Views on High

Winter really is the best time of year to get out on the trail and climb up to a view. And we're loaded with great options in the Bay Area. Shelve the winter blues and bag one of these peaks with a view!

Week: 01.03.2018
Regions: Northern CA

Monumental Achievement

Hike to Monument Peak in Milpitas

Want to kick off the New Year with a monumental accomplishment? Hike to Monument Peak in Milpitas. This 2,594-foot monument is a lightly trafficked, enjoyable, and challenging 7.7-mile hike that rewards you with inspirational views. Starting from Sandy Wool Lake in Ed Levin Count
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Big Burdell!

Hiking to the summit of Marin County's Mount Burdell

Summiting Marin’s Mount Burdell isn’t on many bucket lists, but it should be. At just over 1,500 feet, it’s the highest peak in north Marin, and the summit payoff is plentiful.
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Viva Las Trampas

Hike Las Trampas Rocky Ridge

Hikers on a ridge trail at Las Trampas Regional Wilderness in the East Bay
A clear winter day calls for a long hike to savor some of the Bay Area’s most beautiful scenery, including some flowing cascades after rain. Hike this nearly 7-mile loop in Las Trampas Regional Wilderness.
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Ridgetop Resolutions

Hike to Borel Hill in Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve

It’s a guilty pleasure to bag a peak via a short hike. That’s why you should shamelessly steal some spectacular views on a 3.5-mile loop hike in Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve. Starting on the Ridge Trail, spectacular ocean views keep you company on a gentle 0.8-mile climb to the peak of Borel Hill.
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Battery Recharger

Hike Hill 88 and Battery Townsley Marin Headlands

Hike Hill 88 to Battery Townsley in Marin Headlands
Get swept up in iconic coastal scenery on this classic 5-mile loop hike in the Marin Headlands that passes a secret World War II military fortification, home to a vast network of underground tunnels.
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Up to Umunhum

Hike to the newly opened peak of Mount Umuhum in the Santa Cruz Mountains

Clocking in at 3,486 feet, Mount Umunhum is one of the highest peaks in the Santa Cruz Mountains and has long been a South Bay landmark with the mysterious radar tower sitting atop, all of it inaccessible—until just a few months ago, when the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space Dist
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Peak Pondering

Hiking Wildcat Peak Tilden Regional Park

Some magical hikes begin like a magic trick: The start is filled with lots of people, and then, within minutes, it's quiet. All you have to do is find the entrance to Narnia—or, in this case, Laurel Canyon Trailhead in the East Bay’s Tilden Regional Park.
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Climb of Champions

Hike to the Top of Black Mountain in the South Bay

Here’s a hike that takes you high and burns your thighs! Yep, there’s nothing like climbing a mountain to start the New Year. Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve offers 24 miles of beautiful trails, but the most challenging (and rewarding) way to experience it is by hiking up
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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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