Hiker overlooking the Santa Cruz Mountains at Upper La Honda Creek Preserve

Reserve These A-list Hikes

The South Bay has lots of A-list hiking areas, and some currently require reserving a spot or knowing best times to go. Here are three places worth planning ahead for in the coming weeks.

Week: 02.03.2021
Regions: Northern CA

Santa Cruz Epic Views

Hike Upper La Honda Creek Preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains

Hiking shoes pictured on person sitting at an overlook of the Santa Cruz Mountains at Upper La Honda Creek Preserve in the South Bay
Redwoods, wildflowers, and ocean vistas offer the best of the Bay Area at Upper La Honda Creek Preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Take a 3.75-mile loop through the preserve's highlights.
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Ready When You Are: Reno Tahoe

Wide Open Winter Adventures in Reno Tahoe

Reno Tahoe
Reno Tahoe snowshoe woman in forest
Man in hot spring in Reno Tahoe
beer on tap at Alibi Reno Tahoe
With outdoors being essential for health and wellness, and new protocols in place, Reno Tahoe welcomes visitors! It's wide open with snowshoe trails, fire pits by the river, skating, and hot springs.
Plan Your Reno Tahoe Winter Getaway

Find Your Flow

Hike the Waterfall Loop at Uvas Canyon County Park

Woman sitting at the base of a waterfall at Uvas Canyon County Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains
Far back in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Uvas Canyon County Park is a compact, tree-filled delight with hiking trails and several waterfalls bunched into a loop along Swanson Creek and amid lush forest.
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Best Foot Forward

Hike to Panoramic Views at Foothills Park in Palo Alto

Woman on hiking trail at Foothills Park in Palo Alto
Foothills Park has 15 miles of trail surrounded by misty valleys, tender oak trees, seasonal creeks, a peaceful lake, and beautiful Bay Area vistas. Plan ahead because it's new, and very popular.
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Hike the Rainbow

    Catch all the colors of a rainbow at Calero County Park on this 10-mile hike currently showcasing the season’s best blooms.

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  2. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

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  3. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

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  4. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

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  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

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  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

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  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

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