Monarchs Are Back at Natural Bridges. Late October Through November Is the Best Time to Go
California's only state monarch preserve says late October and November are usually peak viewing; storms this El Niño winter are a worry.
Outdoors
156 STORIESBay Area outdoors and weekend trips: hikes, beaches, parks, fall colors and seasonal events, with links to official sources.
Año Nuevo Elephant Seal Walks Start Dec. 15. Reservations Are Open Now
The breeding-season walks cost $7 plus a $3.99 reservation fee and fill up fast on weekends.
Where to See Wild Coho Salmon Spawn in Marin This Winter
Spawning peaks December through January, usually one to three days after a good rain.
The Muir Woods Shuttle Ends Its Season This Weekend. Here's How to Visit After That
Shuttle rides are $4 round trip; after October, plan on a parking reservation plus the $15 entrance fee.
Hawk Season on Hawk Hill: How to Watch the Fall Raptor Migration in the Marin Headlands
Volunteers with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory count migrating hawks from mid-August to early December.
Point Reyes in Late Fall: Tule Elk, Whales and the Start of Elephant Seal Season
The elk rut winds down, fall whales give way to gray whales, and elephant seals arrive in force in December.
Dickens Christmas Fair 2026: Dates, Prices, and an Early-Bird Deal That Ends Oct. 31
Five weekends at the Cow Palace; early-bird tickets are $40 for adults through Oct. 31.
Filoli Holiday Lights 2026: 28 Miles of Lights in Woodside Starting Nov. 14
The Woodside estate's light show runs nightly into January; tickets start at $45.
Free King Tides Events Around the Bay: Ferry Plaza, Menlo Park's Ravenswood and Palo Alto Baylands
Join a guided walk or science event during the year's highest tides, and add your photos to the California King Tides Project.
John Muir Land Trust Has Until 2027 to Raise $7 Million for Johnson Ranch, 116 Acres Next to Tilden Park
John Muir Land Trust is trying to buy Johnson Ranch, 116 acres of oak woodland, grassland and ridgeline next to Tilden Regional Park. The owners have agreed to sell if the trust raises $7 million by Dec. 31, 2027.
A Great White Bigger Than His 12.5-Foot Kayak Swam Past a Fisherman Off Half Moon Bay
A kayak fisherman filmed a great white shark gliding past his boat off Half Moon Bay on Sunday, Oct. 25. He says he will use the buddy system from now on.
Point Bonita Lighthouse Opens Only One Afternoon a Month. Here's How to Catch It
The trail to Point Bonita Lighthouse in the Marin Headlands opens only three hours a month. The suspension bridge to the lighthouse is closed, but the viewing platform is open.
The Albany Bulb: How a Construction Dump Became the East Bay's Wildest Outsider-Art Shoreline
At the foot of Buchanan Street, a former landfill sticks out into the bay. Over the decades, artists have filled it with rebar sculptures, murals and driftwood art.
Castle Rock State Park Bouldering: Where to Start, What to Bring and Why You Should Wait Three Days After Rain
Bouldering season is starting at Castle Rock State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Here's where beginners should start, what to bring, and the park's rules on wet rock and cell service.
California Climbing Collective Opens in SoMa: An Independent Bouldering Gym With No Route Grades and $79 Memberships
San Francisco has a new independent climbing gym. California Climbing Collective opened Oct. 11 at 1264 Folsom St. It doesn't grade its routes, and memberships cost $79 a month.
Thanksgiving Turkey Trots 2026: Silicon Valley's Big Downtown Race and San Francisco's Golden Gate Park Run, and When Prices Go Up
Two big Bay Area Thanksgiving runs are open for registration: the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot in downtown San Jose and the SF Turkey Trot in Golden Gate Park. San Jose's early price ends Friday.
Six Miles of New Trails Open at Quail Hollow Ranch in Felton, Reaching 80 Acres of Rare Santa Cruz Sandhills
Santa Cruz County Parks opened about six miles of new hiking trails at Quail Hollow Ranch County Park in Felton. They reach nearly 80 acres of rare Sandhills habitat that the public couldn't get to before.
The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps: 163 Mosaic Stairs in Golden Gate Heights, Paid for by Neighbors One Tile at a Time
Two Golden Gate Heights neighbors started a project in 2003 to cover a 163-step stairway in mosaic. Artists Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher designed it. It opened in 2005, and today the city owns it.
