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  Featured image credit: CalWild Even if you want to completely ignore TLC’s sage 1994 warning, Los Angeles doesn’t seem like the place to go chasing waterfalls. First of all, we’re pretty much situated in a Mediterranean landscape of arid, chaparral-saturated hills and valleys. And we’re no strangers to severe droughts. Finally, we’re a sprawling metropolis, the second-largest in the U.S. But when we do get rain, the Greater Los Angeles area actually offers a pretty decent selection of waterfalls. You just have to know where to find them. Here are 12 waterfalls in Los Angeles worth chasing.  Brown Mountain Dam – Man’s Imitation of an LA Waterfall Seco Arroyo, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011 Approx. Hike Distance: 1.2 miles Difficulty: Challenging Dogs Allowed: With Leash   About 3 miles up Arroyo Seco Road from the Angeles Crest Highway, you’ll find a trail branching off to Brown Mountain Dam, a “waterfall” that’s not like the other waterf...

  Featured image credit: Los Angeles If you’re curious about Sherman Oaks houses for sale, get in line. This is one of the most coveted neighborhoods in the San Fernando Valley. Just don’t remind them that they’re in the Valley. They famously tried to secede from it in 2002. Sherman Oaks is beloved for its serene suburbia, general safety, and numerous shopping and recreation options. Sounds like the perfect candidate for JohnHart’s Neighborhood Watch column! The (Expanding) Boundaries of Sherman Oaks Photo credit: Cbl62 A sizable neighborhood, Sherman Oaks finds its northern borders stacked between Oxnard Street (where Van Nuys begins) and Burbank Boulevard (at the boundary of Valley Glen). The 405 freeway cuts its western border with Encino just beyond it. Coldwater Canyon Avenue separates it from Valley Village to the east. And its southern sector travels significantly into the Santa Monica Mountains, terminating at Mulholland Drive.  But Sher...

  Is there any false advertising quite so beloved as the California state flag? Emblazoned across the banner, a grizzly bear confidently strides across bountiful pastures lit by a single red star. Yet, you’re not likely to find any red stars above the Golden State. And in Southern California, pastoral green expanses are pretty rare, too. And, unless you’re visiting the zoo, you can rest assured you won’t see any grizzly bears in California. In fact, you’d have a better chance of finding Bigfoot. But this wasn’t always the case. And, if a growing collection of researchers, tribal leaders, and citizens have their say, it might not stay the case. Could the return of California grizzly bears be in our future?  The End of the California Grizzly Bears Photo credit: Envato Experts believe that around 10,000 grizzly bears once roamed across California, enjoying salmon and seal carcasses to their heart’s content. But by 1848, prospectors were descending on the st...

  Don’t call it a turf war. After all, the victor has already been declared. On October 13, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed California State Assembly Bill 1572 (AB 1572) into law, signaling that the state would no longer tolerate the use of potable water to irrigate non-functional turf on a variety of sites and developments. Homeowners associations are among those directly impacted by the California turf mandate, though they have until 2029 to meet compliance. Never heard of AB 1572? Wondering if it affects you? Then allow us to break it down for you.  Get to Know AB 1572: The California Turf Mandate Photo credit: Ruff tuff cream puff In an effort to curb wasteful use of potable water, AB 1572 prevents certain sites from utilizing potable water sources to irrigate non-functional turf. California considers non-functional turf as any mowed or manicured lawn utilized in a purely decorative manner. This means it doesn’t serve a functional purpose, suc...

  Featured image credit: Sidetrack Adventures Not too long ago, we shared a blog about the unlikely and unincorporated town of Amboy, California . Stationed near a dormant volcano, Amboy is a town that seems to exist in spite of its surrounding nothingness more than in service to any need. Sure, you can get gas there. And a cup of coffee. Maybe a souvenir if you’re so inclined. But Amboy is particularly a beacon for people seeking something a little harder to summarize in words. And as if to underscore that spirituality of the absurd, the gateway to Amboy is guarded by two statues often recognized as the Amboy lions. We don’t know where they came from. Or who left them. Or even why . But when traversing the Mojave, we’ll take all the good fortune we can find. Where to Find the Amboy Lions Photo credit: Mike Thomas Heading westward into California along historic Route 66, you’ll pass the Amboy lions about four miles east of Amboy. But if you’re not specifica...

  Featured image credit: Japanexperterna The convenience stores we’ve come to know in our travels are rapidly changing. In a pivot to meet the changing needs of consumers, convenience stores (often abbreviated to simply “c-stores”) are adopting vastly expanded menus while investing in appliance upgrades, store expansions, and innovations that prioritize convenience. No false advertising there! It’s a savvy move to combat the growing competition from supermarkets, fast food restaurants, and food delivery apps.  Looking Beyond Today Photo credit: Todd Van Hoosear While the number of convenience stores across America declined last year, c-store CEOs are still optimistic about the future of their revised business models. According to the 2025 NACS/NIQ TDLInx Convenience Industry Store Count, the number of convenience stores across the nation has declined by 0.1%. California, despite closing eight c-stores last year, remains just behind Texas as the st...

  Featured image: United States Department of Energy In Hollywood, studios compete to put their movies in front of as many eyes as possible. Yet, one studio did the opposite; working to make sure that no one saw their films unless absolutely necessary. In the sun-kissed Hollywood Hills California boasts as a center of creativity, Lookout Mountain Air Force Station stood alone as a high-production film and still photography studio that operated in absolute secrecy. And to say it was prolific is an understatement. Lookout Mountain allegedly churned out around 19,000 films during its two-decade run spanning 1947 to 1969. But we’ll be lucky if we see more than a few dozen of those in our lifetime.  G.I. Joe in Wonderland Photo credit: lookoutamerica.org In 1943, military developers selected an unassuming two acres of land alongside Wonderland Avenue in Laurel Canyon as the future site of the Los Angeles Flight Control Center. Its primary function? Coordi...

  Featured image credit: Photograph by Don Ramey Logan Angel’s Gate Lighthouse Don Ramey Logan.jpg from Wikimedia Commons License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Since 1913, a welcoming beacon has been greeting sea-weary captains as they enter the busiest container port in the country, Los Angeles Harbor. It’s a verdant glow that promises smooth sailing ahead; a visual equivalent to the moment a sailor disembarks from a galley to kiss the grainy ground beneath their feet. Earning its place on the National Register of Historic Places, it’s frequently regarded as Los Angeles Harbor Lighthouse but listed in the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Light List simply as Los Angeles Light. But chances are that if you know of it at all, you know it as Angels Gate Lighthouse.  Experience the Los Angeles Harbor Lighthouse… from Afar Photo credit: Don Haynes – Port of Los Angeles Landlubbers and seadogs alike will find the Los...