People who’ve never visited Los Angeles, California probably have assumptions about the city and what to expect. One of the most accurate LA stereotypes, though, is that we love to hike. And LA – or California for that matter – has no shortage of stunning hikes with ocean views to explore. 

Malibu, which has both the Santa Monica Mountains and a beautiful coastline (seriously, the water is bluer there!), has multiple hiking trails available. However, not all of them have ocean views or enough available parking. If you’re looking for one of the best beach hikes in Los Angeles my recommendation is to check out the Zuma Ridge Trail. Even on a weekend we were able to find parking. Plus, there was only a handful of other hikers on the trail, which is great for those looking to avoid the crowds. 
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In total, the trail is about 5.6 miles, so it’s definitely a longer hike, but the views are totally worth it. Zumba Ridge Trail is also a dog-friendly hike so definitely feel free to bring your fur baby along with you. Those of us who love to say hello to dogs will also be grateful your pup joined you too. 

Contrary to the wise words of TLC, I’m all for chasing waterfalls. In fact, I recently saw my very first waterfall in the Los Angeles area, and if you’re in search of natural beauty and off the beaten path spots in LA, keep reading!
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I started my outdoor adventure by driving up to Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks, California. This area is about 30 miles northwest of Hollywood, so if you’re just visiting LA, I highly recommend renting a car for this day trip. 

Once you get out of Hollywood onto the freeway, it’s smooth sailing, but in the event you do hit traffic on the way there just consider it another part of the authentic Angeleno experience.

There was plenty of free parking available at Wildwood Regional Park, even for a Saturday afternoon. The trail begins right where the parking is located. Once you're on the trail, you'll follow the signs that lead to Paradise Falls.

The hike to the waterfall is pretty fantastic too, but there is a lot of open space with minimal shade so definitely pack a hat, water bottle, and sunblock with you. Along the way, you'll see gorgeous mountains and hills, as well as a reconstructed Native American teepee where you can have a seat if you need a quick break. 

Once I finally made it to Paradise Falls, it was an incredible grand finale to my hike. There are rocks around where you can sit to admire this beautiful place. To get an even better view (and pictures) of the waterfall, I recommend crossing the stream to the other side. You’ll likely see other hikers doing this too. Unfortunately, there’s only some rocks in place to cross the stream on, so be sure to bring some good shoes and plenty of balance. For what it’s worth, I have terrible balance and didn’t get my feet wet, so you should be okay!

The trail to the waterfall is a moderate one, and it should only take you about a half hour to get the falls. However, if you’re looking for more hiking, there are additional trails at the park you can explore as well.

Tip: Try to get here before the weather starts to become really warm in June and July. Thousand Oaks is located deep in the valley of LA country, which is notorious for being extra hot. 

​To finish out my series on the best Instagram spots in the cities I’ve lived is the place I grew up: Grand Rapids, Michigan. What was once a sleepy downtown is now a thriving Midwest hub. The city of Grand Rapids is filled with new, high-rise apartment buildings and exciting businesses. From locally-owned boutiques in Eastown to trendy bars and restaurants downtown, it’s more alive than ever. And what better way to show that off than with the best instagrammable spots in Grand Rapids? These top Grand Rapids photo spots will provide you with stunning backdrops, bold colors, interesting art, and more. 

La Grande Vitesse
Starting off the list is Grand Rapids’ artistic claim to fame and a long-standing symbol of the city. La Grande Vitesse – or the Calder sculpture – is located downtown in Calder Plaza. It was created by American artist Alexander Calder, whose iconic red sculptures can be found in museums, galleries, and gardens all over. What makes La Grande Vitesse so Instagram-worthy isn’t just its ties to the city (though that’s certainly a major factor), but also the variety of options you can use for your photo. Of course, there’s the obvious idea to take a photo of the sculpture in its entirety. However, if you want to mix it up for additional shots, you can utilize the beautiful bright red of the sculpture as a colorful backdrop. Simply walk right up against the sculpture and frame your photo so that you only see red in the background and boom: Instagram ready!