Two Blocks From the Famous Tiled Steps, the Hidden Garden Steps Hide a Salamander That Spans More Than Two Dozen Stairs
The Hidden Garden Steps were finished in December 2013, from the artists behind the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps. The garden-themed mosaic climbs from Kirkham Street. Its biggest piece is a salamander.
Lick Observatory After the Christmas Windstorm: What You Can Still See on Mount Hamilton This Fall
Winds up to 114 mph tore off half the shutter on Lick's Great Refractor dome on Christmas Day 2025. The main building is still closed, but the observatory says visitors can tour the Shane Telescope Gallery and parts of the grounds for free.
Cayuga Park’s Wooden Folk Art: How One Park Gardener Filled an Excelsior Playground With Nearly 400 Carvings
A Rec and Park gardener assigned to Cayuga Park in 1986 began carving fallen cypress into totems, animals and portraits. The park was renovated from 2011 to 2013, and many of the carvings were saved.
Andy Goldsworthy in the Presidio: How to Find Spire, Wood Line, Tree Fall and Earth Wall
Four Andy Goldsworthy works are tucked into the Presidio, and a three-mile loop connects them. Spire and Wood Line are always open; Tree Fall and Earth Wall have limited viewing.
Tank Hill: The Hidden 650-Foot Viewpoint Above Cole Valley, and the Water Tank It's Named For
Tank Hill, a 2.9-acre natural area above Cole Valley, takes its name from an 1890s water tank. Only its concrete foundation remains, along with wide views and a chert outcrop.
Mount Sutro's Hidden Forest: 5.5 Miles of Trails in a 61-Acre Reserve in the Middle of San Francisco
Behind UCSF's Parnassus campus, the 61-acre Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve has more than 5 miles of foggy forest trails, plus a history that runs from Adolph Sutro's 1886 planting to a Cold War missile site.
Telegraph Hill's Wild Parrots and the Hidden Garden on the Filbert Steps
A wild flock of cherry-headed conures has lived on Telegraph Hill since the early 1990s. One of the best places to hear them is the Grace Marchant Garden along the Filbert Steps.
Dimond Canyon: Oakland's Hidden Creekside Hike Along Sausal Creek
A wooded canyon runs through the middle of Oakland's Dimond and Glenview neighborhoods. The Dimond Canyon trail follows Sausal Creek under the Leimert Bridge past habitat volunteers have restored.
Tarantula Season Is Winding Down: Where to Still Spot Males on Mount Diablo, Del Valle and Sunol
Fall tarantula mating season peaks around mid-October and runs into early November. Here's where Bay Area hikers still have a shot at seeing one.
Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival Returns Nov. 6-8: Free Admission, Sunset Fly-In Tours and How to See Cranes on Your Own
The 28th Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival is Nov. 6-8 in Lodi. Here's what's free, what costs money and how to see the cranes on your own.
Visiting Big Basin This Fall: Which Trails Are Open, Parking Rules and What's Changed Since the CZU Fire
California's oldest state park is still recovering from the 2020 CZU fire, but its biggest redwoods survived and several hikes are open. Here's how to plan a visit.
Bay Area Fall Color 2026: It's Just Starting. Where to Watch for Leaves This November
Fall color spotters say the Bay Area's leaves are only just starting to turn. Here are the spots to watch over the next few weeks.
Filoli's Nightfall Ends Sunday: What to Know Before the Final Halloween Nights in Woodside
Filoli's after-dark Halloween event runs through Sunday, Nov. 1. Here's what's there, what it costs and how to plan the final nights.
Henry Coe State Park: A Fall Guide to Northern California's Largest State Park, Before Its Dowdy Entrance Closes Nov. 30
Henry W. Coe State Park, east of Morgan Hill, is the largest state park in Northern California. Here's how to visit this fall.
Golden Gate Park's Gardens Switch to Fall Hours: When the Botanical Garden and Tea Garden Close Earlier, and When They're Free
Last entry times at San Francisco's Botanical Garden and Japanese Tea Garden move earlier as November begins. Here's the schedule, the free times and what's turning color.
Suscol Headwaters Park Gets a New North Kelly Road Entrance and 5 Miles of Bay Area Ridge Trail
Napa's Suscol Headwaters Park now has its own front door. A new parking lot off North Kelly Road opened Oct. 24, two days after about 50 people dedicated 5 miles of Bay Area Ridge Trail there in the rain.
