All Stories from Northern CA

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  Cavern Point Loop

  One of Santa Cruz Island’s most accessible trails is all about the essential elements: The 2-mile Cavern Point Loop Trail will get your eyes jazzed on vivid sea vistas as it traces

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  Blue Coast

  An enchanting coastal woodland sounds like a description out of a fairy tale, until you visit Patrick’s Point State Park, where turquoise tide pools gurgle beneath bluff-top redwoo

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  Get a Lodi This!

  Outdoor adventure and wine country? This combination doesn’t get any bigger or better than in Lodi. Just 90 miles from San Francisco, Lodi is already on the map for its 85 wineries

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  Rae of Light

  Want special access to some of the most beautiful lakes in the Sierra Nevada? Grab your backpack and lace up your hiking boots for a multi-night journey on Rae Lakes Loop in Kings Canyon. On the agenda: spiky granite peaks, rivers and lakes for refreshing swims, high mountain passes, and starry nights.

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  King of the Mountains

  California’s first national park, Sequoia, is also among the least visited, and that means you get the quiet and raw beauty almost entirely to yourself. In a remote setting at the

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  Giant Escape

  Sequoia’s main tourist attraction is the General Sherman tree, literally the largest living thing on earth. Hordes of visitors make the easy 0.4-mile mini-pilgrimage to see the Gen

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  Mendocino's Gone Wildflowers

  Wait for it … wait for it … now! Winter rains delivered a gorgeous spring gift to Mendocino County: Wildflowers have gone bananas across its 90+ miles of pure coastline, 24 state a

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  Bag the Wright Peak

  Perched proudly over the largest freshwater lake located wholly within California’s borders, and visible for miles in all directions, Wright Peak on Mount Konocti is the tallest po

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  Lake County Lush-ious

  Wildflowers aren’t the only things dotting the emerald-green rolling hills of Clear Lake. Wineries have been popping up all over the mountain ridgelines and sun-soaked valleys of t

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  Clear as Can Be

  Leaping fish, nesting birds, and what’s believed to be the oldest lake in North America. The choice is Clear Lake when it comes to an easy afternoon paddle with plenty of highlight

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  Two Wheel Beach Hop

  Sublime and under the radar, Santa Maria Beach is a south-facing sanctuary with a secret: After biking to it, a short stroll south also leads to one of the best intertidal zones in

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  Sunset Cruiser

  Point Reyes Peninsula just has that magic touch. Resembling a huge hand, five bays of commingling salt and freshwater make up Drakes Estero, an estuary megaplex offering expansive

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  Bike & Hike Classic

  The popular Bear Valley Trail in Point Reyes National Seashore is one of the best places to enjoy a good bike-and-hike trail, with a peaceful ride and ramble that leads to beautifu

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  Master of Monterey

  It’s okay—go on, be greedy. Ask for everything in your next getaway. Monterey County has it all! Awesome outdoors, magnificent coastal scenery, and seasonal sensations like wildflo

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  Black Diamond in the Rough

  Four million tons of “black diamonds” were mined out of Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch. So what remains? A diamond in the rough! Wildflowers are adding sparkle to

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  Colorful Calero

  Tucked in the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Calero County Park has a surprise side. Its 4,455 acres are home to a well-known reservoir that’s a central attraction

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  Pedal to Petals

  Victory looks and smells so sweet atop a 1,500-foot peak swimming in wildflowers! Go on a gut-busting flower-power mountain bike ride to North Marin’s highest summit, Mount Burdell

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  Magical Wanderland

  Lush, ancient, and giant. Those are just a few of the words that will come to mind as you stand under some of the tallest trees in the world. Just a few hours from San Francisco, H

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  Take the Scenic Route

  Buckle up, we’re going on a road trip! Spring break for San Bernardino County—home to a large portion of Route 66. Famous highlights include Wigwam Village (recently made extra fam

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  Haulin’ Oat!

  No offense to hot air balloons, but we have a better way to get a bird’s-eye view of Napa Valley. The Oat Hill Mine Trail out of Calistoga climbs up into the Palisades on an old stage coach route. And in spring, wildflowers come out in flying colors!

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