All Stories from North Bay

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  Sun Tam

  If you’ve ever driven Mount Tam’s West Ridgecrest Boulevard, then you know how dramatic it is, with its sweeping coastal scenery, edged by rolling headlands and hulking cliffs, wit

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  Four-Legged Falls

  Love your dog? Love waterfalls? Get the best of both on this easygoing hike hidden in Novato. Indian Valley Open Space Preserve is tucked behind the College of Marin campus, and those who discover it are in for a treat.

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  Big 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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  Now and Zen

  Feel like you need to enlighten up? Green Gulch Zen Center understands. For over 40 years, this Marin County staple of mindfulness has blazed a trail to ahhs (including, literally,

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  Sea You at the Ranch

  Rough-and-tumble coastline, twisting Highway 1, open grasslands, hidden beaches, bluff trails, and a rustic lodge for storm watching from indoors —we’re not talking about Big Sur.

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  Drake Awakening

  Part salt water, part fresh water, Drake’s Estero is smack in the middle of Point Reyes, and one of only two marine wilderness areas in the entire nation. Yeah, it’s worth a look. Get the extended version by hiking right alongside it.

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  Hike to New Lights

  One of the best holiday light displays doesn’t involve a plastic Santa or synchronized blinking icicles. It’s catching the San Francisco skyline at sunset from high atop Ring Mount

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  Headlands Happiness

  One of the many reasons people love the Bay Area is that getting outdoors for a coastal adventure is always an option. And there’s probably no better example than hiking the Marin

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  Steep Sleep

  Perhaps the best deal in the Bay Area: an oceanfront cabin at Steep Ravine for $100. The challenge? Actually reserving one of these popular cabins! Don’t be dissuaded; the effort is well worth it.

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  Happy Ending

  Everybody loves a happy ending. And one of the happiest endings in Northern California is where the Russian River empties into the Pacific. Get a front row seat to witness this won

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  Full Moonshiner!

  It started out as a way to romance his dates. But today John Benus invites everyone to his fantastic full-moon hikes to Moonlight Hill on Mount Tam. He usually hosts the hikes on w

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  Date Night with the Bay

  We’re lucky to live beside one of the most beautiful natural bays in the world. Yet finding a place to have it all to yourself? That can be a challenge. Unless you take a sunset an

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  Shimmering Paddle

  Uniquely situated where the Russian River meets the rugged Pacific coast, Jenner is a shining star of kayaking destinations. It’s even better when paddling here under the shining m

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  Take Liberty

  Wine country: busy! Camping in wine country: woo-hoo solitude! Though you now have to make a reservation (even if it’s 20 minutes prior), there’s a good chance you’ll be able to pi

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  Wine Surf

  Want to wine surf? Bodega Bay’s Gourmet au Bay put its name on the map by introducing “wine surfing”: three wine tastes brought to you on a mini wooden surfboard. Now they’ve opene

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  Lighthouse at the end of the Tunnel

  Round up the best of the Marin Headlands on this 8-mile loop alongside dramatic coastline, jutting cliffs, and iconic Golden Gate vistas to 160-year-old Point Bonita Lighthouse. Be

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  A Taste of Hennessey

  Napa’s liquid refreshment comes in more ways than wine, thanks to the Napa County Regional Park & Open Space District. Moore Creek Park is located just 30 minutes east of Napa’s gr

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  Secret Booty

  It’s hard to say what’s better: the hike to Pirate’s Cove, or Pirate’s Cove itself. Tucked between Tennessee Beach and Muir Beach on the Marin coast, Pirate’s Cove is a rugged little beach with a colorful past. And it’s only accessible by hiking in.

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  Goat for It!

  Behold the glorious Sonoma Coast, underrated sibling to Big Sur. Dozens of accessible pocket beaches pop up all along this dramatic stretch of northern California that's perfect fo

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  Two Wheel Beach Hop

  Sublime and under the radar, Santa Maria Beach is a south-facing sanctuary with a secret: After biking to it, a short stroll south also leads to one of the best intertidal zones in

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