Graytest Hits

Gray is the unofficial color of winter, which can be a good thing. Here are a few ways to put a little gray in your day.

Week: 01.24.2015
Regions: Northern CA

Vantage Point

Point Arena Light Station and Gray Whales

Point Arena Light station
What's the secret for spying gray whales during winter's migration season? Location, location, location! And location doesn't get any better than from the top of the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast. The historic 115-foot Lighthouse Tower at Point Arena Light Station in Mendo
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Be Mine, Yosemite

Valentines Day Weekend 2015 in Yosemite

Sweetie. Honey. Baby. Looking to spice up your pet names this Valentine's Day weekend? Look to Yosemite for inspiration. El Capitan, Giant Redwood, Half Dome (maybe not). Celebrate the season of love in Yosemite and Mariposa County. Starry Eyed: Actions speak louder than words, s
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Gray Area

Explore Gray Lodge

Honking, quacking, whistling … we're not talking about a raucous night in the city. We're talking about an absolute bonanza of bird species when you visit Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, 50 miles north of Sacramento in the heart of the Pacific Flyway. Every winter more than a million w
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Aye Aye Capitan

Yosemite and El Capitan in the Winter

It's the world's largest granite monolith: gray and hulking and a spectacle for visitors who marvel at its massiveness (3,000 vertical feet of sheer rock!) and at the pro climbers who conquer it. El Capitan has been in the headlines a lot recently since Tommy Caldwell and Kevin J
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Trending Stories NorCal

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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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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. 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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  2. Coming Up Roses

    Looking to spice up your hiking life? Give your partner a rose—Mount Rose! The 10-mile out-and-back peak hike goes up to one of the grandest views in all of Lake Tahoe. Get ready f

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  3. 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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  4. Woman hiking down the stairs to Coast Royale Beach in Orange County

    Secluded Royale

    Panoramic coastal views and a killer leg workout combine on this 2.7-mile (round-trip) out-and-back hike to secluded Coast Royale Beach in Orange County

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