Point Reyes Lighthouse: The 1870 Light Station on the 'Windiest and Foggiest' Point on the Pacific Coast
The Point Reyes Lighthouse first lit its Fresnel lens on Dec. 1, 1870. It guarded the headlands for 105 years before the Coast Guard automated the station in 1975. Reaching it means about 300 steps down a cliff on what was officially recorded as the windiest and foggiest point on the Pacific Coast.
Mission Peak Hike Guide: Entrances, Hours and What to Know Before You Climb Fremont's Landmark
Mission Peak, the peak on Fremont's city logo, is one of the most popular hikes in the Bay Area. The East Bay Regional Park District says the climb takes about five hours round trip, and the trail has very little shade.
Coyote Hills Regional Park: Fremont's Bayside Hills With 2,000-Year-Old Ohlone Shellmounds and a Cold War Past
Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont pairs easy bayside trails and marsh views with deep history. It holds Tuibun Ohlone shellmound sites about 2,000 years old and remnants of a Cold War Nike missile base. Gates close at 7 p.m. in October and 6 p.m. in November.
Armstrong Redwoods: The Guerneville Grove With a 310-Foot Tree and a 1,400-Year-Old Elder
Just north of Guerneville, Armstrong Redwoods preserves old-growth coast redwoods on easy, accessible trails. Here are the trees to find and what it costs.
Roaring Camp: The Felton Steam Train That Still Climbs a 10.5% Grade to Bear Mountain
F. Norman Clark started the line in 1963. When a 1976 fire destroyed its corkscrew trestle, it was replaced with a switchback on a 10.5% grade.
The Forest of Nisene Marks: Aptos's 10,000-Acre Park Sits on the Loma Prieta Epicenter. Here's What's Open
The land was clear-cut from 1883 to 1923, then donated by the Marks family in 1963. State Parks lists closures, including the Aptos Creek Trail and the trail to Five Finger Falls.
Mavericks: Where the Half Moon Bay Big-Wave Spot Got Its Name, and Where to Watch It From Shore
Waves at Mavericks top 25 feet and can exceed 60. Jeff Clark first rode it alone in 1975, at 17. The break is about half a mile offshore.
Devil's Slide: How a Crumbling Stretch of Highway 1 Became a 1.3-Mile Coastal Trail
A 1995 slide closed the road for five months, and in 1996 San Mateo County voters chose a tunnel. Today the old roadbed has overlooks, scopes and separate lanes for bikes.
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park Plans a Prescribed Burn This Week. Here's What to Know About the Kenwood Park
The 4,020-acre park has 25 miles of trails, a 25-foot seasonal waterfall and the Robert Ferguson Observatory. It has been community-run since it was saved from closure in 2012.
Wilder Ranch State Park: The Santa Cruz Dairy That Ran Until 1969 Is Now 7,000 Acres of Coastal Trails
The park has about 7,000 acres of trails for hikers, bikers and riders. Guided ranch history and coastal walks are scheduled for Oct. 31.
Kruse Rhododendron Reserve: The Sonoma Coast Forest Where a Wildfire Left Behind a Grove of Pink Blooms
The 317-acre reserve was donated to the state in 1933. State Parks has thinned tan oaks since 1979 to keep the rhododendrons from being shaded out.
Trione-Annadel State Park: Santa Rosa's 5,092-Acre Park of Obsidian, Cobblestone Quarries and Lake Ilsanjo
The Nuns Fire burned the park's southern portion in 2017, and the Glass Fire reached its northern edge in 2020. Day use is $7 per vehicle.
Las Trampas: The East Bay's 'Tough Guy' Park, Named for Traps Once Set for Elk
The name is Spanish for 'the traps.' Its fall hours run 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Nov. 1, then 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Briones Regional Park: The Ranchland Between Martinez and Lafayette Now Has Alternating Bike and Horse Days
Briones Peak, at 1,483 feet, looks out over Mount Diablo and Mount Tamalpais. As of Oct. 28, there is no drinking water at Bear Creek.
Huckleberry Preserve: A 1.7-Mile Oakland Hills Loop Through a Relic Plant Community
The 241-acre preserve is named for the California huckleberry. Dogs, bikes and horses aren't allowed on its fragile self-guided nature path.
