Ok guys, this is by far my most challenging post thus far. I mean California is the most populous state in the U.S and the third largest state (right behind TX in terms of land area…thanks Wikipedia for always keeping me honest and my facts straight). To say that there is an abundance of things to do here would be a drastic understatement. I’ve lived a total of 7 years in California –off and on– and am definitely having a hard time cutting this down to under my (arbitrary) 10 minute reading time limit. I guess the best thing would be to just dive right in so here we go… here is my 10 minutes, or less, post on your must do adventures if you ever find yourself in the sunshine state.

Southern California (SoCal)

Starting off with my favorite city and the place I once called my home. San Diego, which sadly enough does not mean a whale’s vagina… I mean that would be pretty damn unique if it did though, wouldn’t it?! San Diego has a ton to offer. I mean where else can you take part in the ultimate “S” trifecta of snowboarding/skiing, surfing and skydiving all in the same day?! SD will always have a piece of my heart and no matter what you’re in the mood for, you will surely find it here, so I hope you enjoy reading about a few of my favorites.

Top 5 Hikes: fun fact time– I’m a sucker for any hike with either a waterfall or an American flag

1. Monserate Mountain Trail Loop: moderate, 4.1 miles, 1,300 ft elevation gain (American flag hike)
2. Pine Valley Flag Trail: moderate, 4 miles, 930 ft elevation gain -as the name suggests it also has a flag!
3. Cedar Creek Falls Trail: (permit required) hard, 5.6 miles, 1,050 ft elevation gain
4. Three Sisters Falls Trail: (adventure pass required) moderate, 4.1 miles, 980 ft elevation gain
5. Potato Chip Rock via Mt. Woodson Trail: moderate, 7.4 miles, 2,100 ft elevation gain

Honorable mentions:

1. Cowles Mountain Trail
2. Torrey Pines Beach Loop Trail
3. Kwaay Paay Peak Trail
4. Mother Miguel Mountain via Rock House Trail (American flag hike)
5. Sunset Cliffs Trail

Other things to do in San Diego:

• Go see the superbloom which usually occurs mid Feb – mid May; top places to see this happen are in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Julian and Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve.

• Visit the many trails and slot canyons of Joshua Tree National Park

• Go up to Los Angeles and get outside of the city. Go see the Hollywood sign from a different vantage point via Canyon Drive or hike Mount Baldy in the Angeles National Forest, also the highest point in LA at 10,064 ft

• Visit Temecula or Escondido for some SoCal wineries
• Try out the growing population of breweries. Some of my favorites are located in the North Park area like: Modern Times, Belching Beaver and Seek Beer Co.
• Visit Big Bear- depending on the time of year, there’s a plethora of activities like skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, hiking, backpacking, camping, boating, etc.
• La Jolla Cove- great place to go see sea lions and seals up close
• Coronado- home of the other kind of seals…Navy Seals that is. Go check out the Hotel Del Coronado. In the summertime they have a great outdoor deck that serves up drinks oceanside and in the winter they convert their outdoor space into a skating rink… an ice rink on the beach…très cool! Note: if you bring your pup make sure to check out the dog beach here too

Central+Northern California (NorCal)

I combined these two areas because there is a lot of crossover when it comes to the national parks and mountain ranges; trying to work smarter not harder here people! Here are some of my favs:

• Sequoia National Park
• Yosemite National Park
• Sierra National Forest/Mammoth Lakes area.

Note: If you want to do this as a road trip, I HIGHLY recommend incorporating the PCH…aka the Pacific Coast Highway… aka Route 1. If you decide this is exactly what you’re looking for and I’m speaking your language, here is the exact itinerary that I followed–feel free to insert your own flair here:

Start in SD, head north towards Mammoth Lakes. On the way you will pass many national forests to include the Sequoia National Forest/Park. Go hiking. Drive west through Yosemite National Park. Go hiking. Reward yourself with a stop over in Napa Valley. Go drinking. Take your time and drive back down the coastline on the PCH. Go hiking+camping. Get back to SD.

If that wasn’t enough detail for you, then I don’t know how to help you. Only kidding! jeez. I’ve got more info below for you including some hikes, recommendations and photos!

• 1st stop: Backpack in the John Muir Wilderness (overnight permit required)

Big Pine Lakes Trail: hard, 15.2 miles, 3,900 ft elevation gain

• 2nd stop: Hike in the John Muir Wilderness

Little Lakes Valley to Gem Lakes: moderate, 8 miles, 1,000 ft elevation gain

• 3rd stop: Hike in the John Muir Wilderness

Duck Pass and Pika Lake Trail: hard, 10.1 miles, 2,100 ft elevation gain

• 4th stop: Hike in Yosemite National Park (pick a trail, any trail)

• 5th stop: Drink in Napa Valley

One of my absolute favorite places in Napa Valley is Frogs Leap. I always make it a point to visit every time I’m in town…you can thank me later for this rec… preferably in wine. I also really like Tres Sabores, Paraduxx and Honig –big time bonus, they are all dog friendly too! and if you’re going to be drinking all day, you should probably also eat something too right?!…that would be a yes, so I recommend either bringing your own picnic with you since most wineries will allow you to BYOF (bring your own food) for those of you who were stumped by that…or stopping by the Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch and/or Gott’s Roadside for some tasty bites.

Note: If you have time I also recommend stopping in Sonoma and/or San Fransisco also.

• 6th/7th stop(s): Camp along the PCH

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and Thornhill Broome Beach for overnight camping–these places fill up quickly in the summer so be sure to reserve your site well in advance and then enjoy the stunningly scenic views of the coast the entire way back down south.

Other notable spots and links for things to do:

• Shasta-Trinity National Forest
• Redwood National and State Park
• Death Valley National Park
• Solvang– also called the “Danish Capital of America,” this is a super unique and charming town in Santa Barbara County
• Paso Robles-more wine, because wine not?! yay! ugh, wine am I so cheesy?! ok, I’ll stop now I promise. I know far too many wine jokes; I think that says enough about me…

Yikes! Well, I know this was a super-fast, condensed list of things to do for such an immense state, but I hope that this post has been helpful for your future planning and if you take away anything from this read, I hope you find that no matter what experience you’re seeking, CA is sure to have it!

Also, it should be noted that not only did I stay under 10 minutes, but I crushed my time limit…. air high five!

Stay classy my California friends!