Hike the Lakes

Summer's winding down, but the lakes are still filled up. From a trifecta lake hike in Tahoe to a backyard Sierra-esque loop in Marin, here are three excellent hikes around the water. Drink it in.

Week: 09.05.2019
Regions: Northern CA

Tahoe's Trio of Lake Vistas

Hike to Middle Velma Lake in Tahoe

They say good things come in threes, and it’s true when you embark on this 8-mile (round-trip) hike in Tahoe’s Desolation Wilderness. It gives you three excellent lake vistas: Eagle Lake, Middle Velma Lake, and Emerald Bay on Lake Tahoe. From the trailhead, follow signs to Eagle
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Yosemite Is Autumn Magic

Yosemite Mariposa County Autumn Magic

Autumn is Yosemite Mariposa’s secret season. Spring has waterfalls, summer has people, and fall … well that’s an autumn-magic slam-dunk. For starters, the hiking trails are still open, and much quieter (See the Top 5 Hikes for Fall). Channel Ansel Adams with primo autumn lighting
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Backyard Sierra

Hike Bon Tempe Lake in Marin

With bright blue water, ospreys soaring overhead and evergreens towering all around, Bon Tempe feels like a secluded lake in the Sierra Nevada. Surprise! It's one of the five pocket lakes on Mt. Tam's northern flank, and the water supply for many Marin homes. You'll never lose sight of this blue beauty as you hike the flat 3.8-mile trail that circles its shore.
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Life Aquinas

Hiking El Sereno Open Space Preserve

Reach a new height and gain a round-the-compass panorama at El Sereno Open Space Preserve. Just off Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Los Gatos, the preserve’s 7.5-mile (round-trip) out-and-back Aquinas Trail offers a sky-scraping, sun-soaked ridge with striking panoram
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Aloha from California

    Say Aloha without leaving California with a 7-mile out-and-back hiking adventure to Lake Aloha in El Dorado National Forest. You can also camp here, a premier place for stargazing.

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  2. 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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  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. 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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  2. Underground Garden

    Looking to escape the summer heat? Head to Fresno and discover its cool secret: the Forestiere Underground Gardens–an enchanting garden and architecture oasis like no other.

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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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