me, with its short concrete dams and lush canyon, of nearby Big Santa Anita Canyon, another gorgeous hiking destination with an impressive waterfall.

As Maggie and I headed out of the park, I drove slowly with my windows down, which made it easy to spot the small brown bear when it popped out of the woods just before the ranger kiosk. Bears are frequently spotted in the park, so please keep your dogs on leash. It is required, but especially important to heed given the ursine residents.

Monrovia Canyon Park requires visitors to make reservations when visiting on the weekend. Officials are waiving the parking fee for the first few weeks. Once enforced, it’ll be $5 on weekdays and $6 on weekends.

The path to the waterfall in Monrovia Canyon Park includes a few water crossings, none of which are too tricky in the summer months when the water is low.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Before we dive in further, a few reminders on trail etiquette:

• Watch your speed. The trailheads for these hikes involve driving along twisting roads or through neighborhoods.
• Leave no trace. Before leaving, take a moment to read the seven Leave No Trace principles. In short: Observe wildlife from a distance, stay on the trail and pack out whatever you pack in, including orange peels. And please leave the Bluetooth speakers at home.
• Watch your step. It is officially rattlesnake season. Keep an eye out for our misunderstood reptilian residents!
• Bring a map. Regardless of whether you take a photo of the map at the trailhead, download a map on your phone or bring a paper map, please have something with you to guide your way.
• Pack more water than you think you’ll need. I am specifically talking to the hikers with a 12-ounce water bottle on a sunny day. (I will always share my extra water with you, but I hope you won’t ever need it!)

OK, now that we’ve covered that, let’s dive into three hikes near L.A. where you can cool off during or after a hike.

A 30-foot waterfall at Monrovia Canyon Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

1. The waterfall trail in Monrovia Canyon Park

Distance: 1.5 to 3 miles, depending on starting point
Elevation gained: About 500 feet, although it will vary
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: The Legg Lake Loop at Whittier Narrows

Antonovich Trail follows Walnut Creek and includes multiple creek crossings.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

2. Antonovich Trail

Distance: 7.8 miles out and back
Elevation gained: 385 feet
Difficulty: On the easier end of moderate
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Antonovich Trail; instead of entering the trail off San Dimas Avenue, where you must navigate a steep hill, start the trail from this parking area; the trail is not paved, but it is mostly flat if you head in the westerly direction from the parking lot.

Antonovich Trail is a 7.8-mile out-and-back trek along Walnut Creek, which flows gently through the canyon. The hike is heavily shaded by canopies of fig, coast live oak, eucalyptus trees and several fan palms. Besides a steep descent from the parking lot into the canyon, the route is mostly flat. This is one of my favorite trails that I discovered since I started writing The Wild last July.

As an added bonus, after your hike, you can head over to the swim beach at Puddingstone Reservoir in Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park, which reopened last week after park officials replaced a transformer system.

Escondido Falls in a previous year with more rainfall.

(Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

3. Escondido Falls trail

Distance: About 3.5 miles
Elevation gained: About 500 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Ann Skager Trail in Malibu Creek State Park

The 3.5-mile hike to Escondido Falls, a 150-foot multi-tiered waterfall, passes through oak woodlands and coastal sage scrub, two native landscapes with plants and trees that provide shade and ground cover — and are more adapted to wildfires than invasive plants — for hikers and the animals who live in the region. You’ll likely spot laurel sumac and buckwheat, along with several lizards darting across your path.

Even when the waterfall is only a trickle, the park itself will be a cooler spot to hike than others on this list, given its proximity to the ocean.

Like the other two hikes on this list, Escondido Canyon often offers a reprieve from an otherwise hot day.

3 things to do

Monarch butterflies land on branches at Monarch Grove Sanctuary in Pacific Grove, Calif.

(Nic Coury / Associated Press)

1. Plant habitat for monarchs in L.A.
Volunteers are needed Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. at Ascot Hills park nursery (4371 Multnomah St.) to develop habitat for monarchs. The Santa Monica Mountains Fund will host the event along with Monarch Mami, North East Trees and El Serenity Garden. Register at eventbrite.com.

2. Improve wetlands in Marina del Rey
The Ballona Wetlands Land Trust will host a stewardship event from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday where volunteers will yank invasive plants among other tasks. The organization will provide gloves and tools. Participants should bring water, close-toed shoes and sun protection. Learn more at the group’s Instagram page.

3. Get your honky tonk on near Santa Clarita
Vasquez Rocks Natural Area will host a free celebration of western songs from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the park. Participants are encouraged to bring their dancing boots, a picnic, camp chairs and their favorite western wear (like whatever you have left over from Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour). Food trucks and other vendors will sell food and other items. Learn more at the park’s Instagram page.

The must-read

A western bluebird perches on a charred branch of a burned tree in the aftermath of the Eaton fire in Altadena.

