I’m taking my dog out camping for his first birthday and looking around Ojai. What are the most secluded campgrounds around this time of year? Don’t need any kind of amenities and open to possibly hiking in and doing a night or two of backpacking.

What are the best difficult trails? Around 10 miles/day and prefer a good bit of elevation gain, but open to flatter trails if the views and seclusion are worth it.

Before me and my dog drive out. Thanks!

Did C2C today and couldn't have asked for a nicer day for it. Not a bit of snow or precipitation topside, and the Palm Springs start was not too warm at all at 4:30am. Overall the temperature was very comfortable throughout the hike. A wind layer was useful to keep the cool wind off up top but that's it. I was also glad to have pants that protected from cacti and yucca.

If you've been thinking of doing it I strongly recommend seizing on this favorable window we're having, before the first big dump of snow.

The initial segment ascending up to Grubbs Notch is not to be taken lightly if you've never done such a big day before. I love steep ascents and have done 100k feet this season, but this really tested my stamina like no other hike. I was almost ready to quit at the tram, but the rest of the hike was easy.

How's the trail been if you completed this route? Thinking about NYE hike and staying the night at rounds.

What are your go-to overnight trips during the winter in SoCal?

Looking for an overnight backpacking trip in December in SoCal, 1 night or 2 nights, hopefully not too cold. Within 1-3 hours of LA.

I was looking at Sespe Hot Springs, but afraid if we get rain this month the river crossings might be difficult or impossible.

I don't want any ice/snow on the trails, so nothing in the Big Bear, Idlwyld or Mount Baldy area.

Thoughts on this? Is staying coastal preferred during these months due to cold? Could also just stay somewhere near Malibu and do day hikes.

Every opinion appreciated!!

Please share if you’re proud of how you organize your hiking apparel and gear. I have it stored in multiple places. I’m looking for more than several tubs throughout my home. Thanks!

I was looking at the AllTrails and it says closed. Any info on this?

I can’t seem to find info on the status of this trail. I wanted to take my girl out to check out the hawkin ridge.

Thank you guys. Happy hiking!

Anyone know when Bedford peak will be reopened?

Looking to do a really nice hike here in the next month. Personally I found the Malibu Topanga area to be the prettiest in Southern California but I wanted to hear everyone else's thoughts!

Where do you go for lush Meadows, green and flowers?

I’m looking for a non-mountaineering hike to do some cold weather hiking and maybe snowshoeing over the next couple months. Is there any usual spots? I don’t want to do proper mountaineering hikes without the proper training ofc

Hey guys,

Would love to know if anyone could shed light on this weird experience we had or let us know we were over-reacting.

tl;dr: We bailed on a hike to San Mateo Canyon Wilderness late at night. As we were exiting, we saw a white truck/van, and the driver was wearing a white face mask that covered ~75% of his face. We are rattled.

I planned a two-night backpacking trip: 1st night was a "trial" run in Crystal Cove, and then we would drive and spend the 2nd night in San Mateo Canyon Wilderness. Everything went smoothly on night 1 and we were looking forward to camping at SMCW.

We were running late and with traffic, the sun already set when we got to Murrieta. We revised our plan to do a night hike into Fisherman's camp and stay there for the night. As we drove, the woods looked pretty ominous in the dark and we kept on having a bad feeling about it. It felt like the setup of a horror movie.

After driving another 40 mins, we felt pretty vulnerable and decided to call it. We turned around and drove back. As we exited the dirt road area, we happened to see a car turn into the intersection. As he was making the left turn, our lights illuminated him: and it appeared he was wearing a face mask. A sleek white face mask, covering ~75% of his face, similar to the one from "Phantom of the Opera". That definitely gave me goosebumps.

Other notes:

- Yes starting a hike in the dark isn't advisable, but I've definitely done it in the past

- His face was only briefly visible, but I distinctly saw light reflecting from his face, and it wasn't flesh-colored

- We already decided to call it before seeing the man with the white mask

We're really sad that we had to cut our trip short. Maybe it was someone who got burned and got bandaged up?

Question: Were we overreacting or did we avoid something bad happening to us? Would you have continued hiking into Fisherman's camp?