All Stories from Northern CA

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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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  Force of Nature

  Finally, “pardon our dust” has turned into “enjoy our park!” San Francisco’s Salesforce Park in SOMA is a beautiful urban escape surrounded by skyscrapers. What do you wanna do? Be

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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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  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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  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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  Your Private Cabin Is Calling

  A private cabin in Yosemite tucked among sugar pines? Yes please! The brand-new Explorer Cabins at Tenaya Lodge make your next Yosemite getaway even more relaxing. Each standalone

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  Yosemite's New Cabins

  The only thing more magical than visiting Yosemite in the fall is staying in your own private cabin while there! The all-new Explorer Cabins at Tenaya Lodge make the perfect baseca

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  Broadway Under the Stars

  Media consistently names it among the best outdoor concert venues in the country. Well, we’re going to go ahead and call it #1. Transcendence Theatre Company’s “Broadway Under the

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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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  Be Here: Berkeley

  1) Tilden Ta-dah Some hikes are like finding the entrance to Narnia. Enter a magical landscape via Laurel Canyon Trailhead in Tilden Regional Park. It heralds the start of a magnif

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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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  Pomo Pitch

  Secluded camping under the redwoods and by a creek … now that’s a good pitch! Get to it at Pomo Canyon Environmental Campground, an absolute gem within Sonoma Coast State Park. This walk-in-only campground has hillside options and spots closer to the creek.

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  Tahoe Trio of Lakes

  Three alpine lakes, superb views, and shoreline camping for soaking it all in … Loch Leven Lakes is pure Tahoe wilderness. This 7.2-mile out-and-back in Tahoe National Forest is great for a long day hike, or a weekend of adventure camping among this trio of crystal waters.

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  San Francisco Nights

  Date night in the city: Don’t end it with “Your place or mine?” Try camping at one of six bayside campsites at Candlestick Point State Recreation Area. Opened in 2018, the sites ar

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  Have You Conquered Concord?!

  Guided Hikes on Mount Diablo Go on a guided twilight hike on Mount Diablo for a quieter (dare we say intimate?) experience. Book early for the famous later summer Tarantula hike! B

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  Break Out the China Camp

  Close to San Francisco, close to the shores of San Pablo Bay, China Camp State Park is also a beautiful place for a mountain bike, even if you’re a beginner (yes, there’s a trail for you!). In spring, wildflowers bloom along the trailsides.

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  Santa Maria Is Magical

  Ready to find a beach to call your own? Make a visit to Santa Maria Beach in Point Reyes. What makes Santa Maria so quiet and peaceful? The 3-mile bike (or hike) in!

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  Swimming Holes and Natural Waterslides!

  Little Backbone Creek Little Backbone Creek is known as nature’s waterpark for good reason. It’s a 20-minute hike up a creek in a canyon, passing boulders and ponds before arriving

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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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