The hiking, camping, day trips and more that will make your SoCal summer one to remember

Good morning. It’s Saturday, June 1. I am Jaclyn Cosgrove, an outdoors journalist at The Times. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• Hiking and camping season are here. Make the best of it with these tips.
• The contrasting days of a former and current president: Trump conviction and Biden’s attempt to tame the war in Gaza.
• How bad will a California COVID wave get if FLiRT subvariants continue to rise?
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper

“Adventure is out there!”

In just two miles, my hike had climbed almost 1,700 feet in elevation. As I went up the Vital Link Trail in Burbank, I thought, “I will never do this again.”

But then, a lounge chair built to honor Willie Mann greeted me at the top. I sat down, put my hand to my heart in gratitude to Willie’s friends and family and took in the panoramic views of L.A. County.

For the past few months, a group of Times writers and contributors have worked to launch and improve our guides that will help you make the most of this adventurous season.

I’d like to share with you my advice for how you can easily escape Los Angeles and have a truly great summer. The research is already done for you.

Our updated hiking guide includes hikes for all skill levels, like …

• The shady (and relatively flat) 2.4-mile Elysian Park West Loop Trail that Times staff writer Deborah Vankin wrote “may be the ultimate urban trail in L.A. — intimately connected to the surrounding city while also steeped in tranquil wildlife.”
• The moderate Bridge to Nowhere hike, where you can gaze upon, indeed, a bridge to nowhere. The trail could leave you with “a renewed recognition of the puniness of mankind and the might of the San Gabriels,” Times staff writer Christopher Reynolds wrote.

(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

If you want to stay longer in the woods, I have good news for you: there are many camping and backpacking opportunities near L.A.

I wrote a guide for how to snag a campsite at one of the many first-come, first-serve campgrounds in L.A. If you want something easy, check out one of the beginner-level campgrounds, like Chilao Campground, a high-desert-with-forest-vibes spot in Angeles National Forest.

Or, try your hand at bikepacking. I recommend taking the West Fork National Scenic Bikeway, a stunningly green, mostly paved path north of Azusa, about six miles to the Glenn Camp Campground. I spotted a deer, several birdies and a few squirrels, including one who ran alongside my bike before springing off into a tree.

When you visit these trails or campgrounds, please practice the seven principles of Leave No Trace, a simple framework to help us remember to leave only footprints and take only memories (and photos). Arguably its most well-known principle is to not leave behind any trash (hot take: including orange peels).

Our 101 best West Coast experiences guide is an embarrassment of riches.

Carry that mindfulness with you as you explore farther north, using our 101 best West Coast experiences guide to everything awesome from Baja to British Columbia. It is also available in a zine, which would make a great gift (hint, hint, Mom).

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Spend the night in the East Brother Light Station, a lighthouse on an island in the San Francisco Bay. Check out Fauna, a restaurant led by chef David Castro Hussong, in Baja’s Guadalupe Valley, where Christopher got one of the best meals he had last year.

The guide also highlights free activities, including the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, where you might just spot elephant seals making love (probably loudly?). You didn’t have that on your bingo card, did you?

For shorter, closer-to-home experiences, check out Christopher’s guide on the best ways to kick off your summer in L.A.

Lastly, for those of you who plan to stay close to home, you can forage in your own neighborhood. For real!

My colleague Jeanette Marantos recently considered one of the most L.A. ethical quandaries: Should you pick fruit from your neighbor’s tree? If so, when? Half of the 855 readers who replied said it’s OK when the branches are full of fruit and hanging over a public street or sidewalk. But is it legal? You’ll have to read Jeanette’s piece to find out.

Sometimes when I’m planning my next hike or camping trip, I hear Ellie from the Pixar film “Up” shouting, “Adventure is out there!” Or maybe that’s just Little Jaclyn, my inner child, ready to party. Either way, I will see you on the trails.

The week’s biggest stories

(Alpenglow Expeditions)

Trump conviction:

• Trump rages, Biden struggles to tame the war in Gaza: The contrasting days of a former and current president.
• Trump plans to raise money in California in the aftermath of felony convictions.
• ‘Stormy’ filmmakers explain how Daniels helped convict Trump: ‘Let’s give the woman her due.’
• Most California Republicans in competitive congressional races are silent on Trump’s conviction.
• Column: 3 things about the Trump conviction that should be getting more attention.
• Column: The jury has spoken. What happens next will be a great test of American democracy.
• Newsletter: How’s Trump’s conviction will — and won’t — impact his 2024 chances.

UC strike:

• Big expansion of UC strike over pro-Palestinian protests: Irvine, San Diego, Santa Barbara next.
• Police arrest protesters on UC Santa Cruz campus after ordering them to leave encampment.
• UC strike also rears up as pro-Palestinian protests. That’s why the endgame is so tricky.
• Kaffiyehs and pickets: UCLA, UC Davis workers strike over treatment at pro-Palestinian protests.

Policing and incarceration:

• For some incarcerated women, getting ahold of menstrual products is a nightmare.
• Off-duty LAPD officer shoots, kills motorist after dispute after fender bender.
• Schoolchildren sickened by cloud of tear gas in police training mishap.

Mexico election:

• Millions of Mexicans will vote tomorrow, likely to elect the country’s first woman president.
• She’s likely to be Mexico’s next president. Can she save the country from cartel violence?

Health and science:

• The FLiRT subvariants are rising: How bad will a California COVID wave get?
• Signs of rising COVID in California as new FLiRT subvariants dominate.
• Los Angeles could end COVID vaccination rule for city employees.
• The more women followed this diet, the longer they lived.

More big stories:

• Made it! Californian climbers use pioneering techniques to summit Mt. Everest.
• State audit finds major backlog of wage theft claims in California.
• Topanga Canyon Boulevard to reopen Sunday, months ahead of schedule.
• How Beyond Meat is trying to get its sizzle back.
• John Lennon’s newly repaired 12-string ‘Help!’ guitar sells for a record $2.85 million.
• Solar project to destroy thousands of Joshua trees in the Mojave Desert.

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Commentary and opinions

• Harry Litman: Does it matter that Donald Trump just became a convicted criminal? Of course it does.
• LZ Granderson: With this guilty verdict, Trump has gone full Bond villain.
• Gustavo Arellano: The very L.A. lessons at the heart of reality TV smash ‘Vanderpump Rules.’
• Editorial: Phew. Anti-transgender measure won’t be on the November ballot.

Today’s great reads

(Matt Huynh / For The Times)

A guide to mental health in Vietnamese. How to talk about family, grief, trauma and more, in Vietnamese, according to experts and community members.

One more great read:

• In the ‘gay capital’ of Asia, Chinese LGBTQ+ emigres look to build a new life.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your downtime

(Jeffrey Dirkse / For The Times)

Going out (in Las Vegas)

• 🎰🌆 Here’s how to conquer the new Las Vegas.
• 🍹 Everywhere you need to eat right now, on and off the Strip.
• 🎢 9 immersive experiences you should book ASAP.

Staying in

• 📖 10 books to add to your reading list in June.
• 🧑‍🍳 Here’s a recipe for skillet chicken thighs with peas & pickled chiles.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

How well did you follow the news this week? Take our quiz.

(Times staff and wire photos)

Which actor lends his voice to the lasagna-loving feline in the new release ‘The Garfield Movie’? Plus nine other questions from our weekly news quiz.

Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team:

Jaclyn Cosgrove, reporter
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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