All Stories from North Bay
Redwoods, Blue Coast
Redwoods, river, coastline, and sandy pocket beaches: See Sonoma Coast's best features on this 6-mile (round-trip) hike from Shell Beach to Pomo Canyon's sublime redwoods.
ViewBodega's Hidden Hike-in Beach
Bodega Head has a mystical hike-in beach trail through secret sand dunes. Hike in, then enjoy the West's tastiest BBQ brisket on a patio overlooking Bodega Bay Harbor.
ViewTwo Wheels to Wine in Healdsburg
Bike and wine taste among the vineyards of Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley in Healdsburg. The mostly flat backroads make for easygoing riding, with food and wine explorations too.
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Get Outdoors In Sonoma County This Fall
Sonoma County's great outdoors includes hike-in beaches, hidden redwoods, and a new zipline-to-treehouse stay. Here are 5 of the best ways to explore outdoors in Sonoma County.
View Go See Grandmother
Grandmother’s calling, so you must go. The Grandmother Tree is the largest known coast live oak in Sonoma County, and she resides in quite the beautiful setting. Visit her via a 5-mile (round-trip) hike high in Hood Mountain Regional Park.
ViewMagical McClures
McClures Beach is a seductive little spot: small, beautiful, and quiet. It’s easy to while away an afternoon-turned-sunset at this pocket cove in Point Reyes.
ViewFreedom of Beach
Nearly a mile of slate and black sand, expansive views of San Francisco, and just minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin's Black Sands Beach is the size of Baker Beach—without the crowds.
ViewCycle the Circumference
A bicycle is a fantastic way to take in the 360-degree panoramas you get on Angel Island. The straightforward Perimeter Road is a car-free route that circumnavigates the island. Stop along the way at a hidden beach.
ViewSecret Beach
A hidden beach and a killer view? Those are hard to come by, but that’s exactly what you’ll get at Perles Beach on Angel Island. Bike or hike to this beautiful pocket cove.
ViewGood 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.
ViewExclamation Point!
Maybe it’s the constant ocean breeze, or the burly tule elk, or the chance to see spouting gray whales: There’s something about Tomales Point Trail. It’s a simple 4.5-mile hike to a promontory overlooking the Pacific. But what you encounter along the way … well that’s pure Point Reyes.
ViewBull Yeah!
Hit the bull’s eye of wide open space at Bull Point Trail in Point Reyes National Seashore. This 3.8-mile out-and-back hike along Drakes Estero’s Creamery Bay is easygoing and packs a visual punch.
ViewTam Slam!
This 8-mile (round-trip) hike is a pure classic, with redwoods, water-flows, and soaring views of the coastline. Oh yeah, and that ladder!
ViewNice Ring to It
This tiny but mighty open space preserve on the Tiburon Peninsula can often exhibit a wide range of wildflowers late into the season, not to mention one of the most jaw-dropping views of the bay.
ViewThe Occidental Tourist
The Grove of Old Trees is 33 hidden acres of towering redwoods and the only privately owned preserve in Sonoma County that's free to the public.
ViewHike the Islands in the Sky
Redwoods and ridgelines and phenomenal views of the Pacific: Get to Duncans Mills and hike the Islands in the Sky Vista Loop, a 4-mile charmer in Sonoma Coast State Park.
ViewRide the Redwoods to Wine
Bike riding: fun. Wine tasting: fun. Combining both: really fun! Make it a 6-mile (round-trip) afternoon of biking and wine-tasting and redwood forests, starting in downtown Guerneville.
ViewSeat at the Top Table
It just might be the best view in Napa. At 4.5 miles (round-trip) the hike to Table Rock overlook isn’t a walk in the park, but it’s well worth it, packing in plenty of highlights, especially the marquee destination: Table Rock.
ViewSecret Stash of Redwoods
Located in the tiny town of Angwin, Pacific Union College has 864 acres of forest that are now open to the public for hiking.
ViewOwl Be there
The Owl Trail, Marin’s swooping seashore tramp, offers the chance to spy migrating gray whales offshore, and sightings of the trail’s namesake, great horned owls.
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Yes, Seattle!
Ready to try something new this winter? Seattle’s ready for you! Beautiful by nature with its Puget Sound setting, surrounding mountains, and nearby national parks, winter in Seattle can be a magical and festive time. Ever been in a hot tub boat?...
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