Epic Spring Hikes

Electric green hills, wildflowers and wowing views, reservoirs and babbling brooks: Savor spring’s greatest hits by going long and strong on any of these three East Bay loop hikes, ranging from 6 to 13.5 miles!

Week: 04.12.2018
Regions: Northern CA

Secret Diablo

Hike a 6-mile loop at Mount Diablo

Great views, wildflowers, vibrant green hills, even a Secret Trail … Mount Diablo State Park does it again with this spectacular 6-mile loop hike fit for spring. The Briones–Mount Diablo Regional Trail to Wall Point Road is a hike less traveled, likely because it’s located at the
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Wildflowers and Wonderful Views

Sonoma Valley Spring Wildflowers and Views

Cheese and chocolate go great with wine, but right now Sonoma Valley has something even better for your pairings: wildflowers! On top of its award-winning wines, Sonoma Valley’s 13,000 acres of state and regional parks are exploding with poppies, buttercups, irises, red larkspurs
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Tramp at Trampas

Adventure hike in Las Trampas

Epic East Bay views: check! Terrain with just enough challenge to keep things interesting: check! Wildflowers blooming on spring green hills: check and check! Yep, you’ll wanna tramp Las Trampas for a richly scenic 6.2-mile (round-trip) loop that goes up and down across two ridge
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Briones Bragging Rights

Hike the Briones Reservoir Loop Trail

Behold the Briones Reservoir Loop Trail in Orinda: an epic 13.5-mile hike that’s still the secret of hikers who love solitude and spring-loaded scenery! Located just beyond the busy Berkeley Hills, this lightly trafficked trek takes you from lakeshore to forest to open grasslands
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  1. 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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  2. 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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  3. A group of people clamored around the summit marker at Mission Peak in the Bay Area

    Your Mission Is Less Crowded

    Mission Peak is one of the Bay Area’s most popular mountains, with many hikers climbing every weekend. Skip the crowds with this 6-mile loop up the less-traveled southern route.

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  4. Hike top Angel Island Mount Livermore San Francisco Bay

    Good Heavens

    The 4-mile hike to the top of Angel Island offers Bay-mazing scenery. Some people claim you get a five-bridge view: Richmond-San Rafael, Bay, Golden Gate, San Mateo-Hayward, and Dumbarton bridges.

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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. Bear Hug

    This 5.5-mile loop through Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park explores one of the newest segments of the acclaimed Bay Area Ridge Trail, one redolent with trees ranging from madrone and manzanita to buckeye and blue elderberry (with a bubbly post-hike bonus).

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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. Bikers and walkers on the Bay Area Ridge Trail with the Golden Gate Bridge behind them

    National Park City Walk

    See San Francisco the way locals do by hiking the Presidio, a national park right in the city! Wooded trails, secluded beaches, and epic views of the Golden Gate Bridge feature on this 5.5-mile out-and-back on the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It’s a lovely slice of the City by the Bay.

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