Erin Rode

1 week ago | sfgate.com | Erin Rode

As hikers begin the grueling climb from the trailhead, they look down on the 36,000-pound statue of Marilyn Monroe, the palm trees lining Palm Canyon Drive and the throngs of tourists crowding under misters on hot days. Elevation at the trailhead is just 487 feet above sea level, but after hours and hours of forging uphill, successful hikers will eventually reach Mount San Jacinto, elevation 10,831 feet.

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Erin Rode

People in and around the burn zone may have been exposed to the toxic chemical through ash from the wildfires.. Jairo Perez walked out of the parking lot of God's Waiting Room Church in Altadena, Calif., on a recent Saturday with his 9-year-old son, each with matching bandages in the crook of their elbows. They had just gotten their blood drawn to test for lead exposure.

1 week ago | sfgate.com | Erin Rode

The rare sight in often dry Southern California has attracted generations of hikers, but for the past several years the trek to the falls has been off-limits to the public. Now, the popular hiking area is finally reopened to visitors, and the waterfall is as majestic as ever. The trail to Sturtevant Falls starts at Chantry Flat, a popular recreation area tucked just a few miles north of the city of Arcadia.

3 weeks ago | sfgate.com | Erin Rode

Irvine’s Great Park is supposed to be the long-awaited crown jewel of the meticulously master-planned suburb in Orange County. Currently around 500 acres in size and still under construction, the park is expected to ultimately span 1,300 acres, making it larger than New York City’s Central Park (and larger than San Francisco’s 1,017-acre Golden Gate Park). Once completed, Great Park is expected to be one of the largest municipal parks in the country.

3 weeks ago | sfgate.com | Erin Rode

The tree has had several nicknames over the years, including the Wishing Tree and the Tree of Life, but the Wisdom Tree seems to be the name that’s stuck. There are a few circulating stories as to how the tree got there. According to one popular theory, back in the 1980s, McDonald’s gave away free tree saplings on Arbor Day, and one dedicated resident hauled his baby pine tree to the top of Burbank Peak and planted it.