All "Hikes" Stories in Northern CA

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  Briones Blowout

  With crowd favorites Tilden to the west and Mount Diablo to the east, Briones Regional Park can seem like the introvert of East Bay outdoor playgrounds. But don't be fooled: Brione

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  Yes Sur!

  A hidden coastal hike in Big Sur, a beautiful beach, and maybe a little wine-tasting afterwards? Sounds like a plan! First, the hike. Big Sur's Garrapata State Park is a coast-hugg

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  Home Sweet Mountain Home

  Score solitude on a little-used trail in two scenic canyons on the lower flanks of the San Bernardino Mountains south of Angelus Oaks. The 3-mile (round-trip) hike on Mountain Home

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  Pines and Panoramas

  Ponderosa pines sighing with mountain breezes set the stage for this 3-mile out-and-back hike that serves up outstanding views of the Santa Ana River Valley. Start at Barton Flats

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  High Low There!

  A happy hiker's checklist for a good fall hike: crisp fresh air, a forest mix of hardwood and fragrant conifer, flowing trail with scattered boulders, ridgelines, mountain views, a

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  Bohemian Laguna

  The cheeky logo for Bohemian Creamery kinda says it all: goats driving an old VW Beetle, with a surfboard in the back. Don't you want to try that cheese! Bohemian Creamery is as li

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  Joie de Vella

  We've got you covered on three of wine country's most important ingredients for an amazing day: wine, cheese, and a hike. Not in that order though. Start with the cheese. Sonoma's 

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  Channel Island Smuggler

  One of the best hikes in Channel Islands National Park traverses Santa Cruz Island, offering panoramic vistas and leading to a secluded cove. The 7.5-mile (round-trip) hike to Smug

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  Strolling Stornetta

  Big Sur has some competition. Located along the rugged Mendocino County coastline, the 1,665-acre Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands is a spectacular place to meander for miles along bluffs overlooking small coves, sea caves, dunes, and clusters of offshore islands.

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  Drama-ramic Hike

  It's not just the granite peaks—including famous Mount Morrison—encircling Convict Lake that make it such a dramatic place. Carved by glaciers from the Ice Age, this giant canyon f

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  Mammothly Epic Hike

  You're going to need your hiking game-face for this adventure. Trekking in the Sierra high country at any time of year requires common sense and a check of the weather; doing it du

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  Waterfall Way to Spend the Day

  Three waterfalls, two swimming holes, and a beautiful hike to boot: That's some H2-Oh! And September's a good time to visit McCloud River falls for a 3.8-mile (round-trip) hike. Lo

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  Touch the Skyline

  The Peninsula's Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve knows how to make a grand entrance when it comes to changing seasons. Combine ridgetop vistas, and a tranquil lake on a 4-mile (round-trip) hike that includes a section of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.

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  Fall Farmsteading

  Rolling hills alight with the leaves of deciduous oaks; maples abloom with orange hues; persimmon trees flowering along fence lines—fall has arrived at Rancho San Antonio Open Spac

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  Frog Days of Summer

  It's still officially summer but even in fall Henry Coe State Park offers a bounty of beauty in its 87,000 acres of rolling hills, mountain ridges, and redwood and oak trees. Locat

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  First Place

  First national park? Yellowstone. First state park? Big Basin. First urban national wildlife refuge? You'll have to be a bird nerd to know the answer to this one. So spread your wi

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  Wetland Makeover

  With egrets mingling in the maze of marshes, and unobstructed views of Mount Burdell to the north and Mount Diablo to the east, it's hard to imagine that just over a year ago Novat

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  Swing on Up

  We know of a hidden playground. The catch: You have to hike to it, and there's just one swing. Relive your recess days, gently swaying back and forth under a eucalyptus tree while

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  Beach Rambler

  So you're in the mood for a long walk on the beach. Get an early start and get to Stinson Beach. Larger than Muir Beach and less rocky than Bolinas Beach, this Bay Area staple of p

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  Hiking with Old Friends

  Stinson Beach can get packed on the weekend. We recommend arriving early or later in the day. No dogs on the hiking trails. 

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