Massive Must-Sees

See the Redwoods in Humboldt County

Humboldt redwood hiker

Jurassic Redwoods

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park has all the fixings for world-class hiking. Hit the trail starting from the visitor center and go on a 6-mile loop hike where mighty coastal redwoods surround you nearly the entire time. You simply can’t escape the redwoods here, and you won’t want to! These behemoth trees soak in sunshine and mist with equal enthusiasm, creating a magical setting.

Gold & Green

Take a hike at Gold Bluffs Beach, where a 1.5-mile wander leads to Fern Canyon, a 50-foot-tall gorge coated in seven kinds of ferns. This canyon is so dramatic that Steven Spielberg used it as a film location for Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World. Fifty-foot walls of bright green ferns hang like emerald silk, glistening in tiny waterfalls trickling into the canyon’s riverbed.

Groovy Grove

It’s easy to hop out of your car and hike among the giants in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The Avenue of the Giants goes through this park for nearly 32 miles, with multiple places to pull off for hikes and redwood grove explorations. Do not miss Founder’s Grove, where a 0.5-mile walk takes you around to some of the most impressive trees on earth, including the Dyerville Giant, a fallen behemoth that’s 362 feet in length and weighs about 1,000,000 pounds!

STAY: Set up base in charming Eureka, with their walkable downtowns and varieties of restaurants. There’s a huge range of lodging options all across Humboldt County, including lodges and cabins, B&Bs, hotels, and motels.

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    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

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    Planet of the Oaks

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