Wildlife Hikes for Winter

Word to the wild! Winter’s one of the best times for spotting seals, whales, and birds on a hike. From Año Nuevo to Palo Alto, here are three hikes for seeing wildlife in winter.

Week: 02.21.2019
Regions: Northern CA

Going Big on the Coast

Hike Among Elephant Seals at Ano Nuevo State Park

What’s one of the best things to do on the California coast during winter months? Whale watching! Especially, migrating gray whales. And San Mateo County’s Año Nuevo State Park puts you in the perfect position to see them, via a 3-mile (round-trip) hike that includes a stretch of
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From Waterfall Trails to Delicious Ales

Concord Winter Adventures

1) Grandest Picnic of Them All Pair your lunch with one of the biggest views in the West! At 3,849 feet, Mount Diablo’s summit has a panorama of more than 200 miles of California landscape. Which is why the 6.5-mile Grand Loop trek around the East Bay’s tallest peak should be on
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Wetlands & Works of Art!

Hiking Palo Alto's Baylands Nature Preserve

If the only bird you pay any attention to is the one you see on Twitter, then Palo Alto has an outdoor surprise for you. Baylands Nature Preserve is considered one of the best birding spots on the West Coast and gets bragging rights as one of the largest tracts of undisturbed mar
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Whale, Hello There!

Whale Watching at San Gregorio State Beach on the San Mateo Coast

Blissfully quiet on winter mornings, San Gregorio State Beach on the San Mateo Coast is ideal for spying gray whales.
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  1. Keough's Hot Springs

    Soaking Up History

    When you slide into the soothing water of Keough’s Hot Springs, you’re bathing in a piece of Owens Valley history.

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  2. woman hiking Buck Gulch Falls Novato

    Buck Wild!

    Tucked back beyond the residential ranch-style homes and golf courses of Novato in the North Bay is a wild and wondrous 30-foot waterfall that springs to life in the rainy season. Buck Gulch Falls in Novato’s Ignacio Valley Preserve is in peak flow right now, and it’s a short and Middle-earthy hike to reach it.

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  3. Grover Hot Springs

    State Park Soaker

    Set in an alpine meadow at 6,000 feet and surrounded by the 10,000-foot granite peaks of the Sierra, Grover Hot Springs State Park—just outside the town of Markleeville—has its very own hot springs.

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    New Year, New Goal: IRONMAN 70.3 Northern California

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  1. A woman stands at Dante's View in Death Valley, looking out to Telescope Peak and Manly Lake, Badwater Basin below.

    Sunset Hike at Dante's View

    It’s one of the world’s best places to watch a sunset. Dante’s View is a 5,476-foot vantage of the whole southern basin of Death Valley from the top of the Black Mountains. Right now there's a banner and bonus view of a rare lake formation that appears only after big rains.

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  2. Hot, Wet, and Wild!

    At Wild Willy’s Hot Springs, you can soak up a primeval landscape that’s amazingly close to Mammoth Lakes and Highway 395—it just feels a few geological epochs away.

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  3. Woman swimming in Carson Hotsprings natural thermal pool

    Hot Springs, Naturally

    Thermal spring waters are famous for their curative, relaxing elements, and Reno Tahoe is filled with them! Sink into these amazing thermal respites for a wellness super soak.

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  4. Hikers sitting on a large rock slab next to Three Sisters Falls in Cleveland National Forest Southern California near Julian

    Three Sisters

    Good things come in threes at this hike to a lovely trio-tiered waterfall in Cleveland National Forest. The 4.25-mile out-and-back hike rambles among rolling hills, with rocky mountain views as switchbacks take you down to a lush canyon and the falls.

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