Hike in the Sierra without leaving the Bay Area! Well, at least it seems that way. The sparkling reservoirs on the north side of Mount Tamalpais offer miles of hiking trails and the kind of peaceful forest sensation that could be a stand-in for low elevation Sierra Nevada. Alpine…

Gondola Through the Redwoods Where else can you take a gondola through a redwood forest? Hop on board the Trees of Mystery “Sky Trail” gondola for a bird’s-eye view of giant redwoods. Bonus: From the summit’s observation deck, you’ll get a mountaintop ocean vista, too! Low Tide…

Tucked quietly away above Lake Tahoe’s eastern shore, Spooner Lake hides in plain sight. Just 12 miles north of Stateline on Highway 50, hikers, bikers, and beach loungers jet past this tranquil lake on their way to adventures on Tahoe, but with a bevy of activities and the…

Sitting juxtaposed to busy Highway 280 on the Peninsula, Crystal Springs Reservoir is a big, glistening, two-lake treasure worthy of more than a drive-by affair. Fed by High Sierra water piped from Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy, this tranquil oasis is best seen by biking the Crystal…