(Agustin Paullier / AFP via Getty Images)

Would you like an excuse to walk around outside for 10 minutes a week and, in turn, contribute to science? Times staff writer Corinne Purtill reports that Project Phoenix, a multiyear research project exploring birds’ response to wildfire, needs volunteers in California, Oregon and Washington to collect data from July through November. The data you collect — 10 minutes a week in the same location — will aid in the understanding of the effects of wildfire smoke on birds, an understudied topic. Scientists would like to understand whether birds fly to new places when air quality declines or if they’re changing in other ways when their nests get smoky. “These are the hypotheses we are hoping to test with the data we collect in 2025,” said program director Olivia Sanderfoot, a UCLA ornithologist. “The more people we have engaged, the more likely that we will have people in place to capture these impacts where they occur. It requires people power.”

I just signed up to volunteer, and can confirm it’s quite an easy process.

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

Do you have a bored teenager at home? Send them to a public garden. From now through Labor Day, teens ages 13 to 18 with valid student ID can visit the Los Angeles County Arboretum, Descanso Gardens, Virginia Robinson and South Coast Botanic Garden for free. Perhaps challenge them to take photos of plants they’ve never seen, and you can look them up together as a family at home.

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.

Brits heading to the likes of Spain, Egypt and Portugal for their summer holidays could find they’re paying pay hundreds of pounds more this year

Families have seen some holiday prices to top hotspots rocket by nearly quarter this summer, research has revealed.

The jump means travellers looking forward to their break abroad risk having to shell out hundreds of pounds more than last year.

Analysis by the website TravelSupermarket for the BBC revealed big price rises in a host of destinations popular with Brits. The data compared all-inclusive seven-night family breaks departing this August with a year ago.

Prices to Cyprus have leapt 23%, from an average £950 per person to £1,166. The cost of a week away to Egypt has soared by a fifth – almost £200 each – from £980 to £1,176. Jetting to top getaway Spain has risen by 9%, or from £835 to £913 And a typical week away to Portugal will cost £972 per person this summer, against £936 last year.

READ MORE: Man visits every country in Europe – and one ‘dull’ place was the absolute worst

For those looking further afield, the analysis found the United Arab Emirates has seen the steepest price rise overall. A week away now costs an average £1,525 per person, up 26% – or £300 – from £1,210 per person in 2024.

Chris Webber, head of deals at TravelSupermarket, said: “Like most things, family summer holidays have become more expensive over the past 12 months — and our data backs that up. We’ve seen price rises of between 4% and 26% across popular destinations like Spain, Greece, Turkey, the UAE and Portugal. These increases are likely tied to rising fuel prices driving up flight costs, along with hotel expenses rising due to energy costs – which in turn pushes up food and drink costs for all-inclusive packages.”

It is not all bad, with some destinations actually cheaper this year. For instance, a week in Italy will cost an average £1,128 per person this summer, or £137 less than a year ago. Tunisia is also around £30 better value, at an average £763.

READ MORE: ‘Entitled dad asks to swap plane seats for son – but his reason wasn’t valid enough’

And while accommodation and flights may have risen, other holiday costs have come down.

Research published last month by the Post Office found Brits planning foreign holidays will be quids in thanks to the pound’s strength. Sterling has shot up against a host of currencies – in some cases, by a lot. For instance, the pound’s 30% rise against the Turkish lira in the past year means holidaymakers jetting there will have £116 more to spend for every £500.

In many cases, car rental prices have also fallen. A study by iCarhireinsurance.com last month revealed that the average cost of a week’s car hire this summer is £369, 43% lower than the 2022 high of £652, but still 19% more than in 2019 (£310).

Do you have a story to tell us? Email us at [email protected].

Brits looking for a city break with gorgeous beaches, amazing food and budget-friendly accommodation may want to check out one underrated gem that travel experts love

Greece is a firm favourite with Brits looking for sun-soaked holidays including gorgeous beaches, swim-friendly waters and amazing food; but its popularity can mean that getaways can be crowded and expensive.

However, there’s one lesser-known spot on the mainland that travel insiders have praised for offering all the above, “without tourist price hikes” that you’d find at hotspots like Athens, or islands like Rhodes, Crete and Mykonos.

The experts at Ski Vertigo have named Nafplio as one of their go-to underrated spots, adding that while most tourists will miss it, it remains a firm favourite with locals thanks to its beautiful coastal views and lack of larger crowds.

“Often overshadowed by island resorts, Nafplio on the mainland is a favourite among Greeks themselves,” they explained. “Expect great food, romantic alleyways, and sea views – without tourist price hikes”.

READ MORE: Beautiful abandoned village in Greece where something feels ‘not quite right’

Nafplio has everything you could want for a mix of city break and beach holiday. The city’s cobbled streets are home to heaps of shops, hotels and of course restaurants where you can tuck into some of that world-famous Greek cuisine. (In fact, you can also find some brilliant bakeries serving up some classic Greek pastries that are sure to appeal to anyone with a sweet tooth!).

