The Santa Barbara County chaparral shrublands form my best-loved hiking region, also called Los Padres National Forest. However, the much higher “alpine” areas also summon the soul to breathe free ...

Or do you pick the easygoing coastal town with a nearby airport, nice cafés and sandy beaches – and accept that your ‘hiking’ ...

Lake Tahoe is beautiful, but this cute little mountain town in the Sierra Nevada is charming in a different way.

Outside, the popular outdoor and recreation magazine, named the nation's 24 best mountain towns. One Sierra Nevada town made ...