101 Hikes in Southern California: Exploring Mountains, Seashore, and Desert

Discover 101 of the best hikes in Southern California, from family outings to 50-mile treks.

The Southland is unparalleled for its beauty and diversity. A coastal trail, a desert hike, and a mountain trek are always just an hour or two away. Experience 101 of the region’s best hiking trips with authors David Harris and Jerry Schad. See a spectacular geological showcase cradled between two faults at the Devil’s Punchbowl. Find the ruins of a once grand Malibu mansion, now Solstice Canyon Park. Enjoy the natural hot springs alongside a mountain stream at Deep Creek.

Take the guesswork out of choosing a trail that’s right for you. Each entry in this guidebook provides vital information like total distance, elevation gain or loss, hiking time, highlights, and difficulty--not to mention a full description of the route. You can take the entire family on a 1-mile stroll, or challenge yourself with a 52-mile backpacking trip.

Inside you’ll find:

• 101 spectacular hikes, ranging from 1 to 52 miles
• Essential details such as distance, elevation change, and difficulty


• Route descriptions and directions to the trailheads


• Full-color maps and photographs

Leave the urban world behind and discover the natural splendor of Southern California--from the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains to the Laguna Mountains and Anza-Borrego Desert, from the Torrey Pines beaches to the summit of San Jacinto Peak.

David Harris is a professor of engineering at Harvey Mudd College. He is the author or coauthor of seven hiking guidebooks and five engineering textbooks. David grew up rambling about the Desolation Wilderness as a toddler in his father’s pack and later roamed the High Sierra as a Boy Scout. As a Sierra Club trip leader, he organized mountaineering trips throughout the Sierra Nevada. Since 1999, he has been exploring the mountains and deserts of Southern California. David is the father of three sons, with whom he loves sharing the outdoors.

Jerry Schad (1949-2011) was Southern California’s leading outdoors writer. His 16 guidebooks, along with his ＂Roam-O-Rama＂ column in the San Diego Reader, helped thousands of hikers discover the region’s diverse wild places. Jerry ran or hiked many thousands of miles of distinct trails throughout California, in the Southwest, and in Mexico. He was a sub-24-hour finisher of Northern California’s 100-mile Western States Endurance Run and served in a leadership capacity for outdoor excursions around the world. He taught astronomy and physical science at San Diego Mesa College and chaired its physical sciences department from 1999 until 2011. His sudden, untimely death from kidney cancer shocked and saddened the hiking community.