Look on the Bright Side

As the shortest day of the year approaches, look on the bright side! From a peak hike in the middle of the bay to an urban art walk and a lighthouse for spying gray whales, here are three ways to find some good light. Happy holidays, everyone!

Week: 12.15.2016

Regions: Northern CA

Island Tree Topper

Hiking to the peak of Mount Livermore on Angel Island State Park

The Christmas light atop Angel Island State Park’s Mount Livermore has long been a cheerful twinkle visible from many cities throughout the Bay Area on holiday season nights. Get into the festive spirit by hiking the 2-mile (one-way) trail from Ayala Cove up to the light. The tra

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Gray's in Fashion

Whale Watching at Pigeon Point Light Station on San Mateo Coast

Peninsula & South Bay

Water, Relaxing

Built in 1872, Pigeon Point Lighthouse is an iconic mainstay on the San Mateo Coast. Go in winter and get a big bonus: you might spy a gray whale migrating. Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park is one of the best places for spying them.

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SF LED's the Way

San Francisco Festival of Lights Do it yourself walking tour

Something very cool is glowing on in San Francisco until New Year’s Day. 35 vibrant light art installations are brightening up neighborhoods throughout the city. Illuminate SF is a festival of light true to its name: Outdoor sculptures glimmer and shimmer, buildings decked in art

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From Beach to Summit
No need to decide between a beach and a mountaintop—this hike includes both! Explore the stunning coastal scenery on this 6-mile out-and-back up Montara Mountain and into Rancho Corral de Tierra.
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Picnic and a Pedal
West Marin has all the right stuff for an afternoon getaway: bike paths, babbling brooks, canopy forests, and secluded picnic spots. Combine a picnic and a pedal at Samuel P. Taylor State Park by biking the easygoing Cross Marin Trail.
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Most Peaceful Hike of All
Is this the most peaceful one-hour hike in the Bay Area? It's got our vote! Lake Lagunitas is the smallest lake in a series of five found on the north side of Mount Tam, so it’s got that tiny but mighty charm. Do a 1.5-mile loop around the lake's shore-hugging trail.
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Sebastopol Food & Wine Roll
One apple farm, three charming towns, multiple wineries, and infinite natural beauty. Savor a perfect autumn day in Sonoma County by biking the West County Regional Trail from Sebastopol to Forestville via Graton. It’s a 17-mile (round-trip) adventure.
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Canal Contemplations
With its incense-scented boardwalk, bohemian shops, skateparks, and abundance of body builders, Venice is happily eccentric, and artistic. Exhibit A: Its network of European-style canals with charming bridges, offering a tranquil tour of the town’s history.
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Wine Down, Dine Out in Lake Chelan
The fertile soil around Washington State's Lake Chelan is ripe for more than just the amazing apples. Vineyards here yield high quality grapes, and some of the country’s best less-discovered wineries. Locals know it, and you will too when you start choosing from the more than 30 wineries in the region.
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What's Up, Winthrop!
It’s not just its location close to Washington State’s spectacular and less visited national park (North Cascades) that makes Winthrop such a winsome mountain town. This lively enclave in the Methow Valley bristles with a whimsical blend of Wild West charms, contemporary culture, and a mosaic of outdoor adventures—from river to lake to waterfalls, and beyond.
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Planet of the Oaks
Let us count the number of oak tree species in the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve near Julian: coast, scrub, canyon, black, and Engelmann. Five! The preserve’s Five Oaks Trail is a 3.2-mile hike that boasts all five.
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