All "Hikes" Stories in Northern CA

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  Make Time for Tolay

  Hidden in the hills south of Petaluma, Tolay Lake Regional Park is 3,400 acres of wide-open space, with a fantastic network of hiking and biking trails, wildflower walks in spring, grazing cattle, and sweet farm animals.

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  Stranger Things, Sonoma

  Explore the historic plaza of Sonoma on a Haunted Walking Tour and hear stories of those who ghost there!

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  Tiny Hike, Mighty View

  Nestled in Napa's beautiful Browns Valley neighborhood, Timberhill Park is a hidden gem with a fantastic hike and equally fantastic views.

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  Arastradero Is an A+

  Pearson-Arastradero Preserve just might be the perfect place for feeling swept away while not being far away at all. Easily accessed off busy Highway 280, the preserve has over 10 miles of trails.

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  Berkeley's Bounty

  Berkeley’s best ingredients for fall hiking: forest for some color, ridges for some huge views, plus redwoods and a tranquil lake. Ta-dah! It’s all within this 3.3-mile hike in Tilden Regional Park.

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  Caves, Condors, Camping

  You’re gonna need a flashlight for this hike, and not because it’s happening at night. Check out a truly dark part of the park by visiting Bear Gulch Cave in Pinnacles National Park.

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  Bag North Chalone Peak

  For the pinnacle view of Pinnacles National Park, you’ve got to hike to North Chalone Peak, the tallest in the park, offering great scenery and the possibility of seeing the California condor.

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  West Side Story

  The west side of Pinnacles National Park feels a bit more rugged, and has fewer people. And it has some of the park’s premier trails and sites, including Juniper Canyon and Balconies Cave.

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  Tahoe's Trio of Lake Vistas

  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: Eagl

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  Napa's Liquid Assets

  Looking for more ways than wine to have a good time in Napa? Just add water. Head to Lake Hennessey in Saint Helena for a moderate 5.5-mile loop hike with a bounty of scenery. From

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  Backyard Sierra

  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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  Jenner's New Views

  The beautifully developed trails at Jenner Headlands Preserve in Sonoma County offer access to quiet stretches of coastal redwood forest and huge views of the Pacific. It’s also a refreshing escape on hot days.

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  New Castle on the Peninsula

  Castle Rock State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains is giving hikers the royal treatment with a brand-new park entrance. The Robert C. Kirkwood entrance and visitors center is exact

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  Big Time Hike

  This is the largest grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite. We recommend this grand tour hike at 7.5 miles which includes a spectacular overlook.

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  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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  Bear Necessity!

  There’s an ancient forest that’s been given a new lease on life and just opened to the public in June! Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve is ideal for summer hiking thanks to

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  Battery Recharger

  Get swept up in iconic coastal scenery on this classic 5-mile loop hike in the Marin Headlands that passes a secret World War II military fortification, home to a vast network of underground tunnels.

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  White Tank Campground for Stargazing

  Heaven for star buffs: the best campground in Joshua Tree National Park for night-sky viewing, in a place named an International Dark Sky Park, with a full-on observatory just minutes away! White Tank Campground is at 3,800 feet in the eastern part of the park.

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  Dam Tam!

  Hike in the Sierra without leaving the Bay Area! Well, at least it seems that way. The sparkling reservoirs on the north side of Mount Tamalpais offer miles of hiking trails and the kind of peaceful forest sensation that could be a stand-in for low elevation Sierra Nevada.

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  Pulgas Party

  If your idea of a good summer party is hitting the trails, then Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve makes a very festive venue. Bursting with colorful wildflowers and exuberant wildli

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