All Stories from North Bay

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  Strolling With Sam

  Most people come to Samuel P. Taylor State Park for the beautiful creekside campground and picnic areas. But the hiking here can be pleasantly peaceful on a short trail featuring old-growth redwood trees.

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  All Hail Helena

  Ready to get in that last long hike before the days get a little too short? Make it count by conquering one of the highest peaks in the Bay Area: Mount Saint Helena. On clear days

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  Go for Moore

  It’s just 20 miles north of Napa, but Moore Creek Park feels like a world of its own. This quiet park just past Lake Hennessey has a nice 4-mile loop hike combining Moore Creek Tra

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  Her Name is Del Rio

  Del Rio Woods east of Healdsburg along Sonoma County's Russian River is a welcome addition to the Regional Parks system.

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  Reach the Pinnacle

  The thing about hidden beaches is you’ve usually got to do a little legwork to find them! In this case, the legwork is a lovely 0.5-mile hike to a gorgeous beach on Bodega Bay. The

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  Wild for Wildcat

  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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  Napa Smoothie

  Beer in wine country? It all goes down nice and smooth when you pair your craft brew après with a paved, car-free bike trail paralleling the Napa River.

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  Sugar Rush

  Sugarloaf Ridge State Park is in the heart of wine country. This 4,000-acre open space straddles the Sonoma and Napa Valleys in the Mayacamas Mountains. And its trails are somethin

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  Simply Sunsational!

  Sometimes the best things are right under your nose—or in this case, right off Sonoma’s historic plaza. Enjoy a 2.5-mile (round-trip) sunset hike on Sonoma’s Overlook Trail. Locals

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  It's How You Roll!

  Lush vineyards aren’t the only things rolling in Sonoma Valley these days. Casual cruiser biking is one of the best ways to see the sights and taste the wines! The key: Pedal the c

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  Abbotts Bonanza

  Pure wilderness, Pacific views, lush greenery, and wildflowers galore … yep, Point Reyes National Seashore is pretty much spring loaded. For the best of landscape, sandscape, and s

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  All in for Alamere

  If you’re crazy about the ocean, the beach, and waterfalls, Bolinas’s Coast Trail is bound to become one of your all-time favorite spring hikes. It’s got one killer cliffside view

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  Stengel Beach Bliss

  One of the coolest things about Stengel Beach Waterfall is that you’ll probably have it to yourself. Few people head to this beach because the waterfall is like a ghost, appearing

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  Steps, Sand, Sea, Sunset

  Black Sands is a remote mile-long stretch of shore in the Marin Headlands. The secluded oasis has a lot to see. Rocky coastline, thrashing waves, nudists, fishermen, nudist fisherm

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  Slice of Sonoma

  You’re in Sonoma, tasting some wine, feeling pretty good—now you want to enjoy a short hike to take in the views of the valley. Where to go? The answer is just north of Sonoma’s hi

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  Bodega Bay Gourmet

  Tiny Bodega Head in beautiful Bodega Bay has long lured visitors to its dramatic cliff-above-ocean setting and excellent vantages for spotting migrating gray whales. But visit on a

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  Dreamy Drake

  Drake’s Estero is smack in the middle of Point Reyes. Take a sweet hike with savory surroundings all the way out to Sunset Beach.

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  Point the Way

  Perched on a remote promontory 124 feet above the ocean, with its dramatic setting and expansive views, Point Bonita Lighthouse lures day-visitors throughout the year. But on full-

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  Return from the Wildfires

  Last October one of the worst wildfires in California’s history ripped through Sonoma and Napa Valley, burning some of the area’s precious open space and state and regional parks.

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  Sealed with a Kiss

  Where do seals and sea lions go when they’re not feeling well? They head to rehab in the Marin Headlands at the world-renowned nonprofit Marine Mammal Center. The amazing experts a

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