All Stories from Northern CA

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  Wetlands & Works of Art!

  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 bird

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  Going Big on the Coast

  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 put

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  From Waterfall Trails to Delicious Ales

  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 l

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  Epic Winter Gets Even Better

  1) Ski Free From plane to powder in less than an hour? Present your same-day boarding pass and photo ID in exchange for a complimentary lift ticket to either Squaw Valley or Alpine

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  Whale, Hello There!

  Blissfully quiet on winter mornings, San Gregorio State Beach on the San Mateo Coast is ideal for spying gray whales.

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  Meet Your Match

  What’s your thing: Hiking? Cycling? Running? Do your thing in the most beautiful places in California! Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, and Napa-Sonoma wine country are your host destinations

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  Hidden Botanical Garden

  Forget a dozen roses. Give your love a botanical garden (where rare magnolias in peak bloom for the next two weeks!) Hidden on the western slope of Sonoma Valley’s Mayacamas Mountains, Sonoma Botanical Garden has one of the Bay Area’s best displays of Asian flora—and it’s a brilliant place for a quiet picnic.

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  Planet Picnic

  So, you wanna give your love the sun, the moon, the stars … okay. But to turn it up to 11 you’re gonna have to give the planets too! Good thing there’s a state park hike for that.

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  Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered, and Bodega!

  Whale watching, hiking along bluffs, and a picnic overlooking the Pacific with the one(s) you love: no, it’s not a Cialis commercial—it’s a great way to spend the day in a gorgeous

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  Echo Yeah!

  In summer, the bustling resort of Echo Lakes—10 miles from South Lake Tahoe—is a popular gateway into Desolation Wilderness and stopover for Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers. In win

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  Gallivant in Galena

  Get your fill of winter thrills just a few miles from downtown Reno in Galena Creek Regional Park. The park is full of trails, but Jones Creek Loop makes an easy 1.7-mile route, se

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  Woods Lake in Winter

  Powder up for a snow-filled adventure to frozen Woods Lake. This 4-mile (round-trip) out-and-back in the Carson Pass takes you through gently rolling hills, across snow-covered mea

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  Hike to Hidden Falls

  Rain, sun, rain, wind, partial sun, rain … what’s a hiker to do? Go with the flow! Or rather, go to the flow. Hidden Falls Regional Park in the Sierra foothills near Auburn has 30

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  Yes, Berryessa!

  Napa County’s Lake Berryessa is known for its boating, but few people know of the excellent hiking trails overlooking this lake, which is particularly serene in winter. Thank UC Da

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  Redwoods Ramble

  If your idea of a great winter wander is walking among coastal redwoods without encountering many other people, then head to the San Mateo Coast’s Butano State Park. Get an early s

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  Redwoods Star Power

  Go on a 5-mile (round-trip) redwoods hike that starts from Chabot’s Moon Gate entrance and through Dr. Aurelia Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, then visit the Chabot Space and Science Center for a rooftop telescope star viewing.

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  Hike to Pluto!

  Ever wanted to check out Mars? How about Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto? All you’ve gotta do is hike in Sonoma Valley’s Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. The park’s super cool PlanetWalk is a marvelous, and marvelously quiet, hiking trail designed as a scale model of the solar system.

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  Picnic Paramour

  Some hardcore enthusiasts snowshoe the entire Tahoe Rim Trail—all 165 miles of it! Looking for just a good morsel of it? Get a taste of this famous terrain on a 3.6-mile (round-tri

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  Valley of Adventures

  1) Waterfalls & Early Wildflowers Hikes abound in the valley, and Sugarloaf Ridge State Park has a hidden waterfall that’s especially good after winter rains. Reach it on a short h

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  Sands of Time

  Those who want a fresh perspective and a quiet place to contemplate New Year’s goals should get an early start and head south of Half Moon Bay to San Gregorio State Beach. The wide beach has a large cave to explore and more than a mile of nice walking.

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