Autumn Blend

Happy first day of fall! The days may be getting a little shorter but that won’t slow down your weekend of adventures in the Bay Area. From the north to the south, here are three ways to greet the season on a a hike, a bike ride, or a sunset wander.

Week: 09.21.2017
Regions: Northern CA

Go See Grandmother

Hike to the Grandmother Oak in Hood Mountain Regional Park

Grandmother Tree Hike Hood Mountain Sugarloaf park Sonoma
Grandmother’s calling, so you must go. The Grandmother Tree is the largest known coast live oak in Sonoma County, and she resides in quite the beautiful setting. Visit her via a 5-mile (round-trip) hike high in Hood Mountain Regional Park.
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Your Trip to Patagonia!

Take a Guided Trip to Patagonia

Patagonia's been on your bucket list forever? Make it the trip of a lifetime by going with the experts in small group adventure travel: Active Adventures! Explore classics and hidden gems by day, sleep in a cozy wilderness lodge or charming town inn at night. Two of Active Advent
Visit our sponsor Active Adventures

Keep on Rollin'

Easygoing Road Bike Ride on the East Bay's Alameda Creek Regional Trail

There are those who love to test their mettle with the pedal on road bike rides. Then there's the rest of us, looking for something more easygoing, yet still respectable in mileage! Great scenery helps, too! A mellow road bike ride along the Alameda Creek Regional Trail in Fremon
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Sunset Gone Wilder

Bluff hike at Wilder Ranch State Park in Santa Cruz

So you’re sort of snobby about your sunsets? You like a brilliant technicolor all across the sky as the sun sets on the horizon? Great! Go Wilder! Wilder Ranch State Park’s Old Cove Landing Trail is an easy 3-mile (round-trip) coastal hike in Santa Cruz. And a hike here at sunset
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Hidden Botanical Garden

    Forget a dozen roses. Give your love a botanical garden. Hidden on the western slope of Sonoma Valley’s Mayacamas Mountains, Sonoma Botanical Garden has one of the Bay Area’s best displays of Asian flora—and it’s a brilliant place for a quiet picnic and some calming contemplations.

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  2. Sunnyvale and Salty

    For up-close bird watching, it’s hard to beat a walk along the San Francisco Bay. This 5-mile loop on the Sunnyvale coast is a favorite of local wildlife photographers.

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  3. A man takes a break at a temple spot on a hike at Dragon Mountain in Milptas

    Dragon Quest

    The newly reopened, 4-mile out-and-back hike at Dragon Mountain in Milpitas mixes the physical with the spiritual for a serene hiking experience.

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  4. woman hiking Buck Gulch Falls Novato

    Buck Wild!

    Tucked back beyond the residential ranch-style homes and golf courses of Novato in the North Bay is a wild and wondrous 30-foot waterfall that springs to life in the rainy season. Buck Gulch Falls in Novato’s Ignacio Valley Preserve is in peak flow right now, and it’s a short and Middle-earthy hike to reach it.

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  1. A woman stands at Dante's View in Death Valley, looking out to Telescope Peak and Manly Lake, Badwater Basin below.

    Sunset Hike at Dante's View

    It’s one of the world’s best places to watch a sunset. Dante’s View is a 5,476-foot vantage of the whole southern basin of Death Valley from the top of the Black Mountains. Right now there's a banner and bonus view of a rare lake formation that appears only after big rains.

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  2. Keough's Hot Springs

    Soaking Up History

    When you slide into the soothing water of Keough’s Hot Springs, you’re bathing in a piece of Owens Valley history.

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  3. It's a Waterfall Life

    Tahquitz Canyon’s crystalline stream and lush stands of desert lavender, honey mesquite, and leafy sycamores is home to an easy day hike with a big bonus: a 60-foot waterfall that runs with remarkable gusto after winter rains.

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  4. Grover Hot Springs

    State Park Soaker

    Set in an alpine meadow at 6,000 feet and surrounded by the 10,000-foot granite peaks of the Sierra, Grover Hot Springs State Park—just outside the town of Markleeville—has its very own hot springs.

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