Top 10 Viewpoints

Top 10 Viewpoints in the Santa Cruz Mountains

05.17.2018

In the Bay Area we pride ourselves on seeking new points of view. But how about seeking out the best points of view?! Yep, our friends at Peninsula Open Space Trust have done it again, creating a complimentary downloadable guide to the very best vistas in the Peninsula and South Bay.

The Top 10 Vistas of the Santa Cruz Mountains gives you the 5 best viewpoints you can hike to and the 5 best viewpoints you can drive to … complete with directions, interactive trail maps, activities to do at each vista location, and insider tips. It even comes with a compass!

Do you know about Eagle Rock in Little Basin? How about Mindego Hill? Find out about these vistas and 8 others, then get going to viewtiful!

Visit our sponsor Peninsula Open Space Trust

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Picnic and a Pedal
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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