It’s also worth a stroll to the marina and harbour from which you can take in some gorgeous coastal views, or you can go exploring thanks to the plethora of historic castles, churches and neoclassical architecture, as well as a range of museums where you can learn more about Greece’s fascinating history.

Meanwhile, sun-seekers who’d like to spend a day on the beach won’t be disappointed. For a start there’s Nafplio’s city beach, a small pebbled bay right on the edge of the city, and by the crystalline waters. However if it’s sand you’re after, then you may want to head over to Karathona beach which is always a hit with visitors thanks to its eucalyptus tree-lined sandy shores and amenities including watersports facilities.

It’s also worth leaving space on the itinerary to visit the nearby fishing village of Tolo, which boasts a postcard-worthy golden sandy beach that’s ideal for families thanks to the swim-friendly waters, and a few eateries where you can pick up a snack or use the loos. Tolo also has plenty of hotels and campsites right by the beach for those wanting to spend a bit more time exploring the area.

Although there are no direct flights to Nafplio from the UK, it’s still fairly easy for Brits to visit. One of the easiest routes is to fly to Athens – for which there are plenty of direct flights with the likes of Jet2, easyJet, British Airways and Ryanair – and then to get the ferry across, which takes just over two hours. The ferry between the two cities runs multiple times a day, so there’s plenty of opportunity to either explore Athens and travel on a later day, or grab an early flight and be at Nafplio in time for some sunset cocktails overlooking the harbour!

Have you got a travel story to share? Email us at [email protected].

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, will have to start raising prices later this month due to the high cost of tariffs, executives have warned in a clear signal that United States President Donald Trump’s trade war is filtering through to the US economy.

As a bellwether of US consumer health, Walmart’s explicit statement on Thursday is also a signpost for how the trade war is affecting companies as Walmart is noted for its ability to manage costs more aggressively than other companies to keep prices low.

Walmart’s shares fell 2.3 percent in morning trading after it also declined to provide a profit forecast for the second quarter, even as the company’s US comparable sales surpassed expectations in the first quarter.

Net sales rose 2.5 percent to $165.6bn, a hair shy of estimates, while same-store sales were up 4.5 percent. Walmart’s quarterly adjusted profit was 61 cents per share, ahead of the analyst consensus for 58 cents per share.

Many US companies have either slashed or pulled their full-year expectations in the wake of the trade war, as consumers stretch their budgets to buy everything from groceries to essentials at cheaper prices. But Walmart’s statement will resonate nationwide, as roughly 255 million people shop in its stores and online weekly around the world, and 90 percent of the US population lives within 10 miles of a Walmart.

US shoppers will start to see prices rise at the end of May and certainly in June, Walmart’s Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey said in a CNBC interview. On a post-earnings call with analysts, he said the retailer would also have to cut back on orders as it considers price elasticity.

As the largest importer of container goods in the US, Walmart is heavily exposed to tariffs, and even though the US and China reached a truce that lowered levies for imports on Chinese goods to 30 percent, that’s still a high cost to bear, executives said.

“We’re very pleased and appreciative of the progress that has been made by the administration to bring tariffs down … but let me emphasise we still think that’s too high,” Rainey said on the call, referring to the tariff cuts negotiated over the weekend.

“There are certain items, certain categories of merchandise that we’re dependent upon to import from other countries and the prices of those things are likely going to go up, and that’s not good for consumers,” he added.

Other retailers also said they would be boosting prices. German sandal maker Birkenstock on Thursday said it plans to raise prices globally to fully offset the impact of the US tariff of 10 percent on European Union-made goods.

US consumer sentiment ebbed for a fourth straight month in April, signaling watchful purchasing, while the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted for the first time in three years during the first quarter, fanning worries of a recession.

Narrow margins

Walmart’s CEO Doug McMillon said the retailer would not be able to absorb all the tariffs’ costs because of narrow retail margins, but was committed to ensuring that tariff-related costs on general merchandise – which primarily come from China – do not drive food prices higher.

To mitigate the impact, Walmart is working with suppliers to substitute tariff-affected components, such as replacing aluminium with fibreglass, which is not subject to tariffs.

Despite these efforts, McMillon noted that adjusting costs is more challenging in cases where Walmart imports food items like bananas, avocados, coffee, and roses from countries such as Costa Rica, Peru, and Colombia.

Analysts said Walmart was better positioned than rivals, as its scale enables it to lean on its suppliers and squeeze out efficiencies to shield customers from tariffs, but only so much.

“There will likely be some demand destruction from tariffs; a complete wreck is unlikely,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management.

Walmart on Thursday kept its annual sales and profit forecast intact for fiscal 2026, but withheld second-quarter operating income growth and earnings per share forecasts, citing a “fluid operating environment … [which] makes the very near term exceedingly difficult to forecast at the level and speed at which tariffs could go up”.