East Bay

Grunge Gallery: World-class Bay views meet zany bohemian art in the Albany Bulb. Once a landfill, this eclectic finger of land is now filled with impromptu driftwood sculptures.

Golden Oldie: Briones Regional Park is a golden fall favorite. Make a 4.3-mile loop in this open-space refuge west of Walnut Creek, where the gently rolling hills are as bountiful as the views.

North Bay

Get Your Greens: Restart your appetite with a 4-mile hike that passes through a working farm, Marin's Green Gulch Farm and Zen Center. The hike starts from Muir Beach and includes sweeping headlands views from the Coyote Ridge Trail.

Get Your Tiburon!: Fantastic Bay views without the climbing? For an easy post-turkey stroll, head up the back roads of Tiburon to hop on the Tiburon Ridge Trail.

Peninsula & South Bay

Mavericks Appetizer: The big waves are coming! Walk the bluffs above Half Moon Bay's world-famous surf break, then take a breather at Moss Beach Distillery's cozy fire pits.

Feast for the Eyes: Quietly standing watch over the South Bay, the Peninsula's Black Mountain has a nice 2-mile (one-way) trail to its summit, where clear fall days offer 360-degree views all the way to the Mount Hamilton range and the Santa Cruz Mountains.

San Francisco

Urban Twofer: The Haight might not sound like an obvious place to start a hike, but it's home to San Francisco's oldest park, Buena Vista Park. Hike to the top and continue on to more panoramic city views from nearby Corona Heights Park.

Delicious City Stroll: Amazing food, big Bay views, hidden stairways, and secluded parks all combine to make a delightful afternoon walk from the Embarcadero through North Beach and back.

2010: Hike to the Roof of Africa

It's the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, and one of the Seven Summits. Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa and now's your opportunity to go to the top. No mountaineering skills? Not to worry. Kilimanjaro is one of the most accessible summits on the planet, where enthusiasm, stamina and determination top the checklist. Real Life Adventure Travel (based in the East Bay and Tanzania) is leading an eight-day hike through multiple ecological and climate zones up to the glacier-covered peak. Robin Felix, Fredrick Chikima and their staff at Real Life Adventure Travel will keep your journey safe, fun, and right on track. You'll take the less-traveled (and more beautiful) Lemosho route, passing through tropical rainforests that are home to elephants and colobus monkeys before climbing to a high-alpine desert that feels like stepping onto another planet. Relax at camps while refueling with tasty meals prepared by RLAT staff. On the seventh day you'll push for the summit. At the top (19,340 feet!) the African continent's golden landscape sprawls before you in all directions. Hakuna Matata!

BONUS: Weekend Sherpa readers save 10%. Real Life Adventure Travel has a spot on their trip for you! Watch the video.

Trip Details:

Dates: Jan. 24 to Feb. 3 and June 20 to July 1 (option to add a four-day Zanzibar beach trip). Or contact RLAT to create your own itinerary.
Cost: Starting at $3,890 per person (Save 10% by mentioning Weekend Sherpa)
Optional Extension: After Kilimanjaro, reward yourself with a relaxing few days on the beaches in Zanzibar.
Contact: Real Life Adventure Travel; 925-631-7978 or (877) UGO-KILI