Midsummer Picks

It's the thick of summer, and the heat has dialed up. Stay refreshed with these popular outdoor hikes, bike rides, and kayaking adventures in Northern California (and a few points beyond).

Week: 08.09.2023
Regions: Northern CA

Sunlight and the Sea

Hike Mori Point Loop for Pacific and Sunset Views

Hiker sitting on bench overlooking the Pacific on Mori Point Loop in Pacifica
Mori Point at Pacifica
Rugged coastal cliffs, magnificent cloud formations, and sunlight sparkling on the water create beautiful autumn views at Mori Point in Pacifica. Hikers and cyclists can catch a Pacific sunset on the 2.5-mile Mori Point Loop.
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Taste of Monterey (the Sustainable Way!)

Sustainable Food Adventures in Monterey

Food for thought: Get a taste of Monterey this fall! And do it the sustainable way, with the Monterey Bay Aquarium as your basecamp.
Visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium!

Beauty and the Beach

Visit Garrapata State Park for bluffside hiking and a beautiful beach in Monterey

Sweeping, romantic, and vast, Garrapata State Park has all the stuff of swoon-worthy scenery. There’s a magical beach backed by hulking cliffs with a hiking trail we like best in the later afternoon, when the beach can be blissfully deserted.
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Island Vibes

Coastal Bike Ride in Alameda and Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge

Our own piece of island paradise does exist here in the Bay Area! Enjoy a slice of island life on this 8-mile coastal bike ride through Alameda that ends with a tropical cocktail at Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge.
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Mono Mystique

Mono Lake Guided Canoe and Kayak Tours

Mark Twain called it “one of the strangest freaks of nature in any land.” We call it a high-desert sea. Mysterious Mono Lake is famed for its bizarre “tufa” towers. Go on a guided canoe or kayak tour here.
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Super Bowling

Visit Bowling Ball Beach on the Mendocino Coast

Hidden along the Mendocino Coast, Bowling Ball Beach lives up to its name, and then some! Giant smoothly rounded boulders (some 12 feet across) are scattered along the beach, and it’s a phenomenal spectacle.
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Sequoia Re-opens Crystal Cave

    Step inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park's hidden world by visiting the newly re-opened Crystal Cave—the only cave in the parks open to the public. Closed for four years, this rare marble karst cavern is welcoming visitors once again, but only through the summer season!

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  2. Afternoon on the Island

    What is it about tiny islands in the middle of lakes? There’s something that just draws you in. It’s even more fun when getting there is half the adventure because you have to reach it by canoe, kayak, paddleboat, or a ranger-guided boat tour!

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  3. Easiest Best Hike in the World

    Choose the easiest and most view-rewarding hike in Yosemite. Okay, we’ll go first: the combination of hiking to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. Both of these lookouts are within a couple miles of each other on Glacier Point Road

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  4. Hiker in the forest at Mount Sutro in San Francisco

    San Francisco's Middle Earth

    No need to travel to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth. San Francisco’s Mount Sutro Open Space is practically Hobbiton—a hidden “shire” in the middle of the city. Okay, maybe not quite as magical, but still an incredible place to take a hike in city limits.

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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Locals' Feature: Jim Litchfield, Owner of Reno Fly Shop

    If there's a river, you're likely to find Jim Litchfield there. As the owner of Reno Fly Shop, Nevada's premier fly fishing outfitter and shop, Jim's passion for rivers knows no bounds: he's fished in places near and far, including Alaska, Bolivia and Christmas Island. But home is beautiful Reno, where he has been running Reno Fly Shop and leading tailored river float and fly fishing adventures (including beginner-friendly options) for over a decade.

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  2. Can't Top This

    San Francisco’s Presidio was already a fantastic place to hang out for the afternoon, a beautiful site within the largest urban national park in the United States (the Golden Gate National Recreation Area). And Presidio Tunnel Tops is like a cherry on top. Make that two cherries on top, with the newly opened (July 2025) Outpost Meadow, a 1.5-acre green space located at Old Mason Street across from the Crissy Field Marsh in the Presidio.

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  3. Volcanic Activity

    Northern California is home to one of the most unique ecosystems in the country: Lassen Volcanic National Park. The region features geothermal areas, including the largest dome volcano in the world, Lassen Peak. Hike to the top of this active volcano on a 5-mile out-and-back.  

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  4. Oh Ryan

    Sure, it’s those whimsical trees that give Joshua Tree National Park its marquee billing; but this beautiful landscape also has surrounding mountains and its night sky—one of the darkest in Southern California and designated an International Dark Sky Park. Joshua Tree has four allowable stargazing parking lots, and a newly opened haven for spending the night nearby...

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