All "Relaxing" Stories in Northern CA

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  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

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  Just Dune It

  Miles of epic sand dunes seem like something you're more likely to find in the desert than on Northern California's lush redwood coast. Surprise! One of the most spectacular expanses of sand-scape you’ll ever see is in Humboldt County, just minutes by car from Old Town Eureka.

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  I Do!

  Even if you’re not getting married anytime soon, you’ve gotta visit Wedding Rock, the most dramatic spot in Patrick’s Point State Park. It’s called Wedding Rock because the park’s

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  Golden Sunday

  Everyone sings the praises of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, and Sundays are a perfect day to tune in on its hidden art and free music scene. Go on a mile-long meander around th

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  Take Me Home to Tennessee

  Tennessee Valley trailhead in the Marin Headlands is rightly popular for its classic coastal scenery and variety of trail options, like this 5.5-mile loop.

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  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

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  Stump for It!

  Ready to go wild, then kick back and relax? It’s so easy to do on a beach-to-bluff hike in the lightly visited Salt Point State Park on the Sonoma Coast. Most people do the 1.2-mil

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  Tae Go Sah Temple

  A startling vision greets you deep in Sand Canyon outside Tehachapi. Like an ancient Oriental woodblock print come to life, a Buddhist temple sits at the confluence of two narrow w

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  Swinging Views

  San Francisco is a city of high expectations, and that includes its lofty parks offering incredible panoramas. So what makes the 360-degree views all the more fun? Enjoying them fr

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  Her Name Is Monte Rio

  You’ve heard of Throwback Thursday; how about Old-School Saturday (or Sunday!). For a scene that’s a pure summer classic, head to the Russian River’s Monte Rio Beach. Enjoy loungin

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  Beer Island

  Did we have you at beer? Island? Both?! Why not toss in a brilliant view of the Bay Bridge too? Treasure Island has just the beach for bringing this terrific trifecta together! Tha

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  Hidden Perles

  You're gonna need a boat to get to one of the best beaches in the Bay Area. Fortunately, ferries leave on a regular schedule to the tranquil state park in the middle of the Bay, An

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  Marshall Mellow

  Tucked away in the northern part of Point Reyes National Seashore, Marshall Beach is a sandy hidden haven set along the warm waters of Tomales Bay. And you can’t get to it by car! Access to Marshall is by way of a 1-mile hike or by kayaking in.

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  Leapin' Lupine!

  Seasonal wildflowers and evergreen vistas make this a locals’ favorite hike in Sonoma Valley Regional Park. Go soon to see popping lupine and buttercups on this scenic 2-mile (round-trip) route with beautiful picnic spots.

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  The Original SF Giants

  Before the baseball team, came the original San Francisco Giants: coast redwoods, the tallest living things on earth! And Golden Gate Park’s Botanical Garden is home to the century-old Redwood Grove, splendored with these fog-loving beauties.

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  Rove the Cove

  Today’s San Francisco still has a few places where bits of interesting grit exist. Warm Water Cove is an urban waterfront blending serene bay views and relics of days past when thi

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  Forest of Stone Trees

  Tucked way up and away in the mountains of Calistoga's wine country there lies a forest where redwood trees once grew and grew … until they turned to stone! The backstory: Some 3.5

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  A Real Flockbuster

  Some real movers and shakers have swooped in on San Francisco's southern industrial-chic waterfront thanks to the creative work and advocacy of the Golden Gate Audubon Society and

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  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.

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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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