Sibley Volcanic Preserve: Walk an Oakland Hills Volcano That Began Erupting 10 Million Years Ago
It was one of the East Bay Regional Park District's original parks in 1936. Stone labyrinths draw visitors. Winter hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. start in November.
McLaren Park: A Guide to San Francisco's 313-Acre Park in the Southeast, From Shelley Promenade to the Garcia Amphitheater
Rec and Park calls it the city's second-largest park, with six playgrounds and five picnic areas. The park dates to a 1926 land purchase and was named for John McLaren.
Berkeley OKs 'Sí Se Puede Park' as the New Name for Former Cesar Chavez Park, but the UFW Still Has to Sign Off
The city says it has provisional approval from the union. New signs will cost about $16,000, and that money isn't in the parks budget yet.
A lost Siberian songbird draws hundreds of birders to Moss Beach: the Bay Area's first yellow-browed warbler
The tiny Old World warbler should have been heading from Siberia to Southeast Asia. Birders drove in from as far away as Southern California, Reno and Oregon to see it.
Berkeley approves renaming its waterfront park 'Sí Se Puede Park,' pending the farmworkers union's OK
New signs will cost about $16,000, money the city hasn't budgeted yet. Once funds are found, installation is expected to take about three months.
Mori Point: Pacifica's bluff-top hike with frog ponds, a Prohibition past and a famous movie crash
The 110-acre Golden Gate National Recreation Area site was nearly developed several times. Winter rains fill its ponds for endangered red-legged frogs.
The Tilden steam train: a 1952 backyard dream, 800 redwoods and a years-long lease fight
Rides on the 15-inch-gauge steam railway last about 12 to 15 minutes and cost $4. The operator and the East Bay Regional Park District have been without a long-term lease since 2019.
Presidio Tunnel Tops guide: the free 14-acre park on top of the Presidio Parkway tunnels
Presidio Tunnel Tops is free and open daily. The Field Station is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Muni's 30 and 43 lines serve the park.
Crown Beach and Crab Cove: a guide to Alameda's 2.5-mile bay beach, once the 'Coney Island of the West'
Crown Memorial State Beach in Alameda runs 2.5 miles along the bay, with dunes, a bike trail and the Crab Cove Visitor Center. The site was once the Neptune Beach amusement park. Here's what to know before you go.
Tomales Bay State Park guide: calm beaches, a Bishop pine grove and the dog rules
Sheltered by Inverness Ridge, Tomales Bay State Park has some of the calmest swimming beaches in the Bay Area. Here's how its three areas work, where dogs can go and why you should arrive early.
Muir Beach and the Muir Beach Overlook: fire rings, monarchs and the famous staircase
Muir Beach is a small cove on the Marin coast run by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Wintering monarchs, beach fires and the overlook's WWII-era lookouts make fall a good time to go. Here's a guide.
Mount Tamalpais State Park guide: road work at Pantoll, dog rules and where to camp
Mount Tamalpais State Park has 60 miles of trails and views as far as the Farallon Islands. Road work on Pantoll Road is slowing weekday traffic. Here's what to know before you head up the mountain.
Butano State Park: the quiet redwood canyon near Pescadero still recovering from the CZU fire
Butano State Park near Pescadero is a quiet redwood canyon with 40 miles of trails. Six years after the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fire, its main campground is still closed and there's no drinking water. Here's what to know.
Sick sea lions keep washing up at Half Moon Bay as the Marine Mammal Center logs its biggest domoic acid outbreak ever
The Marine Mammal Center says it has documented more than 300 cases of domoic acid poisoning in marine mammals this year, its largest outbreak since it was founded in 1975. Calls have dropped off elsewhere on the coast but not in San Mateo County, where Half Moon Bay has been a hot spot in recent weeks.
A river otter turns up at Pescadero's Cloverdale Ranch, the first on the San Mateo coast since the 1800s
A North American river otter has been caught on wildlife cameras at Cloverdale Ranch Open Space Preserve near Pescadero. It is the first documented on the San Mateo County coast since the 1800s, when the fur trade wiped out otters along most of the West Coast.
Mount Diablo State Park: how to get the 200-mile view from the 3,849-foot summit
Mount Diablo rises only 3,849 feet, but on the clearest days the view from its summit stretches almost 200 miles, according to California State Parks. The stone Summit Visitor Center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Rancho San Antonio: the South Bay's busiest preserve, from Deer Hollow Farm to Black Mountain
Rancho San Antonio has more than 25 miles of trail across a 2,180-acre open space preserve and a 293-acre county park, according to Midpen. Its working Deer Hollow Farm and the climb to 2,800-foot Black Mountain make it one of the South Bay's most popular places to hike.
