All "Hikes" Stories in Northern CA

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  Easy Does It, East Bay

  Lafayette Reservoir is an East Bay classic and this time of year we recommend simply stretching your legs on the trail around the reservoir.

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  Fernandez Fabulous

  There’s a lesser known hiking haven located in the northern range of the East Bay Hills. Fernandez Ranch has beautiful trails through the park’s golden hills and under oak savannahs. This 4-mile recommended loop hike bonuses with glorious view of San Francisco Bay.

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  Sibley Sensations

  Make your way to Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve in the Oakland Hills for a 3.5-mile (round-trip) hike alongside the East Bay’s 10-million-year-old volcano.

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  Love You Some Limantour

  A lot of places in Point Reyes National Seashore don’t allow dogs, but Limantour Beach has split the difference, offering ample dog-friendly space that’s bluffing beautiful.

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  Superb in the Burbs

  Tucked behind a suburb on the Peninsula, Pillar Point Bluff County Park is a slice of coastal paradise, with its 220 acres of ocean-bluff beauty. Hike the 1.4-mile Jean Lauer Trail loop for some sweet coastal views.

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  Golden Valley

  Crisp fall days can bring out the best in the rolling hills of Pacifica. And the Valley View Trail at San Pedro Valley County Park is particularly fetching with autumn’s warm lighting making the scenery glow on a 2-mile loop hike.

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  Sweeping Beauty

  If you like edgy, windswept, impossibly romantic coastal vistas, then do the short hike on Wilbur’s Watch Trail near Pescadero. The goal: Find the lone bench at the end of the continent.

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  Make Time for Tolay

  Hidden in the hills south of Petaluma, Tolay Lake Regional Park is 3,400 acres of wide-open space, with a fantastic network of hiking and biking trails, wildflower walks in spring, grazing cattle, and sweet farm animals.

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  Stranger Things, Sonoma

  Explore the historic plaza of Sonoma on a Haunted Walking Tour and hear stories of those who ghost there!

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  Tiny Hike, Mighty View

  Nestled in Napa's beautiful Browns Valley neighborhood, Timberhill Park is a hidden gem with a fantastic hike and equally fantastic views.

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  Arastradero Is an A+

  Pearson-Arastradero Preserve just might be the perfect place for feeling swept away while not being far away at all. Easily accessed off busy Highway 280, the preserve has over 10 miles of trails.

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  Berkeley's Bounty

  Berkeley’s best ingredients for fall hiking: forest for some color, ridges for some huge views, plus redwoods and a tranquil lake. Ta-dah! It’s all within this 3.3-mile hike in Tilden Regional Park.

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  Caves, Condors, Camping

  You’re gonna need a flashlight for this hike, and not because it’s happening at night. Check out a truly dark part of the park by visiting Bear Gulch Cave in Pinnacles National Park.

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  Bag North Chalone Peak

  For the pinnacle view of Pinnacles National Park, you’ve got to hike to North Chalone Peak, the tallest in the park, offering great scenery and the possibility of seeing the California condor.

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  West Side Story

  The west side of Pinnacles National Park feels a bit more rugged, and has fewer people. And it has some of the park’s premier trails and sites, including Juniper Canyon and Balconies Cave.

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  Tahoe's Trio of Lake Vistas

  They say good things come in threes, and it’s true when you embark on this 8-mile (round-trip) hike in Tahoe’s Desolation Wilderness. It gives you three excellent lake vistas: Eagl

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  Napa's Liquid Assets

  Looking for more ways than wine to have a good time in Napa? Just add water. Head to Lake Hennessey in Saint Helena for a moderate 5.5-mile loop hike with a bounty of scenery. From

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  Backyard Sierra

  With bright blue water, ospreys soaring overhead and evergreens towering all around, Bon Tempe feels like a secluded lake in the Sierra Nevada. Surprise! It's one of the five pocket lakes on Mt. Tam's northern flank, and the water supply for many Marin homes. You'll never lose sight of this blue beauty as you hike the flat 3.8-mile trail that circles its shore.

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  Jenner's New Views

  The beautifully developed trails at Jenner Headlands Preserve in Sonoma County offer access to quiet stretches of coastal redwood forest and huge views of the Pacific. It’s also a refreshing escape on hot days.

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  New Castle on the Peninsula

  Castle Rock State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains is giving hikers the royal treatment with a brand-new park entrance. The Robert C. Kirkwood entrance and visitors center is exact

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