Woman Walking down stairs to a beach called Cowell Ranch State Beach

Nature's Stairways

We're stair-ing at you! The San Francisco Bay Area has an abundance of beautiful hikes with natural stairways built into nature, to help us all step up to brilliant panoramas. Here are three that look out to the sea... 

Week: 10.03.2024
Regions: Northern CA

More Cowell-bell!

Hike to Cowell Ranch State Beach on the San Mateo Coast

If you didn’t know it was there, you might just drive right on by it. But for those who make the 0.5-mile walk (or bike ride) to the wooden stairway leading to Cowell Ranch State Beach, the reward is sinking your toes into one of the best beaches in Northern California.
Read the full story

Carson City Is Calling

Fall Getaway to Carson City, Nevada

This state capital is where going wild means exploring the outdoors and enjoying the history and comforts of a vibrant community. Your best days are ahead in Carson City, Nevada!
Plan Your Carson City Getaway

Morning Sun and a Mimosa

Hike the Morning Sun and SCA Trails in the Marin Headlands

Two hikers go up the stairsteps on the Morning Sun Trail in Sausalito
Morning Sun Trailhead hikers in Sausalito
Maybe you’ve strolled the Sausalito waterfront, but have you ventured up the forested stairway trail to beautiful bay views and the headlands? Get an early start (parking fills quickly!) and hike the Morning Sun Trail, which switchbacks for half a mile up through an oak forest with peek-a-boo views of the bay.
Read the full story

Lands Zen

Hiking Lincoln Park Steps and Lands End in San Francisco

Find a little peace in San Francisco on an urban walk featuring a beautiful stairway, panoramic views, a labyrinth, and plentiful coastal drama.
Read the full story

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories

  1. Hecata, Yeah!

    You’ll have to travel further afield for this lighthouse gem on the magnificent Oregon Coast, but some things are worth the enlightenment! Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint is worth an overnight stay if you’ve always wanted to spend the night at a historic beacon.

    View
  2. Hike Mori Point Pacifica

    Ah, Good Point

    Ready for a rewarding view? Head to one of the Peninsula’s favorite promontories: Mori Point. Climb your way up the Bootlegger’s Steps to the Mori Point headland for awesome vantages of the San Mateo Coast.

    View

  3. This Is Paradise

    Granite mountain-scape, superb sunset views, crystal lakes, and shoreline campsites … the trip to Paradise Lake in Tahoe National Forest lives up to its idyllic name.

    View

  4. Panorama Park

    From a distance you might wonder what it is … this very pointed, silvery structure rising above the horizon near the Bay Bridge. It’s the 69-foot-high Point of Infinity, a newly installed permanent sculpture located at San Francisco’s new public park, the very aptly named Panorama Park at Yerba Buena Island.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories

  1. Ciao, Bella!

    Experience the beauty of Italy without getting on an airplane, by taking a scenic stair walk through Castellammare. Originally developed in the 1920s to resemble Italy’s Amalfi Coast, this neighborhood has sweeping views of the Pacific, and plenty more to see.

    View

  2. Nighty Light

    Just 25 miles south of San Francisco on California’s rough-and-tumble coast lies a centuries-old beacon that’s still lighting the way for voyaging ships. Point Montara Fog Signal and Light Station—operating since 1875—has become the distinguished (and well-preserved!) elder statesman of the seaside.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    Carson City Is Calling

    This state capital is where going wild means exploring the outdoors and enjoying the history and comforts of a vibrant community. Your best days are ahead in Carson City, Nevada!

    View

  4. Discover the Dark

    Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are legendary as “the Land of the Giants,” home to the largest trees on earth—giant sequoias—and to the deepest canyon in the U.S.—Kings Canyon. The parks also have some impressive dark sky viewings.

    View