All "Hikes" Stories in Northern CA
Merry Colorful State Park
Red, green, and blue are just a few of the holiday hues. Get your Christmas colors and some solitude on a 5-mile (round-trip) hike in Butano State Park on the San Mateo Coast. The
ViewPeak Pondering
Some magical hikes begin like a magic trick: The start is filled with lots of people, and then, within minutes, it's quiet. All you have to do is find the entrance to Narnia—or, in this case, Laurel Canyon Trailhead in the East Bay’s Tilden Regional Park.
ViewHeadlands Happiness
One of the many reasons people love the Bay Area is that getting outdoors for a coastal adventure is always an option. And there’s probably no better example than hiking the Marin
ViewThree Falling
Three waterfalls, and fewer people. McCloud Falls might be the best waterfall hike in Northern California. There are bigger waterfalls in the state, but it’s the whole package that makes this 4-mile (round-trip) hike truly memorable.
ViewA Shot of Whiskey
Whiskeytown Falls is a relative newcomer. While a few locals knew of its existence, it wasn’t largely shared, and there wasn’t a trail—until 2004. That’s when park biologist Russ W
ViewBurney Man!
Upon first seeing Burney Falls, President Theodore Roosevelt called it one of the wonders of the world: a 129-foot waterfall gushing 100 million gallons every single day. This baby
ViewAlabama Backdrop
Despite being named for a Confederate warship, the CSS Alabama, there’s nothing Southern about the Alabama Hills. This range of rocky hills between the eastern slopes of the Sierra
ViewGolden Guadalupe
You’re in the South Bay, you have time for only a short hike, and early fall colors are a bonus. Oak-ey dokey! Head to Guadalupe Oak Grove Park and circle it in a mile-long hike wi
ViewLone Oasis
Every summer, thousands travel to Whitney Portal in the Eastern Sierra to summit Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States. But thousands more are denied the
ViewFirst of Its Kind
First place, first to market, first in line. Firsts are good! And that includes hiking in Santa Clara County's first park: Stevens Creek County Park. It’s an ideal choice for a Sou
ViewQuest for Quicksilver
The new gold rush meets the old gold rush at Almaden Quicksilver County Park, named for the once-booming industry of mining mercury, which was essential for extracting gold. Today,
ViewOld and Gnarly
Few places will magnify your sense of time and space quite like the rugged White Mountains. A part of Inyo National Forest, this remote, seldom-visited range along the upper Owens
ViewFull Moonshiner!
It started out as a way to romance his dates. But today John Benus invites everyone to his fantastic full-moon hikes to Moonlight Hill on Mount Tam. He usually hosts the hikes on w
ViewDate Night with the Bay
We’re lucky to live beside one of the most beautiful natural bays in the world. Yet finding a place to have it all to yourself? That can be a challenge. Unless you take a sunset an
ViewInspiration Point, Indeed
Sideways might be the best way to experience Santa Barbara’s abundant wine culture, but the best way to experience its beautiful natural landscape? Upwards! Inspiration Point is a
ViewLizard Like
As a coastal enclave where beaches meet mountains, Santa Barbara County is one of those places that run the risk of having too much of a good thing. But fortunately we know a spot
ViewHike-in Swimming Hole
We had you at hike-in swimming hole? For a taste of the glacial and volcanic splendors of Desolation Wilderness without an all-day commitment, Grass Lake is the perfect hike. Pack
ViewChain of Alpine Lakes
There are six and a half good reasons to do this 6.5-mile (out-and-back) hike in the eastern Sierras’ Inyo National Forest. The Little Lakes Valley hike is an oasis-hopping, mounta
ViewRocky Alpine High
Set at 10,000 feet in the Inyo National Forest of the eastern Sierras, Rock Creek Lake is idyllic, with its sandy shores and the colorful rainbow trout easily spotted in the transp
ViewDesolation Drama
Oval-shaped Dicks Lake is one of the scenic gems of the Desolation Wilderness. Set in a dramatic glacial cirque with 9,974-foot Dicks Peak soaring behind it, the lake makes a perfe
View
From Alpine Wildflowers to Turquoise Coves
Plan Your Trip to North Lake Tahoe
Your Inbox to the Outdoors
Stay up to date with our weekly recommendations on where to explore locally in California.