Lafayette Reservoir: the Rim Trail, rowboats and the dam that slid downhill
Lafayette Reservoir, a mile from Lafayette BART, has a 2.7-mile paved loop, a 4.7-mile Rim Trail, rowboat and pedal-boat rentals and trout plants from November through March, according to EBMUD. A harmful algae notice means no body contact with the water.
Lake Temescal: Oakland's lake in a fault valley, built in 1868 and a regional park since 1936
Lake Temescal, next to the Highway 24 and 13 interchange in Oakland, is closed to swimming until April 2027, according to the East Bay Regional Park District, but it's open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. for walking, fishing and picnics.
Angel Island State Park: getting there, the Immigration Station and the climb up Mount Livermore
Angel Island has no roads or bridges to the mainland; you get there by public ferry from Tiburon or San Francisco or by private boat, according to California State Parks. The island's Immigration Station processed and detained about a million immigrants, mostly from Asia.
Pescadero State Beach and Marsh: tide pools, herons and the three parking lots on Highway 1
Pescadero State Beach has a mile of shoreline with sandy coves, rocky cliffs and tide pools, and across Highway 1 the Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve shelters herons and other wildlife, according to California State Parks. Dogs are banned on the beach and in the preserve.
Twin Peaks during the promenade work: how to reach Christmas Tree Point and what's closed
Twin Peaks is open during construction of the car-free Twin Peaks Promenade, but drivers must use the Portola Drive gate, and the Crestline Trail is closed, according to San Francisco Rec and Park. The road and the Christmas Tree Point overlook remain open.
Fremont Older Open Space Preserve: the Cupertino-Saratoga hills named for a crusading San Francisco editor
Fremont Older Open Space Preserve covers 739 acres in the hills above Cupertino and Saratoga. Its 900-foot Hunter's Point looks out over the Santa Clara Valley, and the preserve is named for the editor who led San Francisco's graft trials crusade.
Sunol Regional Wilderness: Alameda Creek Overlook (the old Little Yosemite), golden eagles and cattle country
The 6,859-acre Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve near Fremont and Pleasanton is still grazed by cattle. Its Alameda Creek gorge, formerly called Little Yosemite, sits about two miles from the visitor center. Bring water, because the park has none.
Del Valle Regional Park: a five-mile lake south of Livermore with swimming, trout fishing, cabins and the Ohlone Trail
Lake Del Valle is a five-mile reservoir in the hills about 10 miles south of Livermore, finished in 1968 as part of the State Water Project. The surrounding regional park has swimming, fishing, boat rentals and a 150-site campground, and it is the eastern gateway to the Ohlone Wilderness Trail.
Anthony Chabot Regional Park: a campground 20 minutes from downtown Oakland, and the tavern where a jazz revival began
Anthony Chabot Regional Park has a family campground over Lake Chabot and miles of trail, including part of the 31-mile East Bay Skyline National Trail. It opened in 1952 as Grass Valley Regional Park, and parking is free.
Garin and Dry Creek Pioneer: Hayward's ranch-country parks with a red barn, a fishing pond and a Ukrainian landmark
Garin and Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Parks join two 19th-century ranches into more than 5,800 acres of hills above Hayward and Union City. Visitors find a red barn full of farm machinery, a bass pond and the grave site of a Ukrainian émigré priest.
Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline: the bluff-top trails between Crockett, Port Costa and Martinez
Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline covers 1,568 acres of bluffs above the strait between Crockett and Martinez. Landslides closed Carquinez Scenic Drive to cars in 1983, and the road is now the George Miller Trail, open since 2014.
Diablo Foothills and Castle Rock: Walnut Creek's back door to Mount Diablo
Diablo Foothills Regional Park covers 1,060 acres at the foot of Mount Diablo in Walnut Creek. Most hikers reach the Castle Rock sandstone formations in Pine Canyon through it. The rocks close each Feb. 1 to Aug. 1 for nesting peregrine falcons.
