Water-ful Hikes and Picnics

Water we talking about this week? How about some great East Bay hikes featuring plentiful picnic spots, beautiful oasis bonuses, and big views. From a swimmable lagoon beach, to a bird’s–eye vantage of a big reservoir, and a spring gem with a lovely pond, here are three great ways to spend a day hiking, picnicking, and enjoying some H2-ohhhs.

Week: 05.07.2025
Regions: Northern CA

Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

Hike, Picnic, and Swim at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area

Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area
A person and their dog walking the Chabot to Garin Trail in the East Bay at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area
A horse stands atop a high hill and stares ahead at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the East Bay
Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.
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Keen for Kennedy

Hike to a View of San Pablo Reservoir in the East Bay

Take tucked-away Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Area, on the northern edge of San Pablo Reservoir. Once part of the 17,754-acre Rancho San Pablo, Kennedy is now a 222-acre park with hiking trails, excellent views of the reservoir, and open space fragrant with eucalyptus trees.
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Talk of the Town

Hike to Gossip Rock in the East Bay's Garin Regional Park

We're spilling the tea on this bountiful 5.5-mile loop to Gossip Rock in Hayward’s Garin Regional Park (currently whispering all the right springtime notes).
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Weekend in Reno Tahoe

Spring Adventure and Relaxation in Reno Tahoe

Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.
Reno Tahoe's Unique Spring Fun

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  1. Camp at Goose Lake in the Lakes Basin

    Duck, Duck, Goose!

    Try to get a first-come, first-served campsite at one of the Lakes Basin’s lakeside campgrounds. We love Goose Lake Campground, where there are just 13 sites and no motorized boats.

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  2. 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.

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  3. 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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  4. 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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  1. Sponsored

    Let's Go to Paso!

    Paso Robles is a good idea in all seasons, but one season brings a special bounty: harvest season! Road-trip ready and teeming with fall colors and fun events, Paso Robles is the ultimate destination for unique autumn experiences.

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  2. 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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  3. 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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  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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