South Bay Outdoor Bounties

While we all still cling to summer, the truth is fall's bounty is at our doorstep. So step outside and greet the new season in South Bay style with a classic hike, an urban bike ride, and some time at the ranch ....

Week: 09.15.2021
Regions: Northern CA

Bike Ride to Bountiful

Bike the Guadalupe River Trail in San Jose and see parks, sculptures, gardens, and wetlands

Woman with her bike at entering a garden along Guadalupe River Trail in San Jose
Sculpture of two kids pointing at the sky near the San Jose Airport with planes flying overhead
Woman sitting on a dock overlooking the water and marshland in San Jose along the Guadalupe River Trail
Biker on Guadalupe River Trail in San Jose
The Guadalupe River Trail in San Jose makes an excellent bike ride with minimal hills, gardens, parks, and easy access to food, art, and entertainment along the entire 10-mile stretch of trail.
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Sea Change

Plan a Relaxing Autumn Visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium

penguins exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium
sea otters exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium
jellyfish exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium
exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium
Right in time for the balmy fall days, the crowds have left and Monterey Bay Aquarium is at its shoulder season best. Fewer people means relaxing with more room to roam and enjoy the animals, exhibits, and nearby outdoors for biking, hiking, and beaches.
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Hiking Forecast: Windy

Hike and Watch a Sunset at Windy Hill Preserve in the South Bay

Woman hiking at Windy Hill Preserve
Fall colors on your mind? Put Windy Hill Preserve in the South Bay on your hiking list. We recommend a 6.2-mile loop that starts and finishes at its namesake summit, where sunsets dazzle.
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Hike and Seek

Hike McClellan Ranch Preserve Near Cupertino

Hike McClellan Ranch Preserve near Cupertino
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This 2.1-mile hike in McClellan Ranch Preserve near downtown Cupertino has quiet nature, historic ranch buildings, wildlife-watching, fall color, and Stevens Creek.
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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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