Finding Fall

Northern California is a truly special place. And no wildfire can take that away. Find fall in all its colorful glory and crispness on these hikes, bike rides, and paddles.

Week: 10.19.2017
Regions: Northern CA

Picnic and a Pedal

Bike Ride the Cross Marin Trail in West Marin North Bay Area

West Marin has all the right stuff for an afternoon getaway: bike paths, babbling brooks, canopy forests, and secluded picnic spots. Combine a picnic and a pedal at Samuel P. Taylor State Park by biking the easygoing Cross Marin Trail.
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What a (Road) Trip!

Humboldt County Road Trip to the Redwoods

Humboldt County coast
You’ve gotta love a road trip: it’s spontaneous and gives you the freedom for loads of explorations. The hardest part is figuring out where to go. Humboldt County is a road-tripping mecca perfect for an autumn getaway. All you have to do is drive north! First stop: the Lost Coast
Plan Your Trip to Humboldt County!

Big Tree Bonanza

Giant Redwood hikes at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in Humboldt County

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park hike
Roosevelt elk, canyons draped in ferns and dripping with small waterfalls, oh … and the tallest trees on the entire planet! Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park has all the fixings for world-class hiking.
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The Joaquin Dead

Haunted Hike at Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland

Hike Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland
Named after the poet, Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland belongs in a sonnet about small wonders. But it also may belong in a classic ghost story! This unassuming park is said to be haunted....
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River of Bicycle Dreams

Biking The Sacramento River Trail in Redding, California

Cycling without having to worry about cars? Hooray! Cycling beside a gently flowing river through fall foliage? Double hooray! The Sacramento River Trail in Redding lives up to its reputation as a premier rail trail in the country: 17 miles of buttery pavement for bikes and pedes
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Touch the Skyline

Hike Russian Ridge and Skyline Ridge

The Peninsula's Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve knows how to make a grand entrance when it comes to changing seasons. Combine ridgetop vistas, and a tranquil lake on a 4-mile (round-trip) hike that includes a section of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

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  2. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

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  3. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

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  4. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

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  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

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  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

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  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

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