hikers mount diablo

Rise On Up

Welcome to spring! It’s a nice time of year for hiking to higher heights. These three summits bring some spring bling and exceptional wide-angle vistas.

Week: 03.19.2025
Regions: Northern CA

Up and Umunhum

Hike to the Summit of Mount Umunhum

Early risers can experience one of the Bay Area’s best morning glory hikes on this 7.4-mile out-and-back up beautiful Mount Umunhum. In early spring if you arrive at the parking area right before sunrise, you’ll get a beautiful eastern view of the sun coming up between Bald Mountain and the nearby Santa Cruz Mountains. On days when fog settles into the valley, the colorful view is nothing short of magical.
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Savor Spring in Paso Robles

Take a Classic Spring Road Trip to Paso Robles

Take a classic California road trip this spring and find all the treasures of the season in Paso Robles. Located midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, this laid-back slice of California country combines with the Central Coast for an absolutely spring-loaded getaway.
Spring in Paso Robles

Feather in Your Cap!

Hike to Eagle Peak on Mount Diablo in the East Bay

Two hikers walk a hiking trail to Eagle Peak at Mount Diablo State Park
Two hikers are taking in the view of mountains and green rolling hills on a trail at Mount Diablo State Park
Sure, the main summit of Mount Diablo offers one of the best views in the state, but if you’d rather hike than drive to a summit, lace up your boots for the mountain’s spectacular—and less-traveled—Eagle Peak.
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Slice of Sonoma

Hike Sonoma's Scenic Overlook Trail

A woman stands and takes in the view of Sonoma Valley on the Sonoma Overlook Trail
A woman walks the Sonoma Overlook Trail with views of Sonoma Valley below
You’re in Sonoma, feeling pretty good—now you want to enjoy a short hike to take in the views of the valley. Where to go? The answer is just north of Sonoma’s historic plaza. The 1-mile (one-way) Overlook Trail is a local favorite for good reasons.
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Sonoma for Film, Food, Wine, and Fun

Sonoma International Film Festival

Food, wine, film, fun: Spring into Sonoma March 19 - 23 for the fabulous Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF). See everything from travel documentaries to feature films with stars like Lily Gladstone, Bowen Yang, and Gabriel Garcia Bernal. Journey with Meg Ray, founder of the Bay Area’s famed patisserie, Miette, to Sweden’s remote and magical island of Rödlöga, where you'll be immersed in a 'Sweet Störy' about love, letting go, and sourdough!
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Sequoia Re-opens Crystal Cave

    Step inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park's hidden world by visiting the newly re-opened Crystal Cave—the only cave in the parks open to the public. Closed for four years, this rare marble karst cavern is welcoming visitors once again, but only through the summer season!

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  2. Afternoon on the Island

    What is it about tiny islands in the middle of lakes? There’s something that just draws you in. It’s even more fun when getting there is half the adventure because you have to reach it by canoe, kayak, paddleboat, or a ranger-guided boat tour!

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  3. Easiest Best Hike in the World

    Choose the easiest and most view-rewarding hike in Yosemite. Okay, we’ll go first: the combination of hiking to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. Both of these lookouts are within a couple miles of each other on Glacier Point Road

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  4. Hiker in the forest at Mount Sutro in San Francisco

    San Francisco's Middle Earth

    No need to travel to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth. San Francisco’s Mount Sutro Open Space is practically Hobbiton—a hidden “shire” in the middle of the city. Okay, maybe not quite as magical, but still an incredible place to take a hike in city limits.

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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Locals' Feature: Jim Litchfield, Owner of Reno Fly Shop

    If there's a river, you're likely to find Jim Litchfield there. As the owner of Reno Fly Shop, Nevada's premier fly fishing outfitter and shop, Jim's passion for rivers knows no bounds: he's fished in places near and far, including Alaska, Bolivia and Christmas Island. But home is beautiful Reno, where he has been running Reno Fly Shop and leading tailored river float and fly fishing adventures (including beginner-friendly options) for over a decade.

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  2. Can't Top This

    San Francisco’s Presidio was already a fantastic place to hang out for the afternoon, a beautiful site within the largest urban national park in the United States (the Golden Gate National Recreation Area). And Presidio Tunnel Tops is like a cherry on top. Make that two cherries on top, with the newly opened (July 2025) Outpost Meadow, a 1.5-acre green space located at Old Mason Street across from the Crissy Field Marsh in the Presidio.

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  3. Volcanic Activity

    Northern California is home to one of the most unique ecosystems in the country: Lassen Volcanic National Park. The region features geothermal areas, including the largest dome volcano in the world, Lassen Peak. Hike to the top of this active volcano on a 5-mile out-and-back.  

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  4. Oh Ryan

    Sure, it’s those whimsical trees that give Joshua Tree National Park its marquee billing; but this beautiful landscape also has surrounding mountains and its night sky—one of the darkest in Southern California and designated an International Dark Sky Park. Joshua Tree has four allowable stargazing parking lots, and a newly opened haven for spending the night nearby...

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