Bothe-Napa Valley State Park: redwoods, restored cabins and yurts between St. Helena and Calistoga
Bothe-Napa Valley State Park off Highway 29 has the farthest-inland coast redwoods in any California state park. It offers more than 10 miles of trail, a Ritchey Canyon creekside walk, and restored historic cabins and yurts.
Cull Canyon in Castro Valley: the award-winning swim lagoon, the silted-up reservoir and the trail to Chabot
Cull Canyon's swim lagoon in Castro Valley won a 1966 state design award. It is closed and will reopen for the 2027 swim season. The reservoir it was built in has largely filled with sediment, but the picnic areas and the trail to Anthony Chabot remain.
Claremont Canyon: the steep Berkeley-Oakland hike behind the Claremont Hotel, and the canyon the Pony Express used
Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve is a small, steep preserve behind the Claremont Hotel. Its Stonewall-Panoramic Trail climbs to views of the bay and Golden Gate. In 1858 a transcontinental telegraph line ran up the canyon, which also carried wagon traffic between Oakland and Contra Costa County.
Brushy Peak: the Livermore landmark where Ohlone, Miwok and Yokuts traded, and where Murieta reportedly hid
Brushy Peak rises above the Livermore Valley, where the Bay Area, the Delta and the Central Valley meet. The 1,979-acre preserve at the end of Laughlin Road has free parking and leash-only trails. The peak itself, long held sacred by Native Californians, can be reached only on guided tours.
Roberts Regional Recreation Area: the easiest redwoods in Oakland, a heated pool and the park Kaiser adopted
Roberts Regional Recreation Area on Skyline Boulevard has redwoods right beside the parking lot. It also has an old-growth stump exhibit, reservable picnic groves and a heated pool that reopens in 2027. The 87-acre park opened in 1952.
Kennedy Grove: the eucalyptus picnic grove below San Pablo Dam, named for JFK and an old narrow-gauge railroad
Kennedy Grove sits at the foot of San Pablo Dam, a 222-acre park of eucalyptus planted in 1910 with picnic sites named for stops on a 19th-century narrow-gauge railroad. It was dedicated Oct. 22, 1967, in honor of President John F. Kennedy.
Dublin Hills Regional Park: Donlon Point, the Calaveras Ridge Trail and grassland left largely untouched since the 1800s
Dublin Hills Regional Park covers about 654 acres of ridge above I-580 west of Dublin. Its trails include a segment of the Calaveras Ridge Regional Trail and a short climb to Donlon Point, through grassland the park district says has been largely untouched since the 1800s.
McLaughlin Eastshore State Park: 8.5 miles of reclaimed shoreline, and the Save the Bay fight that created it
McLaughlin Eastshore State Park runs along 8.5 miles of East Bay shoreline from Richmond to the Bay Bridge. Its marshes, mudflats and old landfill are pieced together from parcels that developers once planned to cover with malls and high-rises. In 2012 it was renamed for Save the Bay founder Sylvia McLaughlin.
Tilden Regional Park guide: Lake Anza, the native plant garden, the carousel, Nimitz Way, and the park's New Deal roots
Tilden is one of the East Bay park district's three oldest parks, with 2,079 acres of Berkeley hills, a swimming lake, a California native plant garden, an antique carousel and nearly 40 miles of trail. Much of it was built by New Deal crews in the 1930s.
Vargas Plateau: Fremont's steep-sided ridgetop park, the ranch family behind it, and a hard-won opening
Vargas Plateau Regional Park rises 1,000 feet above Fremont, with views over Niles Canyon and the bay. Its 1,249 acres of grassland and ponds are a stronghold for golden eagles and threatened amphibians. Lawsuits over its access roads delayed the park's opening for years.
Martinez's waterfront park: a burned schooner in the mud, bocce from the fishing days and Joe DiMaggio's ballfields
Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline packs Martinez history into 343 acres on Carquinez Strait. There are bocce courts from its Italian fishing-village days, ballfields named for hometown hero Joe DiMaggio, and the skeleton of a 1900 lumber schooner in the mudflats. Parking is free.
Candlestick Point: San Francisco's sunny shoreline state park, reclaimed from a dump by Bayview Hunters Point residents
Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, next to the old stadium site, is often sunny when the rest of San Francisco is fogged in. Bayview Hunters Point residents organized for years to turn a junk-strewn shoreline into what State Parks calls California's first urban state park. It has a fishing pier where no license is needed.
