Fall for These Views

The weather’s still good, the leaves are just starting to turn, and daylight still lingers until after 6pm … Autumn hikes are awesome. From a peak-bagging hike in Napa, to a short trek to one of Lake Tahoe’s best lookouts, and an East Bay ridge with a reservoir vista, here are three hikes with views to fall for.

Week: 09.27.2018
Regions: Northern CA

Picnic with a View

Hike to Picnic Rock in Lake Tahoe

When early autumn arrives in the mountains, you never really know what you’ll get … hot days, rainy afternoons, snow. Good thing the path to Picnic Rock on the Tahoe Rim Trail is as all-purpose as they come—and offers one of the grandest views of Lake Tahoe. Lace the hiking shoes
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Top Notch Climbs

Top Climbs in Reno Tahoe

The view from the top is always better—especially when the views are of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada. Strap in: Reno Tahoe is a rock-climbing haven, where beginners can learn the ropes and experts can fine-tune their skills. There are three major rock-climbing facilities in R
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King for a Day Hike

Hike Kings Canyon Loop Trail in the East Bay

Some hikes have royally good views. One such crowning glory? King's Canyon Loop Trail in the East Bay, delivering gorgeous views of the Upper San Leandro Reservoir. It’s a 6.4-mile hike filled with solitude, with just the occasional cow mooing in the distance to bring assurances
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All Hail Helena

Hike to the Summit of Mount Saint Helena

Ready to get in that last long hike before the days get a little too short? Make it count by conquering one of the highest peaks in the Bay Area: Mount Saint Helena. On clear days this 11-mile (round-trip) trek has you seeing all the way out to the Bay and Sierra Nevada. Start on
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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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