If you had to choose a place that offered a wide variety of terrains and great weather throughout the year, you would be hard pressed to do better than Southern California. And since the region is blessed with such wonderful conditions it is an ideal place for doing something outdoors: everything from sea kayaking in the Pacific to rock climbing in Joshua Tree are within a few hours of a major metropolitan area. This is especially true if you want to strap on your hiking boots, travel just a few miles and take in the natural bounty the area has to offer.

Los Angeles offers up the majestic San Gabriels and the Santa Monica Mountains, but no one should ignore San Diego and its own brand of great rambles. Here then are three short hikes on the coastal outskirts of San Diego where you can find peace and quiet, wonderful views and plenty of wildlife: Bayside Trail, a two-mile hike that takes you first to the famed Point Loma Lighthouse before wending through the tranquil bluffs overlooking San Diego Bay; Cabrillo Tide Pools, which offers an easy one-mile hike where at low tide you can find a dazzling array of sea creatures, from octopus to periwinkles; and Razor Point and Beach Trail Loop, a two-mile trail through rolling terrain that takes you over rugged sandstone cliffs and through headlands populated by Torrey Pines--one of only two such places in the world where this tree grows--all the while providing magnificent views of the bay and Pacific Ocean beyond.