South for Scenic Hikes

Birds do it. Whales do it. Maybe they're onto something... Get a jump start on the migration by heading to the South Bay for some start-of-fall hikes. (Update: on Monday, September 26 a wildfire broke out in the Santa Cruz Mountains of southern Santa Clara County and has been spreading, so these hikes are not advisable at this time.)

Week: 09.22.2016
Regions: Northern CA

First of Its Kind

Hiking in Stevens Creek County Park in Santa Clara California

First place, first to market, first in line. Firsts are good! And that includes hiking in Santa Clara County's first park: Stevens Creek County Park. It’s an ideal choice for a South Bay hike featuring all kinds of scenery—a calm reservoir, sycamore trees, sweeping city and mount
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Outdoors Party: October 1

Bay Day 2016

We love a good party, especially when it’s held outdoors! And the best venue? Why, the Bay Area, of course! The first-ever Bay Day is on its way: October 1! So save the date and bring your friends to celebrate all things outdoors—in honor of our San Francisco Bay. Dozens of place
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Quest for Quicksilver

Hiking in Almaden Quicksilver County Park

The new gold rush meets the old gold rush at Almaden Quicksilver County Park, named for the once-booming industry of mining mercury, which was essential for extracting gold. Today, the park’s riches come in the form of stunning scenery, found by hiking and biking the numerous tra
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Golden Guadalupe

Hiking in Guadalupe Oak Grove Park in South Bay Northern California

You’re in the South Bay, you have time for only a short hike, and early fall colors are a bonus. Oak-ey dokey! Head to Guadalupe Oak Grove Park and circle it in a mile-long hike with decadent views. As its name suggests, you’ll pass through stretches of oak woodlands. The trails
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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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  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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