Corner of Monroe Center and Ottawa
This corner in front of Madcap Coffee in downtown Grand Rapids provides a great urban backdrop for your photos thanks to the gorgeous architecture of the buildings and the brick road that runs along Monroe Center. You can opt for either portrait style or a regular background, but my personal recommendation is using this backdrop in portrait mode. For the optimal shot, stand across the street in front of the Grand Rapids Art Museum to get the full backdrop behind you. 

Ah-Nab-Awen Park
Located on Pearl St. in front of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Ah-Nab-Awen Park is a perfect spot to capture a beautiful view of Grand Rapids. There is plenty of interesting parts in this particular viewpoint that will create a beautiful photo for your Instagram, including the Grand River, Pearl Street Bridge, and city skyscrapers and buildings. Your ideal photo times will be either a sunny day or at night to capture the city lights. 

Follow Your Heart Mural
Murals are wonderful to photograph and as Grand Rapids grows, so does its access to beautiful artwork. The reason I picked this one in particular is because it also represents a positive, uplifting message with the phrase ‘Follow Your Heart’. This mural can be found at 368 Diamond Ave. SE – an eclectic, growing neighborhood just outside downtown. Created by artist Dave Battjes, this mural is somewhat hidden on a side street, which means you won’t have other folks walking into your shot and you can take more time so that you get the perfect image for your feed.

One of the meanings of the word ‘Zion’ is that it’s meant to describe a heavenly place – a Utopia if you will. I’m not exactly a very religious person, so I did look that up to confirm. That being said, it’s no wonder one of the most stunning national parks in the United States bears that name. I didn’t think it could get much prettier than Capitol Reef, but Zion National Park took my breath away. It’s absolutely stunning. You’ll find yourself taking more pictures than you can possibly imagine. That’s because you think you’ve seen the most beautiful spot, only to see one even more gorgeous just 10 minutes later.

The park was our second stop in Utah. It was significantly busier than Capitol Reef, but it’s understandable considering Zion is more well-known. Global pandemic or not, I’d definitely recommend trying to go here during the off-season. It was busier, but we were able to still find parking and the weather wasn’t unbearably hot. 

Dad and I decided to hike the Watchmen Trail, which is one of the moderate ones. It seems a lot of other people chose to do this trail too. In the time of Covid, it can feel a little nerve-wracking since the width of the trail itself isn’t very big, but everyone was super courteous of one another. People would take turns going to the side so others could pass. It can feel like a long hike going up, but I honestly think it’s for several reasons: you’re going uphill and you’re regularly stopping to let others pass and to take pictures. The top of the trail was pretty but honestly there were so many incredible views on the way up as well. Going back down we even spotted some deer relaxing in the shade. Of course, it’s best to just leave the wildlife alone, which we did. 

As far as lodging, visitors can camp at the park, but if a hotel is your thing, you can stay in the nearby town of Hurricane. I kid you not, that’s the name of it.
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Next up, it’s the last big stop on our trip: The Grand Canyon 

​Michigan is hands-down a beautiful state – well, except for that whole pesky winter thing (sorry snow bunnies!). There’s certainly plenty of great trails to go hiking on, and even though gyms are open, there are many of us still more comfortable exercising outside or at home.

Now, as someone who’s hiked in both California and Michigan, it’s no secret that California does have a leg up on that whole elevation thing. That’s not to say Michigan’s trails are any less awesome, but hiking up a mountain is a much more strenuous workout than a relatively flat trail. The good news is that I found a trail that actually kicked my butt – quite literally.

The Walk-a-Mile trail at Hoffmaster State Park was a great find. It starts you at the parking lot and takes you to the beach. If it’s a hot day, I totally recommend packing a swimsuit and going for a jump in the lake while you’re there. Once you are at the beach you’ll then hang a left where you’ll keeping walking until you see an opening to head back up to the trail in the forest. This is the part that was actually a really solid workout. The hill going back up is pretty steep and it’s all sand, so the combination really worked my legs and butt. Then, once you’re at the top it’s kind of fun because you sort of glide down with the sand through the trees and come out at the parking lot. 

So, even though the trail itself is a little shorter, if you’re looking for a hike in West Michigan with a little more elevation, I definitely recommend this one. Plus, you get a great view of Lake Michigan while you’re there!