Outdoor SoCal

San Diego Surf Festival
2026-10-14 - 2026-10-18
The San Diego Surf Festival celebrates surf culture through various activities including the screening of international surf films, art shows, and surfing events.
The festival has grown significantly since its inception in 2012, evolving from a grassroots event to one of the most respected and longest-running surf festivals in the world. It focuses on highlighting the creative talents within the surfing community, including filmmakers, surfers, shapers, and artists, rather than the red-carpet hype. The festival’s success is attributed to the deep bonds and community spirit within the surfing world in San Diego.

Filthy Fifty Mountain Bike Race 2026
2026-10-31
The 12th Annual Filthy 50+ is a mountain bike ride scheduled for Saturday, October 31, 2026, taking place in and around San Dieguito River Park and Black Mountain Park in northern San Diego County. The event features two primary distance options—a 30-mile route and a 50-plus-mile route—both starting from the San Pasqual Staging Area near Bandy Canyon Road in Escondido. The 30-mile course follows an out-and-back format, while the longer route continues into Black Mountain Park and includes additional trail segments arranged in a lollipop-style loop.
The course travels across a mix of wide multi-use trails and narrower singletrack, with terrain described as generally fast and flowing and suitable for a range of riding abilities. Routes are fully marked, and multiple feed stations are positioned along the course. Because the trails remain open to the public during the event, riders are expected to share the route with hikers, equestrians, and other trail users, particularly in areas with switchbacks and limited sightlines.
In addition to the main rides, the event includes a short kids’ ride held earlier in the morning, with on-site and online registration available. The Filthy 50+ typically offers multiple rider categories based on distance, age, and equipment, as well as timing and results tracking. Registration is expected to open in summer 2026 and will close once capacity is reached or shortly before the event date.

Here’s a video about the 2022 race:

Jeep Jamboree Death Valley 2026
2026-11-05 - 2026-11-07
The Jeep Jamboree in Death Valley is an annual off-road event that brings together Jeep enthusiasts from all over the world to explore the rugged terrain and scenic vistas of Death Valley National Park. Joining a team of expert guides, participants visit points of interest such as Titus Canyon, Wildrose Charcoal Kilns, Badwater Basin, The Racetrack, and Harmony Borax Works. The journey will include some great low-range off-roading as they travel across the back roads of this unique and rugged landscape.
The event is fully guided, with experienced Jeep Jamboree guides leading the way and providing support and assistance as needed. The Jeep Jamboree in Death Valley covers a variety of terrain, including rocky trails, sandy washes, and steep climbs, with views of the park’s unique geology and natural features. Participants will also have the opportunity to learn about the history and geology of Death Valley National Park, with guided tours and educational sessions throughout the weekend.

Quadrantids Meteor Shower 2026 - Southern California
2026-12-02 - 2026-12-03
The Quadrantids meteor shower, often one of the year’s most intense, is active from December 28, 2025, through January 12, 2026, with peak activity expected during the night of January 2–3. The Quadrantids are known for their brief but potentially intense peak, which can last as little as six hours. Under ideal dark-sky conditions, the shower can produce relatively high meteor rates, though this potential is often limited by winter weather and timing.
In 2026, viewing conditions will be significantly affected by a full moon on January 3, which will greatly reduce visibility. Moonlight is expected to obscure all but the brightest meteors, bringing expected viewing rates to fewer than 10 meteors per hour even in dark locations. While Quadrantid meteors typically do not leave long-lasting trails, the shower is known for producing occasional bright fireballs that may still be visible despite the moonlight.
The Quadrantids are visible from Southern California, which lies well within the Northern Hemisphere viewing range for this shower. The radiant is located high in the northern sky, making the shower best observed after midnight and into the pre-dawn hours. Observers in Southern California may still see some activity during the peak window, particularly brighter meteors, weather and moonlight permitting.

While the peak is relatively short-lived, it offers a spectacular celestial show, with the potential for up to 120 meteors per hour under ideal conditions. These meteors are known for their bright, colorful fireballs that can streak across the night sky.
Tips for Optimal Viewing:

Find a Dark Spot: Head to a location away from city lights, such as a local mountain or desert area.

Look Northeast: The radiant point of the shower, from which the meteors appear to originate, is in the northeastern sky. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing northeast and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible

Be Patient: Allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness for the best viewing experience.

Where Do Meteors Come From?

Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. When these objects come around the sun, the dust they emit gradually spreads into a dusty trail around their orbits. Every year the Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky.

E-Dirty Cross MTB Race 2026
2026-12-05 | Sycamore Canyon Goodan Ranch, 13920 Hwy 67, Lakeside, 92040, United States
E-Dirty Cross is an annual Southern California electric mountain bike race organized by Quick-n-Dirty Mountain Bike Racing.

The event, in its fifth year, features a variety of terrain, including singletrack, fire roads, jumps, and rock features. The race is open to riders of all levels and ages, with categories for expert, sport, beginner, school boys and girls aged between 12-15, and men and women aged 16 and over.

The race is limited to Class 1 E-Bikes, which are low-speed pedal-assist electric bikes that require pedaling to power the bike and will stop providing assistance when the speed reaches 20 mph.

Dirty 30 XL Fondo Mountain Bike Race 2026
2026-12-05 | Lake Hodges, 20175 Lake Drive, Escondido, CA, 92029
Dirty Thirty is mountain bike race (and other distances) hosted by Quick-n-Dirty at Lake Hodges, in Escondido, California. The race features 30 and 60-mile classes on a figure-8 course layout built for both drop bar (gravel bike) and mountain bikes.

Half Dome Cables 2026 Preseason Lottery
2027-03-01 - 2027-03-31 | Half Dome, Yosemite National Park
The Half Dome cables route is one of the most popular hikes in the national park system, drawing far more demand than the trail can safely handle. NPS limits the number of hikers on the cables each day to reduce congestion on the exposed granite slabs and decrease the risk of accidents — the final 400 feet to the summit involve fixed steel cables on a near-vertical face, and crowding on that section is genuinely dangerous. Permits are distributed by lottery rather than first-come, first-served to give everyone a fair shot regardless of how fast they can click.
There are two ways to get a permit. The preseason lottery runs each year in March, with results posted in mid-April and a confirmation deadline in mid-May. If you don’t win the preseason draw, daily lotteries run throughout the season — apply two days in advance of your desired hiking date. The cables are typically up from late May through mid-October, with exact dates adjusted annually based on conditions.
Apply and check current lottery dates at recreation.gov/permits/234652.
