Painted Rock Self-Guided Tour in Carrizo Plain National Monument

Read this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide to hiking the easy trail to Painted Rock, located near Soda Lake in Carrizo Plain National Monument. This activity near Bakersfield, California makes a great day trip from Los Angeles, providing visitors a chance to see ancient prehistoric Native American rock art that is still culturally significant today for the Chumash & Yokut indigenous peoples.

Arts & Culture, California, HikingDawn MarieJuly 22, 2024painted rock, painted rock carrizo plain, carrizo plain, carrizo plain national monument, national monument, carrizo, carrizo hiking, carrizo trails, california, central california, carrizo reservations, painted rock reservations, hiking to painted rock, painted rock trail, pictographs, petroglyphs, painted rock petroglyphs, painted rock pictographs, native american, native american art, native american rock art, rock art, indigenous art, indigenous, chumash, yokut, things to do in carrizo, places to go in carrizo, what to do in carrizo, bakersfield, what to do in bakersfield, things to do in bakersfield, where to go in bakersfield, things to do around bakersfield, places to go around bakersfield, los angeles road trip, la road trip, day trip, day trip from los angeles, los angeles, los angeles day trip, bakersfield things to do, bakersfield day trip, bakersfield activities, central valley, soda lake, wildflowers, where to see wildflowers, superbloom, carrizo flowers, native american culture, indigenous culture, chumash cultureComment

Ventura Botanical Gardens: A Lush Oasis with Coastal Views

Discover the Ventura Botanical Gardens in Ventura, CA, a lush hillside oasis with diverse ecosystems, flowers & plants from Mediterranean, Chile & South Africa. Nestled behind Ventura City Hall, the gardens offer stunning coastal views, abundant wildlife & a floral superbloom. Visit the Welcome Center and explore nearby Grant Park and the historic Serra Cross for a complete nature experience.

Trona Pinnacles - An Otherworldly Stop Near Death Valley

Read this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide to visiting Trona Pinnacles located near Ridgecrest, CA in the Searles Valley. This is a perfect stop when taking a road trip from Los Angeles to Death Valley National Park. This BLM land is filled with unique rock formations that have been used as a filming location for many TV shows, commercials & movies, and currently there are wildflowers blooming.

California, Desert, HikingDawn MarieMarch 4, 2024trona, trona pinnacles, pinnacles, tufa, tufas, tufa formations, rocks, rock formations, geology, geological, geological wonder, death valley, nearby death valley, near death valley, what to do around death valley, on the way to death valley, searles valley, road trip, 4x4, off road, kia, kia sorento, california, otherworldly, unique, uniqe formations, what to do, things to do, places to go, road trip ideas, ca road trip, ridgecrest, what to do in ridgecrest, things to do in ridgecrest, places to go in california, los angeles road trip, los angeles, la road trip, weekend trip, weekend road trip, death valley trip, death valley itinerary, death valley road trip, filming, filming location, movie location, desert, california desert, desert road trip, desert hike, hike, hiking, trails, wildflowers, where to see wildflowers, superbloom, desert superbloom, desert flowers, desert wildflowers, spires, columns, California Desert Conservation Area, CA Desert Conservation Area, desert camping, blm, bureau of land management, blm camping, camping, Desert Conservation Area, national natural landmark, natural landmark, landmark, nature, nature photography, photography spot, photo spot, death valley photo spots, best places, astrophotography, film locationComment

Spring Wildflowers at Carrizo Plain National Monument

Read this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide to seeing the Spring wildflowers at Carrizo Plain National Monument just a couple hours north of Los Angeles, California. This is top spot to see a flower superbloom, look for wildlife, and bird watch, and is one of the best things to do in Bakersfield. Soda Lake is currently filled with water and the San Andreas Fault can be seen running through the park.

Spring Wildflowers at Wind Wolves Preserve

There are some great places to see wildflowers in California right now. Read this Flying Dawn Marie travel blog about hiking the Wildflower Loop Trail at WInd Wolves Preserve, located just north of Los Angeles near the Grapevine in Bakersfield, CA. The abundant rains have created lush fields at this Central Valley park, making it one of the top spots to see Spring wildflowers this year.

Snowy Scenes at Wind Wolves Preserve

Snow has fallen in Los Angeles and across Southern California with recent storms, so today we're exploring the winter scenes at Wind Wolves Preserve just north of LA near the i5 Grapevine. Visiting this park is one of the top things to do in Bakersfield, CA with the rolling hills, abundant wildlife, and miles of hiking trails. Read this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide for all the details.

Visiting Fort Tejon State Historic Park North of Los Angeles

Read this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide to visiting Fort Tejon State Historic Park along the Grapevine north of Los Angeles. If you're looking for things to do in Bakersfield, this California State Park offers an opportunity to see what life was like on this military fort two centuries ago. Here you'll find reconstructed buildings, original structures, history about the area, and wildlife.

Corriganville Park & Movie Ranch

Today we're stepping back in time as we explore an old film location just north of Los Angeles in Simi Valley. Corriganville Park was home to sound stages, a man-made lake, and entire western town that were backdrops for 3,000 movies, TV shows, and commercials.

Arts & Culture, California, Hiking, Southern CaliforniaDawn MarieApril 4, 2022corriganville park, corriganville, movie location, movie ranch, film location, simi valley, southern california, california, western, los angelesComment

Grimes Canyon Overlook

Located just north of Los Angeles in Moorpark, California, Grimes Canyon overlook is a perfect place to capture long exposure photography. The horseshoe bend in the highway during rush hour traffic provides beautiful light trails from the busy road. Join me in discovering all you need to know before visiting this Instagrammable spot.

Hiking, Mountains, Outdoors, Southern California, CaliforniaDawn MarieDecember 7, 2020los angeles, california, southern california, simi valley, moorpark, fillmore, highway, long exposure, overlook, viewpoint, sunsetComment

Malibu's Magical El Matador Beach

Located inside Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach, El Matador is one of Malibu's most beautiful "not so secret" hidden gems. From striking 100 foot sheer cliff-top views to towering sea stacks, this is a magical beach.

Beach, California, Outdoors, Southern California, State ParksDawn MarieNovember 23, 2020los angeles, malibu, beach, beaches, el matador, state park, state beach, southern california, pacific ocean, pch, pacific coast highway, sea cavesComment

Pasadena City Hall

As we head out to the polls to vote this week, let's explore one of our local government buildings. Recognized as Pawnee City Hall from the NBC show Parks & Rec, Pasadena City Hall is a popular film and photography location due to its beautiful architecture and historic charm.

Arts & Culture, California, Southern CaliforniaDawn MarieNovember 2, 2020pasadena, los angeles, city hall, southern california, california, architecture, film location, pawnee, parks and rec, leslie knope, ron swanson, voting, government, government buildingComment

A Stroll Through SoCal Lavender Fields

Today we're visiting Southern California's largest certified organic lavender fields. Located an hour outside of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County, 123 Farm is located at the historic Highland Springs Ranch and Inn. Every Summer over 20 acres of Instagrammable and photo worthy lavender fields bloom here.

Southern California, OutdoorsDawn MarieJuly 20, 2020lavendar, los angeles, san bernardino, lavender fields, farm, field, organic, california, southern californiaComment

Santa Cruz Island - Channel Islands NP

Santa Cruz Island is the largest of the 5 islands which make up Channel Islands National Park. Of the 9 National Parks located in California, this is the only one you can't reach by car. Join me today in exploring massive sea caves and all kinds of wildlife, including island foxes, dolphins, and bald eagles.