Get Outdoors, Then Grab a Drink

There are over 400 little-known staircases and pathways that wind quietly unnoticed up the East Bay landscape. Originally built as shortcuts for an influx of hillside residents to get to streetcars post–1906 earthquake, you can explore some of these staircases on a challenging 4-

Free-range roosters and hens, wide-open space with hiking trails, and an earthy wine tasting room twinkling with lights. Hiking and wine tasting go hand in hand at Picchetti Ranch and Picchetti Winery near Cupertino in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

No offense to hot air balloons, but we have a better way to get a bird’s-eye view of Napa Valley. The Oat Hill Mine Trail out of Calistoga climbs up into the Palisades on an old stage coach route. And in spring, wildflowers come out in flying colors!

Got anything for Mom, yet? Go botanical. Nestled between idyllic meadows and woodlands, Botanic Garden in Tilden Regional Park is anything but garden variety—with a collection that has grown to include thousands of the state's native species and 10 acres of meandering streamside

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2021: Much of this area burned during the August 2020 Walbridge Fire, and while the park recently re-opened the valley floor, the two main trails of East Ridge and Pool Ridge remain closed, as does the entire Austin Creek area. If Muir Woods has a doppelganger, i