Los Angeles Area

Los Angeles

Now the people who live in LA, usually aren’t the outdoorsy type, unless it comes to outdoor bars and scenes. But, there is a ton the LA area has to offer if you want to get out of the city. You have the famous California coast that provides for a ton of water sports and fantastic views. You have the Santa Monica Mountains which are filled with hiking, biking, and camping connected to one of the more sought after areas to live in which is Santa Monica that is just north of the famous Venice beach. Now LA is a massive city so getting out is often very difficult especially with the famous traffic at all times. The climate down there is very arid and dry. If you don’t care about snow or true seasons, LA area weather may be just what you're looking for. There aren’t any close areas for great skiing but there definitely are some mountains nearby that get snow. You’ll be surprised how tall some of them are.

Big Bear Lake

One of the closest outdoor recreational areas near LA. The Big Bear Lake area is sitting around 6800 feet which is pretty high and the top of Big Bear Mountain Resort is around 8000 feet so it definitely experiences a winter up there. It’s not too big of a mountain but if you need your snow sport fix in the LA area you can head right up there. It’s also a great place for mountain biking and summer sports. With it being farther south, the summers are longer which provide great recreation for all the summer sports. There is also Snow Summit Resort too next to Big Bear. In general, if you need to get out of LA, this area has everything you need to get that outdoor fix.

Mt Wilson

You’ll be surprised at the beautiful scenery you can get too from downtown LA. Mt Wilson is an excellent area to get incredible views of the entire LA area. It might be a winding road to the top but when you get up there the views are spectacular. Along the way there are a ton of hiking trails, biking trails, and camping that are ripe for the picking. If you are feeling very adventurous, you take Angeles Crest Highway all the way to Big Pines. A long road full of curves and outdoor stops all through the Angeles Mountain range. If you make it to Big Pines, that is another mountain resort and area with winter and summer sport activities.

Palm Springs

Just down the street from the music festival we have all heard of, Coachella. Since this area is on the eastern slope of the mountains that are throughout the LA area, it is a desert. I mean most of southern California is a desert but once you hit Palm springs, you definitely start getting the desert vibes. You also have Joshua Tree National Park right nearby where you can get in touch with your spiritual self. There is also the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. If you ever want to travel through first hand different environments fast, just take that Tramway. It’ll take you from a desert to a high alpine forest in one swoop.