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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.