Golden hour over Southern California foothills
Field Guide · Volume I

Trade the screen for the trail.

19 self-guided scavenger hunts. 163+ stops across Southern California — coast, mountains, desert, studio backlots, river trails, and after-dark blocks. Pick a place. Follow the clues. See what you've been walking past.

CoastalMountainDesertTrailUrbanStudiosHistoric & SuburbanNightlife · 21+
Yorba Linda
Suburban · Easy

Yorba Linda

The Land of Gracious Living, hiding in plain sight.

7 stops~2.5 hoursBegin →
Irvine
Suburban · Easy

Irvine

A master-planned city with wilder edges than its grid suggests.

6 stops~3 hoursBegin →
Idyllwild
Mountain · Moderate

Idyllwild

A village in the pines, where every corner has a story carved in stone or bark.

6 stops~3 hoursBegin →
Big Bear
Mountain · Moderate

Big Bear

An alpine lake town where the pines outnumber the people, just barely.

6 stops~3 hoursBegin →
Newport Beach
Coastal · Easy

Newport Beach

Pier pilings, tidepools, and the quiet streets behind the sand.

6 stops~3 hoursBegin →
Santa Monica
Coastal · Easy

Santa Monica

A pier, a palisade, and 3.5 miles of LA's most photographed coastline.

6 stops~2.5 hoursBegin →
Long Beach
Coastal · Easy

Long Beach

Cabrillo's calm cove to the downtown waterfront — all on the bike path.

9 stops~2.5–3.5 hours walking · 45 min bikingBegin →
Santa Barbara
Coastal · Easy

Santa Barbara

The American Riviera, where every red-tile roof has a backstory.

6 stops~3 hoursBegin →
Burbank & Studio City
Studios · Easy

Burbank & Studio City

Where the magic gets made — backlots, water towers, and Bob's Big Boy at midnight.

6 stops~3 hoursBegin →
Culver City
Studios · Easy

Culver City

The little town that made The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, and most of Hollywood's golden age.

12 stops~2.5 hoursBegin →
Glendale
Urban · Easy

Glendale

An art deco downtown wedged between two mountain ranges and a famous cemetery.

6 stops~3 hoursBegin →
Pasadena
Historic · Easy

Pasadena

Craftsman bungalows, the Colorado Street Bridge, and a hundred years of January roses.

12 stops~3 hoursBegin →
Downtown LA
Urban · Easy

Downtown LA

Tile, marble, and sky — the city's old heart, walked or scootered.

9 stops~3 hoursBegin →
San Diego
Coastal · Moderate

San Diego

Spanish missions, navy ships, and a park bigger than Central Park.

12 stops~4 hoursBegin →
Joshua Tree
Desert · Moderate

Joshua Tree

Where two deserts meet, the boulders climb themselves, and Gram Parsons is the local saint.

12 stops~5 hoursBegin →
Palm Springs
Desert · Easy

Palm Springs

A mid-century desert oasis at the foot of an 11,000-foot mountain.

6 stops~Half dayBegin →
Santa Ana River Trail
Trail · Moderate

Santa Ana River Trail

Canyon mouth to open ocean — 30 miles of paved riverbank.

12 stops~3–4 hours biking · full day walking in sectionsBegin →
Sunset Strip After Dark
Nightlife · 21+ · Easy

Sunset Strip After Dark

A mile and a half of neon, rock'n'roll ghosts, and the bars still keeping the lights on.

12 stops~3–5 hoursBegin →
Orange County After Dark
Nightlife · 21+ · Easy

Orange County After Dark

Brick-alley speakeasies, beach-town dives, and the patios where OC actually loosens its tie.

12 stops~5–6 hoursBegin →
Browse by terrain

19 places. One unhurried way of looking.

Coastal

  • Newport Beach Pier pilings, tidepools, and the quiet streets behind the sand.
  • Santa Monica A pier, a palisade, and 3.5 miles of LA's most photographed coastline.
  • Long Beach Cabrillo's calm cove to the downtown waterfront — all on the bike path.
  • Santa Barbara The American Riviera, where every red-tile roof has a backstory.
  • San Diego Spanish missions, navy ships, and a park bigger than Central Park.

Mountain

  • Idyllwild A village in the pines, where every corner has a story carved in stone or bark.
  • Big Bear An alpine lake town where the pines outnumber the people, just barely.

Desert

  • Joshua Tree Where two deserts meet, the boulders climb themselves, and Gram Parsons is the local saint.
  • Palm Springs A mid-century desert oasis at the foot of an 11,000-foot mountain.

Trail

  • Santa Ana River Trail Canyon mouth to open ocean — 30 miles of paved riverbank.

Urban

  • Downtown LA Tile, marble, and sky — the city's old heart, walked or scootered.
  • Glendale An art deco downtown wedged between two mountain ranges and a famous cemetery.

Studios

  • Burbank & Studio City Where the magic gets made — backlots, water towers, and Bob's Big Boy at midnight.
  • Culver City The little town that made The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, and most of Hollywood's golden age.

Historic & Suburban

  • Pasadena Craftsman bungalows, the Colorado Street Bridge, and a hundred years of January roses.
  • Yorba Linda The Land of Gracious Living, hiding in plain sight.
  • Irvine A master-planned city with wilder edges than its grid suggests.

Nightlife · 21+

  • Sunset Strip After Dark A mile and a half of neon, rock'n'roll ghosts, and the bars still keeping the lights on.
  • Orange County After Dark Brick-alley speakeasies, beach-town dives, and the patios where OC actually loosens its tie.
How it works

Curiosity is the only equipment required.

01

Pick a place

19 hunts, each self-contained — coast to mountain to desert to studio backlot to river trail.

02

Follow the clues

Riddles guide you stop to stop. Your phone unlocks each next clue when you arrive.

03

Notice everything

The point isn't the prize. The point is the looking.