Backdoor Marin

So close, so wild, and sometimes so popular! Marin packs plenty of secrets, you just have to know which door to open. Here are a few less traveled hikes. Knock, knock!

Week: 01.26.2016
Regions: Northern CA

Secret Summit

Hike Mount Tam West Peak

Marin's Mount Tam is one of the Bay Area's most traveled mountains, yet even this icon of the North Bay holds some secrets … including a summit! The less-traversed West Peak is actually Tam's original summit, and still receives less than 1 percent of the 3 million annual visitors
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Redding for Snow Adventures?!

Winter Adventures in Redding and Lassen

Where can you snowshoe on an active volcano? Cross-country ski in well-marked wilderness? Downhill ski where there's plenty of powder, and no crowds? Redding is the answer to your next winter adventure! This alternative to the typical Sierra ski scene is set in a stunning Norther
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Winter Rush

Hike Rush Creek Open Space Novato

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Where do the wild things go? Well, if you're a bird, you might head to Rush Creek Open Space in Novato. This 522-acre preserve just east of Highway 101 has one of the densest bird populations in the North Bay outside of Point Reyes. And the beautiful thing? Not very many people k
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McClures Marks the Spot

McClures Beach Point Reyes

Tule Elk at Tomales Point in Point Reyes National Seashore
With over 80 miles of preserved shoreline, Point Reyes National Seashore has plenty of sandy stretches for strolling. Those who like wandering in near solitude should head to the northernmost accessible coastline here, McClures Beach.
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Taking the Stage: Tyler Ranch

    Hike the recently opened Tyler Ranch Staging Area in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, with 18 miles of new trails. This 6.5-mile loop up Sunol Peak is a challenge and rewards with exceptional views of seasonal iridescent hills.

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  2. A woman stands at Dante's View in Death Valley, looking out to Telescope Peak and Manly Lake, Badwater Basin below.

    Sunset Hike (and Manly Lake Vista!) at Dante's View

    It’s one of the world’s best places to watch a sunset. Dante’s View is a 5,476-foot vantage of the whole southern basin of Death Valley from the top of the Black Mountains. On clear days you get views of both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous U.S. 

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  3. Swing into Spring

    Swing into this 7.1-mile hike in the hills of Half Moon Bay! It’s got gorgeous views, fields of spring wildflowers, and a hidden rustic tree swing.

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  4. The Carson Show

    Carson Falls is ready for primetime. This three-tiered, 100-foot stunner is hidden back in a canyon outside of Fairfax and reached on a 3.25-mile (round-trip) hike.

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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Lava Lava

    Once a land of volcanic activity, Mojave National Preserve shares plenty about its past via a quick yet adventurous hike to the Lava Tube in the Cima Dome Volcanic Field.

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  2. Kelso Dunes

    The hike to the top of Kelso Dunes in the Mojave National Preserve is only 3 miles (out and back), but you’ll feel like you’ve hiked much farther by the time you’re done.

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  3. William Kenyon Overlook

    Some of the best vistas of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park are easily accessible via a short and sweet 1.25-mile (round-trip) hike just off the CA-78. Enter your next favorite desert viewpoint: the William Kenyon Overlook.

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  4. Beaudry Bountiful

    There are no cars allowed on Beaudry Loop, but this 6-mile hike takes you on a wild ride. You’ll be climbing 1,500 feet up the southern Verdugos along a chaparral-lined trail with gorgeous mountain and urban vistas every step of the way.

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