All "Hikes" Stories in Northern CA

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  Hidden Long Ridge

  After heavy rains, the rolling headwaters of Peters Creek in Long Ridge Open Space Preserve pulsate along the forest floor via a series of small waterfalls that cut grooves in sandstone boulders. See it on a 4.5-mile loop hike starting from the Grizzly Flat parking lot.

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  E-Hills

  Elephant Mountain and Ewing Hill are two of the Bay Area’s best-kept secrets. This 3.4-mile loop from Hidden Villa offers panoramic views alongside a hands-on farm experience.

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  Hike Pelican Bluffs Preserve

  Tucked just south of Point Arena, the 73-acre Pelican Bluffs Preserve is an ideal blufftop hike with expansive views of the dramatic Mendocino coastline. A 2.2-mile trail starts in a bishop-pine forest before breaking out to wide-open coastal vistas.

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  Super Bowling

  Hidden along the Mendocino Coast, Bowling Ball Beach lives up to its name, and then some! Giant smoothly rounded boulders (some 12 feet across) are scattered along the beach, and it’s a phenomenal spectacle.

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  Waterfalls and Wine Pours

  Cooler temps, green hills, and the return of our magnificent waterfalls! This family-friendly 2-mile hike at Uvas Canyon County Park in Morgan Hill is a great way to get the most out of a short hike post-rain.

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  Diamonds of Diablo

  With its looming peak and devilish name, it’s hard to imagine Mount Diablo having a softer side. But winter’s rains bring an unexpected boon: four watery cascades spill off the mountain’s northern flank.

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  Rush and Tumble

  Mount Tam’s Cataract Falls is the bobsled course of waterfalls: over a mile of twisting, turning, tumbling water—gushing, rushing, and making a splash! The real joy is hiking right beside Cataract Creek as it’s chugging on all cylinders.

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  Waterfall Milestone

  Where can you find a nearly mile-long series of waterfalls right here in the Bay Area? The north flank of Mount Tam. Every winter, Cataract Falls transforms into a long stretch of fast-charging flows.

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  Best in Snow

  There’s snow better destination for outdoor fun and events. Plumas County is a northern Sierra Nevada dreamland, with vast outdoor spaces, places, and races! Snowshoe Lassen Volcanic National Park, downhill ski at charming Coppervale Resort, and have a blast at the quirky Longboard Races.

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  Sweet as Sugarloaf

  Right in the heart of wine country there’s plenty more than wine flowing right now, with an oft unheralded waterfall that surges to an exuberant spectacle from all the recent rain.

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  POST's 2023 Hiking Calendar

  Start the new year off right by heading outdoors for a hike. Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) curated a (complimentary) 2023 hiking calendar that provides all the inspiration you’ll need!

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  Loma Alta's Hidden Labyrinth

  Oak Manor Labyrinth in Marin’s Loma Alta Open Space is a hidden gem with huge views. The 2-mile out-and-back hike to reach it is a bit steep in parts, but the payoff is a 360-degree joy to the wild (with a bit of cityscape).

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  The Holiday Spirit of San Ramon

  From a holiday ice rink and mistletoe hikes to outdoor fire pits for cozy winter nights, here’s your San Ramon holiday getaway guide

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  Best of Shasta

  When you book just a two-night stay in Redding, you’ll get complimentary tickets to Lake Shasta Caverns National Natural Landmark

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  Redwoods on Campus

  You don’t have to be a student to enjoy a beautiful stroll in the UC Davis Arboretum. Walk the 3.5-mile (round-trip) paved path alongside Putah Creek, passing through 17 gardens, including beautiful redwoods and Torrey pines.

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  The Grand Ride

  The Sacramento River Trail in Redding lives up to its premier status as one of the best rail trails in the country for bikes and pedestrians only. Start at the architecturally stunning Sundial Bridge and follow the sublime Sacramento River upstream all the way to Shasta Dam.

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  Chamise, Please

  Redding’s Chamise Peak is reached via a 5-mile hike that rewards with a 360-degree vista including the Sacramento River canyon, Shasta Dam, Shasta Lake, and Mount Shasta.

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  Color-fall Roll or Stroll

  With over 250 miles to choose from, Redding is known as Trail City, USA for good reason. Basically, this place is a mountain biking haven with one of the West’s best trail systems. Novice mountain-bike riders will love the easygoing and scenic 3.5-mile Churn Creek Greenway.

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  Fall for These Falls

  Chase waterfalls in Redding’s Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. This 42,000 acres of wilderness park is home to four waterfalls. Hike to the tallest, the three-tiered, 220-foot Whiskeytown Falls.

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  Sunshine and Skyline

  Head to Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve for a 4-mile out-and-back hike on the Bay Area Ridge Trail that offers a front-row seat to spectacular sunsets.

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