All "Overnight Escapes" Stories in Northern CA

• 

  Soaking Up History

  When you slide into the soothing water of Keough’s Hot Springs, you’re bathing in a piece of Owens Valley history. Although this rustic resort south of Bishop has changed hands a f

  View
• 

  Peaceful Pistes

  Downhill not your cup of cocoa? Go Nordic! Mammoth’s stunning Lakes Basin has 19-plus miles of groomed cross-country ski and snowshoe trails where you won’t find crowds or expensiv

  View
• 

  BONUS: Redwoods on the House!

  In celebration of turning 100 this year, Save the Redwoods League is hosting a celebration week and also giving away complimentary day-use admission to more than 100 redwood parks

  View
• 

  Starry Sky Snowshoe & Bonfire

  Snowshoeing at night is a surreal and magical experience. Headlamps weaving through a forest wonderland and snowshoes kicking up the soft powdery snow underfoot. Your destination?

  View
• 

  Light at the End of the Road

  Looking for the light at the end of the road? How about a light station?! Dramatically perched at the tip of a headland and surrounded by 30 acres of open space, Point Cabrillo Lig

  View
• 

  Sea-nic Stay & Stroll

  Charmed. That’s about the best word to describe the way you’ll feel when you stay at Mendocino’s Sea Rock Inn. Its location couldn’t be better: just outside the village and overloo

  View
• 

  Cabin on the Coast

  So you’d like to camp on the wild Mendocino coast … except for—you know—that whole pitching a tent and sleeping on the ground thing? A-OK! Actually, it’s KOA! Yes, Manchester Beach

  View
• 

  Meet Margaret!

  You have an adventurous side and enjoy lakeside solitude, but you don’t want to be too far from your comfort zone. Time to meet Margaret! Tucked just north of Kirkwood and just off

  View
• 

  Gimme Shelter

  People talk about location, location, location for real estate. And the same is true for camping, er “glamping.” Newly opened in 2016, Terra Glamping on the Sonoma Coast has a loca

  View
• 

  Shealor Stunner

  Robust mountains, striking slabs of granite, and deep green pine reflections make Shealor Lake near Kirkwood resort a jewel of the El Dorado National Forest. Reach this alpine oasis on a 1.3-mile hike.

  View
• 

  Leap Frog!

  So the whole family’s visiting and Muir Woods is full? Good thing it has a doppelganger! Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve near Sonoma County’s Russian River is an 805-acre

  View
• 

  Stately in the Santa Cruz Mountains

  Rolling hills, mountain panoramas, and towering redwoods said to be the largest in the Santa Cruz Mountains—Sam McDonald County Park just can’t seem to get any better … until you f

  View
• 

  Great Is an Understatement!

  Tucked against the Utah border in eastern Nevada, Great Basin is a hiking wonderland of 13,000-foot peaks, ancient forests, sub-alpine lakes, and marble limestone caves.

  View
• 

  All the Wright Stuff

  Avoiding drama? That’s a good thing. Unless you’re talking about campsites. In that case, the more dramatic the better! And Wright’s Beach on the Sonoma Coast is quite the drama queen—27 campsites sitting smack dab in the middle of the wild and raging Sonoma Coast State Beach.

  View
• 

  California's Serengeti

  When people talk about our great golden state, rarely included in that conversation is the Central Valley’s Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, or, as we call it: California’s Serengeti. It’s home to some of the most spectacular concentrations of waterfowl in the entire continent, and fall and winter are prime times for viewing action.

  View
• 

  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.

  View
• 

  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.

  View
• 

  Lighthouse ZZZs

  It’s the closest point of land to the Hawaiian Islands in the continental United States and it might well be the best view on the coast. The historic 115-foot lighthouse tower at P

  View
• 

  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

  View
• 

  Lone Oasis

  Every summer, thousands travel to Whitney Portal in the Eastern Sierra to summit Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States. But thousands more are denied the

  View