All "Hikes" Stories in Northern CA

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  Wetlands & Works of Art!

  If the only bird you pay any attention to is the one you see on Twitter, then Palo Alto has an outdoor surprise for you. Baylands Nature Preserve is considered one of the best bird

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  Going Big on the Coast

  What’s one of the best things to do on the California coast during winter months? Whale watching! Especially, migrating gray whales. And San Mateo County’s Año Nuevo State Park put

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  Whale, Hello There!

  Blissfully quiet on winter mornings, San Gregorio State Beach on the San Mateo Coast is ideal for spying gray whales.

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  Hidden Botanical Garden

  Forget a dozen roses. Give your love a botanical garden (where rare magnolias in peak bloom for the next two weeks!) Hidden on the western slope of Sonoma Valley’s Mayacamas Mountains, Sonoma Botanical Garden has one of the Bay Area’s best displays of Asian flora—and it’s a brilliant place for a quiet picnic.

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  Planet Picnic

  So, you wanna give your love the sun, the moon, the stars … okay. But to turn it up to 11 you’re gonna have to give the planets too! Good thing there’s a state park hike for that.

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  Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered, and Bodega!

  Whale watching, hiking along bluffs, and a picnic overlooking the Pacific with the one(s) you love: no, it’s not a Cialis commercial—it’s a great way to spend the day in a gorgeous

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  Echo Yeah!

  In summer, the bustling resort of Echo Lakes—10 miles from South Lake Tahoe—is a popular gateway into Desolation Wilderness and stopover for Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers. In win

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  Gallivant in Galena

  Get your fill of winter thrills just a few miles from downtown Reno in Galena Creek Regional Park. The park is full of trails, but Jones Creek Loop makes an easy 1.7-mile route, se

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  Woods Lake in Winter

  Powder up for a snow-filled adventure to frozen Woods Lake. This 4-mile (round-trip) out-and-back in the Carson Pass takes you through gently rolling hills, across snow-covered mea

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  Hike to Hidden Falls

  Rain, sun, rain, wind, partial sun, rain … what’s a hiker to do? Go with the flow! Or rather, go to the flow. Hidden Falls Regional Park in the Sierra foothills near Auburn has 30

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  Yes, Berryessa!

  Napa County’s Lake Berryessa is known for its boating, but few people know of the excellent hiking trails overlooking this lake, which is particularly serene in winter. Thank UC Da

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  Redwoods Ramble

  If your idea of a great winter wander is walking among coastal redwoods without encountering many other people, then head to the San Mateo Coast’s Butano State Park. Get an early s

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  Redwoods Star Power

  Go on a 5-mile (round-trip) redwoods hike that starts from Chabot’s Moon Gate entrance and through Dr. Aurelia Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, then visit the Chabot Space and Science Center for a rooftop telescope star viewing.

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  Hike to Pluto!

  Ever wanted to check out Mars? How about Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto? All you’ve gotta do is hike in Sonoma Valley’s Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. The park’s super cool PlanetWalk is a marvelous, and marvelously quiet, hiking trail designed as a scale model of the solar system.

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  Museum in the Redwoods

  Wanna find some solitude to read more this year? Get inspired at a literary museum and an adjacent hiking trail leading to famous ruins tucked among redwoods. The all new House of

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  Sunol Salutations

  New Year, new points of view … lots of views, thanks to a less-hiked trail in the East Bay. Well-known Sunol Regional Wilderness has 6,800 acres of bountiful terrain, yet few hiker

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  Go Nuts for It

  Chestnuts and pines: two things that’ll put you in the holiday spirit! Find both on this 4.5-mile loop hike (or mountain bike ride) through the northeastern corner of Briones Regio

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  Sealed With a Kiss

  Pucker up! This 2.7-mile loop through the East Bay's Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park is brimming with a holiday staple—mistletoe. Start from the Foothill Staging Area, and head up t

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  From Redwoods to Sea Stacks

  In the heart of Anderson Valley, Hendy Woods State Park is rarely crowded, especially in winter, and has a star attraction: ancient redwoods. There’s an easy 2-mile (round-trip) hi

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  Keen for Kennedy

  Take tucked-away Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Area, on the northern edge of San Pablo Reservoir. Once part of the 17,754-acre Rancho San Pablo, Kennedy is now a 222-acre park with hiking trails, excellent views of the reservoir, and open space fragrant with eucalyptus trees.

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