Bay Lake, Fla. — As we dip into the bayou, the scene before us feels a tad mystical, all glowing fireflies with hues of blue and purple seeping through the trees. While there’s a comfortably paced current carrying our log-carved vessels through the fantasy wetlands, what’s ultimately propelling us forward is the sound of music.…
AMBOY, Calif. — It’s a Friday afternoon in mid-May and a Czech biker is eating an ice cream cone at the counter of a gas station along a desolate stretch of the Mojave Desert. Outside, his entourage crowds around a towering atomic-age sign for a group photo before speeding away along Route 66. A British couple…
A popular area in Kings Canyon National Park is reopening after a closure caused by flooding damage that lasted more than a year. Cedar Grove will reopen to the public Monday, the National Park Service announced. The area at the bottom of Kings Canyon has been closed to the public since floods during the winter…
The hoot of a great horned owl. The munching of a mule deer enjoying grass. The crunching of your feet on the sandy soil. To any hiker, these sounds enhance the joy of being outdoors. But the endorphin rush of a great trail can be blunted by the high-pitched buzz of a mosquito hovering around…
Sometimes 101 is just too small a number. Many readers, having digested our new list of 101 best West Coast experiences, have stepped up to make the case for destinations we left out, from a country road in Malibu to a remote beach town on a Canadian island. We’ve gathered a sampling of them here.…
Over and over again, they stretch out their spindly little matchstick fingers into the mighty Pacific, and over and over again, they get their knuckles rapped. Rapped, broken, burned, smashed to bits. And yet what do they do? They keep sending those fragile digits out into the ocean, like a middle finger defying the elements.…
Graham Cooper rejoices after reaching the summit of Mt. Everest. (Alpenglow Expeditions) Sleeping with your head in a bag works. Graham Cooper and Adrian Ballinger, California mountaineers whose acclimatization for Mt. Everest included sleeping at home with their heads in hypoxic tents meant to mimic the agonies of extreme altitude, reached the world’s highest summit…
I have a new system for beating the casinos in Las Vegas: I don’t spend a penny on the slots, the tables or the sports books. Instead, I bet heavily on red and green. Red rocks and green waters, that is. Hiking and kayaking. I tested the system on a series of day trips last…
Plan your ultimate trip to always-evolving Las Vegas. Try new immersive experiences and the best places to eat on and off the Strip — including desserts approved by Cake Boss Buddy Valastro. Check out the coolest indie shops and escape the neon lights with fun day trips. Bonus: For relaxing and recovering, find some of…
Hi! I’m Deborah Vankin and I’m a wellness writer for the L.A. Times. We just finished putting together a massive guide to fantastic hikes in Los Angeles. While testing out the trails this spring, I went on about 10 solo hikes in a row. Lately, I’m craving company. How about joining me? To celebrate the…
