All Stories from "Northern CA"

All "Hikes" Stories in Northern CA

Slide On Over
Marin's Slide Ranch has a popular neighbor in the Muir Beach Overlook. But don’t overlook Slide! This open-to-the-public nonprofit organization sits on 134 acres of coastline and is filled with animals, Pacific scenery, and an adjacent hiking trail.
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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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Picnic with a View
When early autumn arrives in the mountains, you never really know what you’ll get … hot days, rainy afternoons, snow. Good thing the path to Picnic Rock on the Tahoe Rim Trail is a
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King for a Day Hike
Some hikes have royally good views. One such crowning glory? King's Canyon Loop Trail in the East Bay, delivering gorgeous views of the Upper San Leandro Reservoir. It’s a 6.4-mile
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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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BonAnza!
With an ever-changing shoreline, Lake Anza in the Berkeley Hills can make you feel like you’re hiking around a lake in the Sierra: narrow paths, giant boulders, and dense forest. Q
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Coming Up Roses
Looking to spice up your hiking life? Give your partner a rose—Mount Rose! The 10-mile out-and-back peak hike goes up to one of the grandest views in all of Lake Tahoe. Get ready f
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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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Purisima Charisma
Hundred-foot redwoods, a shaded canyon, and views overlooking Half Moon Bay. This 10-mile loop hike in Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve is a roller-coaster of uphill and downhill along with easygoing stretches through some of the Bay Area’s most beautiful landscape.
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More Cowell-bell!
If you didn’t know it was there, you might just drive right on by it. But for those who make the 0.5-mile walk (or bike ride) to the wooden stairway leading to Cowell Ranch State Beach, the reward is sinking your toes into one of the best beaches in Northern California.
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Pools of Gold
Montaña de Oro: The name means mountain of gold, but the real treasures here lie underwater. Luckily you don’t have to venture into the ocean to see all the cool creatures. Plenty
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El Capitán, My Capitán
The best part about camping at El Capitán State Beach? It just might be sunset. The campground, perched on a forested bluff above the beach, gives you the best seats in the house for watching the sun settle down into the Santa Barbara Channel.
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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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Hidden Lake in the Dunes
It sounds preposterous: a lake in the dunes? That’s exactly why Oso Flaco Lake, in the Oceano Dunes south of Pismo Beach, is so cool. The 75-acre freshwater lake is surrounded by m
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Swim-through Caverns
A mug of stout beer on a hot summer day isn’t the only thing that’s cold, dark, and refreshing! There’s also the swim-through caverns of Natural Bridges in Calaveras County (aka Go
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Waterfall Jackpot!
We know where you're guaranteed to hit the jackpot in Reno. Hunter Creek Falls. It's a favorite of Reno locals, accessible year round, and especially good in the summer months when
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Hunt for the Hot Springs!
Wanna find hidden hot springs? Hunt for them! Tucked alongside a creek in the Madhesi Valley an hour from Burney Falls and 5 miles from the nearest town of Big Bend (population 102
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State Park Soaker
Set in an alpine meadow at 6,000 feet and surrounded by the 10,000-foot granite peaks of the Sierra, Grover Hot Springs State Park—just outside the town of Markleeville—has its ver
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Carson Calling
Along the banks of the East Fork Carson River, brushing the California–Nevada border, sits a series of hot spring pools surrounded by high desert. The springs have for years been a
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