Half Moon Bay State Beach: four beaches, a campground, the Coastside Trail and a bootlegging past
Half Moon Bay State Beach covers four miles of sand split among Francis, Venice, Dunes and Roosevelt beaches, linked by the paved Coastside Trail. Dogs are banned on the sand but allowed on the trail. In the 1920s, rumrunners unloaded liquor at Francis Beach.
New Brighton State Beach: Capitola's bluff-top campground, and the Chinese fishing village called China Beach
New Brighton State Beach in Capitola pairs a forested bluff-top campground with a sandy beach on Soquel Cove. Before it was a park, the cove was China Beach, home to a Chinese fishing village from the 1850s until about 1900.
Seacliff State Beach: the concrete ship, the pier the 2023 storms destroyed, and what's open now
Seacliff State Beach in Aptos is known for the SS Palo Alto, a World War I concrete ship that was briefly a dance hall and pool in 1930. The 2023 storms wrecked the pier that led to it, and the pier has been removed. The campground remains closed while State Parks plans a rebuild.
Sunset State Beach: a pine-shaded campground near Watsonville with a dog ban on the sand and dangerous surf
Sunset State Beach near Watsonville is a long, quiet strand on Monterey Bay, with a campground in the pines. Dogs are not allowed on the sand. State Parks warns that rip currents, cold water and steep offshore drop-offs make the surf hazardous for all but the most experienced.
Manresa State Beach: bluff-top views, tent-only camping, and a rare Santa Cruz County state beach that allows leashed dogs
Manresa State Beach in La Selva Beach has bluff-backed sand with views from the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Monterey Peninsula. Unlike neighboring Sunset, it allows leashed dogs on the beach. Its walk-in campground, Manresa Uplands, is tent-only and open mid-May through October.
Lighthouse Field: Santa Cruz's open headland over Steamer Lane, with monarchs in winter and a surfing museum in a lighthouse
Lighthouse Field State Beach on West Cliff Drive is one of the last open headlands in any urban area in California. It overlooks Steamer Lane, one of the state's best-known surf breaks. Monarch butterflies spend the winter there, and California's first surfing museum is in the lighthouse next door.
Crockett Hills Regional Park: a ranch barn, a Ridge Trail segment and eagle-season trail closures above the Carquinez Strait
Crockett Hills Regional Park climbs from 150 to 800 feet above Crockett, with views of San Pablo Bay, the Delta, Mount Tamalpais and Mount Diablo. The original ranch barn and milk-house still stand at the staging area. Some trails close seasonally when eagles nest.
Hayward Regional Shoreline: salt ponds turned marsh, a harvest mouse preserve and five miles of bayside trail
Hayward Regional Shoreline is a former salt-making landscape turned back into tidal marsh on the bay's east shore. Cogswell Marsh was restored in 1980. The San Francisco Bay Trail runs through the park, and it is a refuge for endangered salt marsh harvest mice and shorebirds.
Heron's Head Park: how a Bayview pier became a 22-acre marsh, an EcoCenter and an award-winning play space
Heron's Head Park, once called Pier 98, is a roughly 22-acre wetland park on San Francisco's southeastern waterfront. It has more than 100 bird species, an environmental education center, and a nature play area that won a UNICEF award. A nature-based project is fighting the erosion that has eaten away at its shoreline.
Pomponio State Beach: sandstone bluffs, a small lagoon and the Native outlaw the beach is named for
Pomponio State Beach is a quiet strip of sloping sand below high sandstone bluffs, 12 miles south of Half Moon Bay. It has a small lagoon, picnic tables and pit toilets. Dogs, fires, drones and collecting are banned. Its name honors José Pomponio Lupugeym, a Native American leader of a band called Los Insurgentes who was executed in 1824.
Bean Hollow State Beach: Pebble Beach, tide pools and the one-mile Arroyo de los Frijoles Trail near Pescadero
Bean Hollow State Beach covers a mile of San Mateo coast with two access points: Pebble Beach, known for its ocean-polished stones, and a small sandy cove at Bean Hollow. A one-mile trail links them past tafoni-carved sandstone and tide pools. Collecting, even a single pebble, is prohibited.
Benicia State Recreation Area: Southampton Bay marshes, rare rails, and construction that runs into 2027
Benicia State Recreation Area covers 447 acres of marsh, grassy hills and rocky beach at the narrowest point of the Carquinez Strait. Picnic-area accessibility work is expected to run until mid-May 2027, and a Bay Area Ridge Trail project on Dillon Point is due to finish by the end of 2026.
