Camp Last Minute

Want to do a spontaneous camping trip, but you’re assuming all the good sites are booked? Well, maybe not all the good sites. The Bay Area still has some campsite secrets—from first-come, first-served options to lesser-known places where chances of getting a last-minute reservation are pretty good. Happy campers!

Week: 08.25.2016
Regions: Northern CA

Take Liberty

Camp Liberty Glen Near Lake Sonoma

Wine country: busy! Camping in wine country: woo-hoo solitude! Though you now have to make a reservation (even if it’s 20 minutes prior), there’s a good chance you’ll be able to pitch your tent last minute at Liberty Glen Campground, a ridge-top refuge along the rugged coastal fo
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Fall Escape to Yosemite's Tenaya Lodge

Fall Escape to Yosemite's Tenaya Lodge

Everybody loves national parks. But the lodging, well, that often leaves plenty to be desired. Unless you stay at Yosemite’s only four-diamond resort: Tenaya Lodge. All of Tenaya’s lodge rooms are newly renovated, with deluxe baths, cozy beds, and flat-screen TVs. Just 2 miles fr
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Star This Camp

Camp Joseph D Grant County Park

Ready to take your camping experience to the next level? Put a star next to this on your outdoors adventures list: Way up in the foothills overlooking the Santa Clara Valley, within eyeshot of hulking Mount Hamilton (4,209 feet), Joseph D. Grant County Park is home to two campgro
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Trending Stories NorCal

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    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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  3. Mike Zakowski (aka Mike the Baker) standing in front of his wood-fire oven at the Sonoma Valley Farmers' Market

    NEW! Walkin' and Talkin': Break Bread, Go On a Panoramic Hike

    What’s a world-traveling, medal-winning baker’s favorite local hike? Weekend Sherpa co-founder Brad Day caught up with Mike Zakowski (aka Mike the Baker) at Sonoma’s Friday farmers' market, where his wood-fired loaves draw loyal crowds. Between bites of fresh-baked bread, they talk baking, travel, and why Sonoma's Overlook Trail is one of his favorite quick, panoramic hikes.

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  4. 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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    You Go, Curl!

    Hollywood Curling’s Learn to Curl classes make the perfect setting for newcomers. Take the ice, and friendly curling instructors will teach you the basics.

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    Warm Up to Winter in Reno Tahoe

    2026 is just getting started, but there’s one place already rising to the top as the best for adventure and relaxation: Reno Tahoe. The awe—and ahhhs—begin as soon as you arrive. G

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  3. Fall for These Falls

    Chase waterfalls in Redding’s Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. This 42,000 acres of wilderness park is home to four waterfalls. Hike to the tallest, the three-tiered, 220-foot Whiskeytown Falls.

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  4. Oh Snow Nice

    Live in California long enough, and you’ll come to know the rite of passage called “going to the snow”–when we ditch our fair-weather cities and towns in search of winter weather. Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks deliver a winter wonderland worth a visit if there’s been a good dose of snow.

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