All in Northern CA

  1. Coastal Camping and Hikes

    As the summer keeps coasting, get coasting! These three camping spots are blissfully brought to you by beautiful coastal locations that are prime time for pitching your tent by the water.

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  2. Long Live the Redwoods

    Massive and resilient, redwoods survived the Ice Age—and now they’re also having to endure the climate crisis, with a lot of help from heroic firefighters. In appreciation of redwoods, resiliency, and the heroics of first responders, here are three beautiful places to find respite in the redwoods.

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  3. Here Comes The Sun

    Inhale, exhale, and stay sunny this summer. Sun Valley, Idaho, is famous for its epic outdoors, but nature nurtures in so many different ways here: mountain yoga, summit hikes filled with flowing waters, wildflowers and vast alpine views, and car-free bike trails to botanical gardens plus fresh food stops. Oh, and those romantic dark sky starry nights...

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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. Summer Wheeling

    Summer breeze feels better on two wheels. From a multi-use trail that hugs the coastal blufftops to an easy rolling ramble through wine country, these bike rides were meant for easy wheeling.

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  6. Fourth and Out!

    Beyond the BBQs and parades, find some time to relax and reflect in the great outdoors. From kayaking in wine country to walking beneath giant redwood trees, we have some ideas to get your summer swinging.

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  7. Hike to the Peak of Mount Elwell in the Lakes Basin

    Long On Summer!

    Longing for a long hike? Well, you've come to the right time of year! Summer lets you linger later on the trails, and these three longer hikes are worth the miles.

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  8. For Hank

    In celebration of Hank and all dogs (including the ones who now run free in our hearts), here are some of Hank's favorite dog-friendly things to do in Northern California.

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  9. Hike, Paddle, Repeat

    Start summer refreshed with these coastal hikes and paddle adventures from Point Reyes and San Francisco to a tiny island in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

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  10. Where to Camp

    Whether you like your camping adventure on an island, close to the sea, or at a reservoir with no motorized boats, these three places hit the spot … the sweet spot for pitching a tent and enjoying some hikes and kayak explorations.

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  11. Keep Your Cool

    It's the unofficial start to summer and things are heating up. So quench your thirst and keep your cool on some bike rides to brew pubs, hike-in beaches, and urban explorations.

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  12. Urban and Wild!

    Some of the best hikes happen right in city limits. These three outdoor escapes are in urban spaces yet bring a faraway feeling because of their natural wild wonders—from lush forest to wildlands with mountain views, and a peak offering iconic scenery.

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  13. All Ride Now!

    One thing we know for sure: Everything's going to be all ride! These three Bay Area bike trails have beautiful views and bonuses like beaches and picnic spots. All ride, all ride, all ride.

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  14. Game Plan for These Outdoor Adventures

    Whether it's booking wilderness permits, finding first-come, first-served options, or just setting a date for a trip, it's good to have a game plan for some top outdoor adventures. Here are several favorites to plan for this summer.

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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. Go Long

    These three Bay Area hiking trails range from 5 to 8 miles, and with longer days you can savor the scenery, from wildflowers to mural art, beautiful peaks, and sweeping vistas.

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  17. Hiker walking into the Thurston Lava Tube in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

    Eight Great National Parks

    Happy National Park Week! Choosing some favorites is like putting together a Greatest Hits album: We think it's all good! Here's a compilation of 8 great national parks and some of our favorite adventures within them ...

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  18. Two women at the entrance of the Lavender Labyrinth at Bees N Blooms in Santa Rosa

    A Confetti of Colors

    From a lavender labyrinth on a bee farm, to wildflower walks, and hikes with blue ocean vistas and the Golden Gate, these five outdoor excursions are as colorful and fun as Easter Egg art.

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  19. Hiker walking amid lupine wildflowers in Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve

    Short & Quiet Hikes in the Bay Area

    You don’t have to “go long” to have an outdoor adventure. These three quieter preserves and parks across the Bay Area offer small hikes with big scenery, lingering greenery, zen spots, seasonal flowers, and redwoods.

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  20. Hike Tomales Point Trail Point Reyes

    Spring Classics

    Rolling hills, colorful flowers, soothing oases, and wildlife ... some hikes bring extra bling this time of year. Spring for these three classics.

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  21. Woman hiking by some purple wildflowers at Sonoma Valley Regional Park

    Wine Country Wildflower Hikes

    These three Sonoma County Regional Parks are on the smaller side, but they're mighty with blooming wildflowers and big views. Hike or bike these routes and bring a picnic too!

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  22. Mountain biker on the trail at Fernandez Ranch in Martinez in the East Bay

    Rainbow Connection

    These three Bay Area preserves are all about the rainbow of color currently casting across their rolling hills, and they should only get better in the next few weeks. Enjoy some spring bling!

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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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