Hiker walking on a trail festooned by lupine wildflowers at Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve

Short & Quiet Hikes in the Bay Area

You don’t have to “go long” to have an outdoor adventure. These three quieter preserves and parks across the Bay Area offer small hikes with big scenery, lingering greenery, zen spots, seasonal flowers, and redwoods.

Week: 04.06.2022
Regions: Northern CA

Hidden Wilds of Healdsburg

Hike the Less Traveled Healdsburg Open Space Preserve

Hiker at Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve hiking amid lupine wildflowers
Hiker passing trail sign for All the Oaks Trail and Ridge Trail at Healdsburg Ridge Open Space
Hiker crouching to take a phone photo of lupine wildflowers at Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve
Hiker on trail festooned by lupine wildflowers at Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve
When you arrive at Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve, you may wonder what could possibly be tucked behind a subdivision. But within minutes of hiking in this 155-acre preserve, the beauty reveals itself: majestic oak trees, wetland, spring wildflowers, and wowing views of the Mayacama Mountains and Russian River.
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Guide to the Best Wildflower Walks

POST's Digital Guide to Wildflower Walks

POST digital guide to wildflower hikes
purple wildflower
California Poppy flower
Coyote Valley wildflower hike
Where will you wildflower this season? Check out POST’s 2022 digital guide to Wildflower Walks and find the best in bloom around the Peninsula and South Bay.
The Best Wildflower Walks

Sibley Amazement

Labyrinth Hike at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve in the East Bay

Labyrinth Hike at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve in the East Bay
A 10-million-year-old volcano and a couple of labyrinths are part of this 2.2-mile hike in the Oakland Hills at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve.
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Simply Wunderful

Hike the Woodlands and Redwoods of Wunderlich Park

Hike among redwoods at Wunderlich Park
Hike the mixed evergreen woodland and coast redwoods in the South Bay's Wunderlich Park. Sunlight filters naturally through the trees on this lovely 3.4-mile lollipop loop.
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Aloha from California

    Say Aloha without leaving California with a 7-mile out-and-back hiking adventure to Lake Aloha in El Dorado National Forest. You can also camp here, a premier place for stargazing.

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  2. 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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  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. 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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  2. Underground Garden

    Looking to escape the summer heat? Head to Fresno and discover its cool secret: the Forestiere Underground Gardens–an enchanting garden and architecture oasis like no other.

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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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