Lovers of the great outdoors can choose their own adventure at this state park in the Santa Monica Mountains.

On the Temescal Canyon Loop, hardcore hikers experience calf-burning pain but are rewarded with awe-inspiring views of the LA basin and Pacific Ocean. There's even a waterfall about 1.3 miles into this trail, but due to Southern California's pitiful rainy seasons it looks more like a waterdribble. The trail leading up to the fall is quite lovely, offering eye-pleasing foliage, ocean breezes and views of some pretty gnarly rock formations. For the less adventurous hiker there's also the .4-mile Sunset Trail, which keeps it short and sweet. However, if you get a burst of energy and decide to press on, the Sunset Trail connects to the Canyon Trail, which connects to the Backbone Trail in Topanga State Park—and that's one long-ass hike, so don't head out there without water and sustenance. And if you want to make your Temescal jaunt sound more intense, take the ridge trail to Skull Rock, popular not just because it sounds like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean.