Be Here: Berkeley

Best of Berkeley Outdoors, Food, and Craft Beer

1) Tilden Ta-dah

Some hikes are like finding the entrance to Narnia. Enter a magical landscape via Laurel Canyon Trailhead in Tilden Regional Park. It heralds the start of a magnificent 3.5-mile (round-trip) journey filled with redwood forest, a lush peace grove, and spectacular views of the bay.

2) Peaks & Pints

After an afternoon hike to Wildcat Peak at Tilden Regional Park, tend to your thirst at one of Berkeley’s local craft brew pubs or wineries. Berkeley’s beer scene has been something of a phenomenon over the years—from Jupiter's 12 flagship beers and small-batch rotations to the Rare Barrel’s famous sours and the award-winning saisons at Gilman Brewing … Find a brewpub that fits your tastebuds. Or taste the flavors of Berkeley at a local winery tasting room or wine bar. Craft beer bounty, urban wine abundance!

3) Redwoods & Blooms

The Botanic Gardens at both Tilden Regional Park and UC Berkeley are  anything but garden variety, with thousands of native species blooming year round, plants from almost every continent, and acres of meandering paths. Be sure to visit Tilden's show-stopping redwood grove; take a seat on this grove’s most secluded bench and you'll confuse it with Muir Woods.

4) Tour de Culinary: Food Counterculture

Fast and casual, or slow and romantic … what’s your dining style? Berkeley has more than 350 restaurants and eateries, including a burgeoning vegetarian and vegan scene. Check out Berkeley’s new Guide to Vegetarian and Vegan, see the Local Libations recommendations, and get online to see the Berkeley Food Lovers Guide.

5) Cal Secret Spots

UC Berkeley's campus may seem like an open book, but it’s actually home to a bunch of spots that are off the beaten path, even for students! Test your treasure hunting skills with the “Cal Secret Spots” guide and find up to 22 hidden or less-known gems at Cal—including several located outdoors.

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  1. Picnic and a Pedal

    West Marin has all the right stuff for an afternoon getaway: bike paths, babbling brooks, canopy forests, and secluded picnic spots. Combine a picnic and a pedal at Samuel P. Taylor State Park by biking the easygoing Cross Marin Trail.

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  2. Hike the Oursan Trail alongside Briones Reservoir in the East Bay

    Opt for Oursan

    Hike the trail less traveled in the East Bay's Briones Regional Park. The Oursan Trail is pure serenity on a wide hiking path skirting the northern shores of Briones Reservoir.

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  3. Most Peaceful Hike of All

    Is this the most peaceful one-hour hike in the Bay Area? It's got our vote! Lake Lagunitas is the smallest lake in a series of five found on the north side of Mount Tam, so it’s got that tiny but mighty charm. Do a 1.5-mile loop around the lake's shore-hugging trail.

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  4. Sebastopol Food & Wine Roll

    One apple farm, three charming towns, multiple wineries, and infinite natural beauty. Savor a perfect autumn day in Sonoma County by biking the West County Regional Trail from Sebastopol to Forestville via Graton. It’s a 17-mile (round-trip) adventure. 

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  1. Wine Down, Dine Out in Lake Chelan

    The fertile soil around Washington State's Lake Chelan is ripe for more than just the amazing apples. Vineyards here yield high quality grapes, and some of the country’s best less-discovered wineries. Locals know it, and you will too when you start choosing from the more than 30 wineries in the region.

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  2. Lace Up for Lacy

    Lacy Park in San Marino is a hidden gem that may very well be the most pristine green space in greater Los Angeles, and a concealed pair of nearby stairways makes it all the more appealing.

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  3. Hiker amid trees at Oak Glen Preserve in Yucaipa Southern California

    Apple of Your Eye

    That fall feeling is definitely in the air and on display at the Oak Glen Preserve. Apple orchards and colorful leaves are a bonus, as are the apple cider donuts and slushies you can enjoy post-hike.

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  4. Hike San Diego Volcan Mountain Wilderness

    Planet of the Oaks

    Let us count the number of oak tree species in the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve near Julian: coast, scrub, canyon, black, and Engelmann. Five! The preserve’s Five Oaks Trail is a 3.2-mile hike that boasts all five.

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