Very Local Outdoors.

Our weekly email newsletter brings the outdoors to your inbox. Every Thursday we’ll send you fresh ideas and information on where to explore in California and the West.

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  1. Southern CA

    Five Faves for the Long Weekend

    Ahhh the long weekend. The end of summer is near, but you still have a few weeks to complete our Adventure Challenge. Get outdoors and send us some photos in exchange for a custom WS t-shirt, a mountain accessory bag from Topo Designs, and a chance to win a trip for 2 to Reno Tahoe. Need some inspiration? Check out these five fun outdoor escapes.

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  2. Northern CA

    Five Fabulous Adventures for Labor Day

    As the long weekend arrives it’s a reminder that our summer Adventure Challenge is soon coming to a close: there’s just a few weeks left to submit your outdoor adventure pics to us in exchange for a custom WS t-shirt, a mountain accessory bag from Topo Designs, and a chance to win a  trip for 2 to Reno Tahoe. Need some ideas for this weekend? Check out these five fabulous options.

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  3. Sponsored
    2025-08-27

    Chase Fall Colors & Family Fun in Reno Tahoe

    Ready to Reno? We’re so with you! Reno Tahoe is the ultimate urban basecamp for gathering family and friends for all kinds of fall fun and festivities.

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  4. Northern CA

    Best of Summer

    It's hard to say goodbye...summer days may be coming to a close, but there's still time to get out on some of the season's most popular adventures in Weekend Sherpa. Here's a roundup of some of what you all liked best.

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Trending Stories NorCal

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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. This Is Paradise

    Granite mountain-scape, superb sunset views, crystal lakes, and shoreline campsites … the trip to Paradise Lake in Tahoe National Forest lives up to its idyllic name.

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  3. 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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  4. 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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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Hot As (Bumpass) Hell

    So you like going to all the hot spots when you visit places? Well, in Lassen Volcanic National Park there’s a place so hot it gets downright steamy. Bumpass Hell is the largest hydrothermal area in the park, with sputtering mud pots, sulfur vents, and boiling pools. It’s California’s Yellowstone. But it only opens in summer through fall.

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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. 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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  4. 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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