Top 10 lists come and go, but the outdoors are here to stay…which doesn’t make it any easier to choose just 10 of SoCal’s greatest hits for 2012. As we warm up for 2013, here are our picks for a bucket-list of bests.
Fun Dip: Abandoned in a remote and rugged section of the Sheep Mountain Wilderness, the fabled Bridge to Nowhere actually leads to a sublime swimming hole. But you’re gonna have to work—and get wet—to reach it!
Basecamp & Beer: Some things just go better together: Wine & cheese, Harry & Sally, peak-bagging and a beer. First bag the peak, then enjoy some beer at a perfectly situated basecamp.
Sunny Side Up: Forget the worm; early birds should set their sights on the Lizard. A 2.5-mile loop to Lizard Rock brings 360-degree views as the sun climbs the sky, splashing mountains and valleys in hues of pink, green, and gold.
Isle High Club: There’s an easy way to lose the crowds on Catalina Island. Take a hike! Just be sure that hike is the Garden-to-Summit Loop, a 4.5-mile (round-trip) journey to a high point worth hailing.
Spring-a-Ling: Wildflowers, a waterfall, mountain views, and a candy store just across from the trailhead...the short (and sweet) San Juan Loop Trail is a spring hiking treat.
Long May You Roll: Sometimes you want to bike by the ocean; sometimes you want to bike in the mountains; and sometimes you want both. For those with high demands, cycle this 15.9-mile loop through Santa Barbara and Montecito.
Fat Tires and Flowers: LA's finest art isn't all found in galleries. Sullivan Ridge in the Santa Monica Mountains paints the landscape with seasonal wildflowers, best viewed on an 8-mile out-and-back bike ride.
Marion Mountain High: Memorial Day’s big openings aren’t all blockbuster movies. It’s also when Marion Mountain Campground typically kicks off its camping season—at 6,200 feet!
Better in Bedford: Timing is everything for a thrilling panoramic peak show on one of Orange County’s highest summits. Bedford Peak, at 3,800 feet, can be reached via a 7.5-mile (round-trip) hike up—and up and up! Go before summer, when the exposed trail will be too hot.
Mojave National Preserve: Joshua Tree, Death Valley… the Wild West’s desert trifecta isn’t complete without an adventure among Mojave National Preserve’s 1.6 million acres of secluded, rugged-ass landscape.
How many of these have you checked off your bucket-list? Share this with your friends on Facebook or Twitter and get going on an adventure! 
Get Your Free Guide
Southern California is one of the greatest places on earth for exploring year-round; in fact, it’s one of the only places where you can snowshoe or ski and take a dip in the ocean, all in the same day! Locally owned Adventure 16 has been living and breathing the outdoors for 50 years, giving folks the best gear, apparel, and ideas for where to go and what to do! Get to one of their five specialty shops (which feel more like mountain cabins) and pick up a free guide to Southern California’s National Parks and other public lands. These guides will give you the goods on local hiking, biking, backpacking, kayaking and more, including special sections like A16 Staff Favorites, Outdoor Photography Tips, and Just for Kids. While you’re there, grab a cup of coffee or hot cider as you check out what’s new for adventures big and small. Think local. Think free guides. Think Adventure 16.
Get to your local Adventure 16 and stock up on adventures in 2013! Here's a list of their five Southern California store locations and hours.