Sunsets & Stargazing

Look up! Summer nights are some of the best for lingering sunsets and stargazing glories. We've rounded up a backpacking beach trip, an observatory star party, and a prime city-to-sea vantage for observing sunsets and celestial events, including the Perseid meteor shower (peaking August 11).

Week: 07.31.2024
Regions: Northern CA

Wild for Wildcat

Backpacking and Camping at Wildcat Camp in Point Reyes

Group of friends at the beach at sunset near Wildcat Camp in Point Reyes National Seashore
Backpackers overlooking the bluff and down to the Pacific ocean at Point Reyes National Seashore near Wildcat Camp
Two people sit around a campfire located at the beach near Wildcat Camp in Point Reyes National Seashore
Backpacker hiking on the Coast Trail surrounded by yellow wildflowers in Point Reyes National Seashore
With seven sites strewn along a coastal bluff adjacent to the beach, Wildcat Camp is one of Northern California’s premier camping destinations in Point Reyes National Seashore. And there's one first-come, first-served spot...
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Hawk-Eyed Sunset

Sunset Hike at Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands

Woman hiking Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands at Sunset
It's one of the best sunset spots in the Bay Area. Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands is magical, with a sweeping panorama 923 feet above the Pacific.
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True Star Power

Go to a Star Party at Robert Ferguson Observatory in Sonoma Valley

Robert Ferguson Observatory
Robert Ferguson Observatory
Here's a truly enlightening way to spend an evening: head to Robert Ferguson Observatory in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park for a "star party." At dusk, the observatory opens, giving the public access to celestial viewing via three powerful telescopes.
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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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