Amid COVID reopening, take a Northern California road trip latimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from latimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
When will your favorite California attractions reopen?
Wondering when your beloved Golden State destinations will reopen? Times assistant travel editor Mary Forgione and travel writer Christopher Reynolds have teamed up to tell readers when more than 50 of the state’s top visitor destinations
Hoping to stop by
Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace on your next trip to Joshua Tree National Park? It’s open, but live music is limited, Forgione and Reynolds report. Meanwhile, you’ll soon be all clear to visit the
Monterey Bay Aquarium, which opens to the public May 15.
What’s still closed? Hearst Castle, Coit Tower and Exploratorium in San Francisco and Big Basin Redwoods State Park, which is closed because of damage from the CZU Lightning Complex fires.
Fast forward to summer with these beachy adventures
Hikers can savor commanding views of sea, sky and sand at Point Dume.
(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
April 1, 2021 7 AM PT
Design and illustrations by Jade Cuevas
Good morning! With highs in the 80s this week, it feels as if summer has come early to Southern California.
To celebrate the warm weather, in this edition of Escapes you’ll find hikes along the Pacific and a low-effort beach camping experience all within 120 miles of Los Angeles.
You’ll also find a reader recommendation as well as a must-have tool for planning your road trip. Safe and happy travels this weekend, wherever your adventures take you.
Design and illustrations by Jade Cuevas
Good morning, travelers. It’s surreal to think that one year ago, we were just days away from entering lockdown. So much has changed since then, including the way we travel and experience the world around us.
For the record:
2:32 PM, Mar. 11, 2021In a previous version, the Alabama Hills portion of this newsletter referred to Interstate 395. U.S. 395 is a highway, not a freeway.
Since I began writing Escapes last summer, you’ve sent me your recommendations for low-risk, outdoor destinations. Nothing makes me smile more than a travel tip from a reader: Throughout the pandemic, they’ve been a constant reminder that Southern California is home to unmatched beauty and recreational opportunities.
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Looking for a new way to experience Griffith Park? Don’t miss
this GPS-enabled app that “uses music to illuminate the natural environment.”
“Ellen Reid Soundwalk,” created by composer and sound artist Ellen Reid, plays music that has been geocoded to locations across the park. Some tracks play for 20 seconds, while others play for 20 minutes. Visitors to the park are guaranteed a different experience each time they wander the trails.
Times arts and culture writer Deborah Vankin recently spoke with Reid to
learn more about the app and what Griffith Park means to her as an artist. “The discoveries and inspirations that have come from being in that amazing landscape are infinite,” Reid said.