Pedal Into the Pines at Big Bear Lake

40298 Big Bear Blvd. Big Bear Lake, CA 92315 Phone: (909) 866-8000 http://www.bvbikes.com Print E-mail It’s the consummate summer playground. Plopped conveniently in the San Bernardino National Forest , Big Bear Lake is about 110 miles northeast of L.A., far enough away to look like READ MORE...

Tear Down Mammoth Mountain on a Mountain Bike

A few years back, ski resorts got a novel idea: In summer, why not put those empty gondolas and ski runs to use? So when the snow melted, the resorts turned to mountain biking, the premise gloriously simple. You and your bike swoop effortlessly to READ MORE...

Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve

39400 Clinton Keith Road Murrieta, CA 92562 http://www.riversidecountyparks.net Located at the southern end of the Santa Ana Mountains near Murrieta, the 8,300-acre Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve is home to mule deer, mountain lions, bobcats, and vernal pools with fairy shrimp. In spring, chocolate lilies, READ MORE...

Green Valley Lake

PO Box 8296 Green Valley Lake, CA 92341 Phone: (909) 867-2009 http://www.green-valley-lake.com The local chamber of commerce calls this “the best kept secret in the San Bernardino mountains”—and they may not be stretching the truth. Most guide books don’t even mention the place, which suits READ MORE...

Oceanside's Buena Vista Audubon Society Nature Center: Wildlife Central

2202 S. Coast Hwy. Oceanside, CA 92054-6549 Phone: (760) 439-2473 Print E-mail The San Diego area’s only Audubon nature center and museum, this pristine wildlife area is home to the Rancho Buena Vista Lagoon. In the state's only fresh-water lagoon, dozens of varieties of waterfowl READ MORE...

Cleveland National Forest

Contrary to popular belief, Orange County is not just beaches, malls, and amusement parks. Cleveland National Forest comprises nearly 40,000 acres of a rugged Southern California that once was: chaparral wildlands, steep canyons, meadows pocked with magnificent oaks, and, in the high reaches of the READ MORE...