Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [48]
State parks are a little more relaxed. Good ‘chain-gang’ destinations include Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, east of San Diego. Most of the national forests and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands are also open to mountain bikers. Just be sure to stay on the tracks and not create new ones.
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For online reviews of dozens of mountain-bike trails, check out www.dirtworld.com. Product reviews can be found at www.mtbr.com.
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Most towns have at least one bike rental place; many are listed throughout this book. Prices range from about $5 to $8 per hour and $15 to $30 per day (more for high-tech mountain bikes), depending on the type of bike and rental location. For short tours, staff at the local tourist offices can supply you with ideas, maps and advice. For the inside scoop on the local scene, check with the folks in the rental shops.
Other resources:
Adventure Cycling Association ( 800-775-2453; www.adventurecycling.org) Trip-planning resources such as the Cyclist’s Yellow Pages.
Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition ( 213-629-2142; www.labike.org)
Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition (www.sbbike.org) Includes downloadable tours of Sideways wine country.
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GOLF
Most cities and regions of Southern California have public courses with reasonable greens fees, although many of the top-ranked courses are at private golf clubs, where you have to be invited by a member to be allowed in, or get a referral from the pro at your home club (which doesn’t always guarantee admission, depending on the exclusivity of the club). Semiprivate clubs are open to nonmembers, except at peak times, such as Saturday and Sunday mornings – check individual clubs for exact times. The Palm Springs and Coachella Valley area is the undisputed golfing mecca of SoCal with more than 100 courses; San Diego and surrounding areas have over 80.
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WANT MORE TO DO? SURE!
If none of the activities outlined in this chapter appeal, rest assured that there’s plenty of other stuff going on in SoCal. Rock hounds can test their mettle on world-class climbs in Joshua Tree National Park. Like to hook a tuna or sea bass? Fishing is free from municipal piers or get a license and go salty on a sport-fishing trip leaving year-round from such places as Balboa Island in Newport Beach, Fisherman’s Village in Marina del Rey in Los Angeles and Mission Bay in San Diego. Trolling for trout? Head to Big Bear Lake in the mountains east of LA. If you’d like to explore the water under your own steam, rent a yacht, jet skis or paddle boat. Sheltered Mission Bay is a particularly fine spot for this kind of thrill. Del Mar in San Diego’s North County, meanwhile, is the SoCal ballooning capital – is there anything more romantic than floating into the sunset? Or channel your inner John Wayne and head into the mountains on horseback. Some of the best rides are in, of all places, Los Angeles. Indoors, yoga studios abound, especially in Los Angeles, where they keep inventing new spins on the downward dog. Try yoga for athletes, power yoga, Bikram yoga (in a heated room) or martial arts yoga. Classes cost about $15 to $20.
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Greens fees vary hugely, from $25 to $250 or more for 18 holes, depending on the course, season and day of the week, and that usually doesn’t include the cart rental. Always book a tee time in advance or ask about walk-up policies. For information on golf courses throughout Southern California check out the following websites:
Coachella Valley (www.golfcoachellavalley.com)
Los Angeles (www.laparks.org/dos/sports/golf.htm)
Orange County (www.playocgolf.com)
Palm Springs (www.palmspringsteetimes.com)
San Diego (www.golfsd.com)
Santa Barbara (www.santabarbara.com/activities/golf)
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Golfers can save money – sometimes by as much as 50% – by booking twilight play. For a public course directory go