The Coolest Rocks in Southern California

Apples and Americana seem to go hand in hand. There’s mom’s apple pie, beloved serial trespasser Johnny Appleseed and, of course, the Apple Boulders of Perris, CA. This classic example of roadside art was cr...

On the way to Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear is Heart Rock Falls in the Valley of Enchantment. Sounds like the perfect place to take your honey for Valentine's! The actual falls are about a one mile round trip ...

It's not certain when the tradition started but at some point in recent history someone thought it would be a good idea to paint this spherical boulder as a jack-o-lantern. Overlooking the valley it can be s...

This flimsy looking precipice is not for the faint of heart nor for the out of shape. Even though you're in for a treat with beautiful scenery during the hike, this isn't the most secluded destination. When ...

Toothy, menacing fish heads surfacing from the dry desert landscape. What's not to love? Still, these rocks have divided locals since the '30s, starting a war that would see the fish heads painted, embellish...

As if the dry, harsh desert landscape of Joshua Tree isn’t enough to make you think of death, there’s a natural rock formation in the shape of a skull there that’ll do the trick, real quick. Water erosion ca...

If you’re heading north on Box Canyon Road, you can spot a woman’s face (or possibly a dude with long locks?) carved into the rock. Its origins are a mystery to us. Who made it? What’s behind that curious ex...

This moderate 6.4-mile trail is reached via the Pacific Crest Trail and is named for large pieces of granite that closely resemble the magnificent bird of prey. To get there park in front of the Warner Sprin...

A giant boulder accessible via an unmarked trail from the White Tank Campground has a natural formation in the shape of a heart. It's about 10 feet tall, rising out of a landscape strewn with boulders. Getti...

A large granite boulder is Tooth Rock and can be accessed via Rattlesnake Creek. The hike can be strenuous with a sharp elevation gain. It's about a 3.5-mile trail loop and you'll need roughly two to three h...

An elephantine rock on Highway 79 has been a mascot for a few causes. First, Hemet High baseball team painted "Uncle Wally's Elephant" on its side in 1967 after a popular coach at the school. After that the ...

No one really knows when this comic-strip-style eagle showed up but it's said to have appeared some time in the 1980s. To see it park in the Walgreens parking lot and walk west on Newport for half a mile. Ea...

Inside the Jumbo Rocks Campground, you'll find a 13-foot tall boulder that looks like a penguin (minus the tuxedo). A penguin in the desert, you say? Yep, we know, crazy stuff. To find Pinguino Rock, park in...

Another one of those unique Joshua Tree attractions that you won't find on any of the park maps. Samuelson Rocks are a series of boulders with words of wisdom carved into them by early homesteader John Samue...