The Great Urban Outdoors!

Who said getting into the great outdoors meant getting out of the city? Get your nature fix in city limits by hiking a secret stairway in Oakland or exploring a couple of handsome parks in San Francisco.

Week: 04.06.2017
Regions: Northern CA

Secret Stairway Hike

Secret Stairway Hike in Oakland

Secret passageways aren’t just found in the movies. The East Bay has over 400 of them winding unseen through the hillsides. Explore Oakland’s hidden passages on a 6-mile urban loop hike using shortcuts originally built to help an influx of residents reach streetcars post-1906 ear
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Full Moon Adventureland

Redding Area Full Moon Adventures

Located forty minutes from Redding in Northern California, iconic Lassen Volcanic National Park is home to famous Lassen Peak, the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range. The 2.5-mile (one-way) hike to its summit (once the snow has cleared!) is utterly spectacular as a
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Rove the Cove

Wander or Bike San Francisco's Warm Water Cove

Today’s San Francisco still has a few places where bits of interesting grit exist. Warm Water Cove is an urban waterfront blending serene bay views and relics of days past when this rugged alcove hosted impromptu punk shows. Located off the beaten track in the Dogpatch neighborho
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The Original SF Giants

Hiking the redwood grove and wildflower displays at the San Francisco Botanical Garden

Before the baseball team, came the original San Francisco Giants: coast redwoods, the tallest living things on earth! And Golden Gate Park’s Botanical Garden is home to the century-old Redwood Grove, splendored with these fog-loving beauties.
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  1. Purely Purisima

    Take a relaxing hike on the lower section of Purisiima Creek Trail in Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.

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  2. Been There, Dome That

    Surrounded by granite domes, craggy peaks, and miles of hiking trails, the High Sierra landscape of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park is famous for good reason. For a truly grand view, take a short hike to bold—and bald (except for snow at times)—Lembert Dome.

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  3. Wapama Wows

    Hetch Hetchy can be overlooked in Yosemite National Park because of its more remote location and limited facilities. But this is where you’ll also find one of the best day hikes in the park: Wapama Falls.

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    Take the Exit to the Best of the San Francisco Peninsula

    The San Francisco Peninsula is proof that some of Northern California’s greatest surprises are hiding just off Highway 101. All you have to do is take the exit.

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  1. Ballona Beach Hopper

    This easygoing bike escape is proof that you don't have to drive for hours to feel the vast benefits of nature. The Ballona Creek Bike Path is part of the “Park to Playa Regional Trail,” a 13-mile network connecting parks and open spaces from Baldwin Hills to the Pacific Ocean.

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  2. Lookout Ahead!

    A 3.7-mile loop hike to Boucher Hill Fire Lookout in Palomar Mountain State Park reminds us just how stunningly beautiful are the mountains of this remote, lightly visited portion of northern San Diego County.

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  3. A Thousand Steps to Paradise

    A picture is worth a thousand words, but is a gorgeous beach in Laguna worth a thousand steps? The answer is yes, though the question is moot, because it’s only 223 steep steps down to the 400-yard stretch of sand known as 1000 Steps Beach.

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  4. Strawberry Peak Lookout Hike

    Strawberry Sunday

    The 2.5-mile (round-trip) lollipop loop climb to the Strawberry Peak Fire Lookout near the town of Lake Arrowhead dishes up some delicious views.

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