All in Northern CA

  1. Solstice Hikes

    Celebrate the longest days of the year with some hikes, beaches, and urban wanders that let you get a late start or just linger with the daylight.

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  2. Father's Day in the Great Outdoors!

    Father's Day is coming in hot, and if you've gone cold on plans, don't panic. Treat dad to the great outdoors. From a casual bike ride and brew pub to camping and hiking in a pinch, we've even got something for the dad that's pure city slicker! Here are three ways to celebrate pops!

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  3. Urban Art Walks with Beer!

    Get your art fix without going into a museum. These three city art walks are amazing, with colorful and powerful murals and creative installations. Bonus: There’s food and beer along the way!

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  4. Sponsored
    2025-08-20

    Let's Go to Paso!

    Paso Robles is a good idea in all seasons, but one season brings a special bounty: harvest season! Road-trip ready and teeming with fall colors and fun events, Paso Robles is the ultimate destination for unique autumn experiences.

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  5. Ahh-some Bay Area Hikes

    Your brain on a hike is a better brain! It's true: Getting outdoors is proving to be one of the best ways to de-stress and calm a racing mind, as you're combining some exercise (endorphins!) with nature’s soothing surroundings (relaxation!). So here are some ahh-some hikes to get you started.

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  6. Spring into Summer: Your Outdoors Plan

    Cool weather be damned, summer's knocking. From camping and hike-in beaches, to classic bike rides and waterfalls, spring into summer with these outdoor adventures!

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  7. Spring It On!

    Need an excuse to cut out of work early and call it a weekend? Say you've got a fever ... spring fever! Here are a few hikes and bike rides that are at their prime, giving you a reason to spring into the weekend!

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  8. Fabulous Spring Hikes

    Some hikes just hit their stride in spring. These three North Bay gems have heaps of wildflowers and views that stretch from wine country to the Pacific. Spring into action!

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  9. Hike, Bike, and Beer!

    One of spring's best destinations is much closer than you might imagine. Set in the shadow of Mount Diablo, Concord and the surrounding area is home to colorful spring hikes, waterside bike trails, and plenty of craft brew pubs. Time to hit the trails, and the ales!

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  10. Yosemite Waterfalls Galore!

    The waterfalls are raging, the wildflowers are popping, and the snow-capped granite scenery is epic! This spring, make your way to Yosemite by way of charming Mariposa. Hit the trails to see supercharged waterfalls, or bike around the valley floor, stopping at highlights along the way. Just get to Yosemite!

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  11. Don't Pass Over These Hikes!

    What's more fun than a Cadbury Creme Egg? How about eye candy on trails? Here are some great Bay Area outdoor adventures in colorful spring bloom right now. Hop to it!

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  12. Bloomin' Hikes

    Wait for it, wait for it … now! Spring is finally starting to shine with all the silver linings of a wet winter: Wildflowers are blooming, waterfalls and streams are flowing strong, and the landscape is lush, green, and clean! So here are three of the best hikes to do this spring.

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  13. Redwoods in the Rain

    Hike, bike, camp ... do it all even if the weather's drizzly. Our iconic redwoods are your protective canopy for spring camping, pedals and picnics, and of course, sublime hikes. Here are three ways to get your outdoors fix "weather or not."

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  14. Wander Falls

    Clear skies one minute, gray the next … hey, no one’s gonna rain on your waterfall parade! From a splash of wine country to a dash of the Santa Cruz Mountains, even some Tahoe flow, here are three short hikes to waterfalls that pack a good punch after wet weather.

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  15. Sponsored
    2025-08-20

    Let's Go to Paso!

    Paso Robles is a good idea in all seasons, but one season brings a special bounty: harvest season! Road-trip ready and teeming with fall colors and fun events, Paso Robles is the ultimate destination for unique autumn experiences.

    View
  16. Beach Hikes!

    Bluffs, beaches, bluffside hikes to beaches: Have it all! Here are three bluffside hikes with spectacular ocean vistas and a bonus—they lead to beautiful beaches.

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  17. Where to Watch Whales from Shore

    Gray days ahead, and for once we're not talking about the weather this winter! We're talking about gray whales, making their migration north. March is prime time to spy these behemoth beauties on the coast, but you don't have to get out on a boat to do it. Here are some great ways to spot whales from land. For shore!

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  18. Wetland Walks

    What’s not to like about post-rain hikes? With all the lush greenery and busy birds, these wetland walks (with rain-scrubbed views of the bay) are short and sweet for this wild weather. No need for any rain dances!

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  19. Short Hikes to Waterfalls

    The rain this winter has kept everyone on their toes. And the silver lining: waterfall flows! Here are three short hikes to under-the-radar waterfalls that are in best form during winter, after heavy rain.

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  20. Wildlife Hikes for Winter

    Word to the wild! Winter’s one of the best times for spotting seals, whales, and birds on a hike. From Año Nuevo to Palo Alto, here are three hikes for seeing wildlife in winter.

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  21. Romance Outdoors

    Happy Valentine's Day! Grab your favorite person or people and head outside to spread the love. XO, Weekend Sherpa

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  22. Hike-In-Picnics

    Valentine’s Day is on its way—in a pinch for a plan? Go on a picnic! But not just any picnic: a hike-in picnic! Grab your favorite person (or people) and hike to any of these sweet picnic spots in the North Bay.

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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Aloha from California

    Say Aloha without leaving California with a 7-mile out-and-back hiking adventure to Lake Aloha in El Dorado National Forest. You can also camp here, a premier place for stargazing.

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  2. Sequoia Re-opens Crystal Cave

    Step inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park's hidden world by visiting the newly re-opened Crystal Cave—the only cave in the parks open to the public. Closed for four years, this rare marble karst cavern is welcoming visitors once again, but only through the summer season!

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  3. 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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  4. 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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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Can't Top This

    San Francisco’s Presidio was already a fantastic place to hang out for the afternoon, a beautiful site within the largest urban national park in the United States (the Golden Gate National Recreation Area). And Presidio Tunnel Tops is like a cherry on top. Make that two cherries on top, with the newly opened (July 2025) Outpost Meadow, a 1.5-acre green space located at Old Mason Street across from the Crissy Field Marsh in the Presidio.

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  2. Underground Garden

    Looking to escape the summer heat? Head to Fresno and discover its cool secret: the Forestiere Underground Gardens–an enchanting garden and architecture oasis like no other.

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  3. Volcanic Activity

    Northern California is home to one of the most unique ecosystems in the country: Lassen Volcanic National Park. The region features geothermal areas, including the largest dome volcano in the world, Lassen Peak. Hike to the top of this active volcano on a 5-mile out-and-back.  

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  4. Oh Ryan

    Sure, it’s those whimsical trees that give Joshua Tree National Park its marquee billing; but this beautiful landscape also has surrounding mountains and its night sky—one of the darkest in Southern California and designated an International Dark Sky Park. Joshua Tree has four allowable stargazing parking lots, and a newly opened haven for spending the night nearby...

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