If you’re planning a run through the San Gabriel Canyon Off-Highway Vehicle Area, there are some rules you need to know about before you load up the rig. The Angeles National Forest has a standing order in place – effective March 23, 2026 through December 31, 2028 – and if you show up unprepared, you’re going to have a bad day.
Category Archives: Adventures
As the popularity of overlanding continues to grow, Subaru’s presence celebrates owners’ love of outdoor adventure and the camaraderie it builds.
Subaru of America, Inc. is returning as the title sponsor of the 2026 Overland Expo, bringing an expanded Camp Subaru experience to Costa Mesa, California, where Subaru is set to showcase its adventure-ready SUVs, hands-on off-road workshops, record live podcasts, feature music, and offer owner-focused programming.
Last week’s storms slammed the length of California, dumping heavy rain, triggering floods and debris flows from the Coast Range to the Sierra and through the Transverse Range all the way to the tip of the Peninsular Mountain Range.
The Southern California stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail — a place near and dear to my heart; I live here and have section-hiked the PCT for years — took an especially hard hit, with trailheads, road approaches, water crossings, and low camps dragged or buried by mud and runoff. That stretch changes from low desert washes and sage-and-chaparral foothills up into oak and mixed-conifer slopes on the San Gabriel and San Bernardino ridgelines, then climbs into the higher San Gorgonio and San Jacinto country where pinyon, fir, and true montane/subalpine stands hold late snow. Expect everything from loose, rocky tread and brushy switchbacks to steep gullies that channel flash runoff — which is precisely the kind of terrain that turns a heavy storm into road-and-trail damage in a hurry. Post-storm, gateway towns are digging out, businesses and volunteers are scrambling, and land managers are triaging access and safety across the corridor.
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The sky over California puts on one of its best displays this weekend. From desert flats to high mountain vistas, the Geminid meteor shower peaks between December 13 and 14 — and under the right conditions, it’s the year’s most spectacular meteor show. Get away from town lights and clouds, and you’ll see fast, bright streaks and the occasional fireball that make a late night worth it.
The Geminids run roughly from December 1 to 21, with peak activity from December 13 to 14. Plan to be settled in by about 10 p.m.; the waning crescent moon doesn’t rise until roughly 2 a.m., which gives several moon-free hours when the faint stuff is visible. The stream is debris from asteroid 3200 Phaethon and, under dark skies, rates can hit 60–120 meteors per hour. NASA calls the Geminids one of the most powerful and spectacular annual showers. Continue reading
2020 was a difficult year for travelers, wanderers, adventurers, and explorers here in California. I did get out – sometimes with groups, sometimes furtively by myself – and was rewarded with solitude, silence, and freedom within the great cathedrals of nature that California offers from the deserts to the beaches, to the mountains and deep forests.
As with any exploration, it’s all about knowledge and preparedness. My hardware set is pretty solid – if I can’t get out of a jamb, I can call someone to come and find me – but this year my software set has been a bit lacking.