Bernal Heights Park: a sunny summit, native grassland, returning coyotes and the 1876 'gold' rush that wasn't
Bernal Heights Park covers the top of a 466-foot hill with 360-degree views. City parks staff say it often stays sunny when Twin Peaks is in fog. Its native grassland blooms with wildflowers each spring, it has an off-leash dog area, and coyotes have returned. Volunteers have worked to restore it since 1973.
Los Vaqueros Reservoir: fishing, electric boats and strict rules at the Contra Costa Water District's backcountry lake
Los Vaqueros Reservoir was built by the Contra Costa Water District in the 1990s to protect drinking water from Delta salinity. Visitors can fish, hike, picnic and rent electric boats. Pets, swimming and private boats are not allowed. Hours change with the season.
Pacifica State Beach: Linda Mar's beginner surf break and a pioneering managed-retreat restoration
Pacifica State Beach, which surfers call Linda Mar, is a crescent of sand at the mouth of the San Pedro Valley and one of the Bay Area's top beginner surf spots. The City of Pacifica operates it. It was one of the first beaches restored using managed retreat, including the purchase and removal of two oceanside homes.
The Dipsea: Mill Valley's 7.5-Mile Stair-and-Trail Route to Stinson Beach, and America's Oldest Trail Race
The Dipsea starts with hundreds of stairs in downtown Mill Valley and ends at Stinson Beach. Its handicapped race has run since 1905, and Chris Lundy won the 115th edition on June 14, 2026.
The Ohlone Greenway: A Guide to the East Bay's 'BART Path' From Berkeley to El Cerrito
Built on old railroad right-of-way beneath BART's Richmond line, the Ohlone Greenway links North Berkeley, Albany and El Cerrito with paved paths, community gardens and native plant habitat.
Hayward Japanese Gardens: A Free, Quiet Garden Downtown That's Older Than Most People Think
Designed by Kimio Kimura and dedicated in 1980, Hayward's Japanese Gardens use California stone and plants in traditional style. The garden is free and open every day except Christmas.
Blue Heron Lake and Strawberry Hill: Climbing to Golden Gate Park's Highest Point
Golden Gate Park's largest lake was built in 1893 for boating and carriage rides. Its island hides a 110-foot waterfall, a pagoda from Taipei and the ruins of an observatory toppled in 1906.
Walk Across the San Andreas Fault at Los Trancos Preserve Above Palo Alto
At Los Trancos Open Space Preserve, a short, easy trail follows the San Andreas Fault and points out ground that broke in the 1906 earthquake. It's one of the best geology lessons in the Bay Area, and it's free.
Brooks Island Off Richmond Is Closed to the Public Except on a Few Guided Tours a Year
Brooks Island, a 373-acre preserve off the Richmond Inner Harbor, is one of the hardest Bay Area parks to visit: the only way in is a guided naturalist tour, and the park district runs just a handful each year.
Tunitas Creek Beach, Once Private, Is Now Don Horsley County Park on the San Mateo Coast
A dramatic cove at the mouth of Tunitas Creek, once owned by a trust of musician Chris Isaak, is now a 58-acre county park between Half Moon Bay and Pescadero.
Monte Bello Preserve: A 3-Mile Nature Trail, Black Mountain Views and Midpen's Only Campsite
Monte Bello Open Space Preserve covers the upper Stevens Creek watershed above Palo Alto. It has an easy-start nature trail, big views from Black Mountain and the only campsite in the Midpen system.
El Sereno Preserve Above Saratoga and Los Gatos Offers Ridge Views and Dog-Friendly Trails
The ridge you see behind Saratoga and Los Gatos is El Sereno Open Space Preserve. Its wide trails are open to hikers, cyclists and dogs, with views over Lexington Reservoir and Silicon Valley.
Picchetti Ranch: A Cupertino Preserve With an 1880s Winery Still Pouring
On Montebello Ridge above Cupertino, a 308-acre Midpen preserve wraps around a winery that Italian immigrant brothers started in the 1880s. You can hike to a pond, then taste wine in the historic building.
Thornewood Preserve: An Easy Woodside Hike to a Lake Slowly Turning Into a Meadow
Above Woodside, a small preserve offers short walks through redwoods to a lake that Midpen is letting fill in naturally. Along the way are signs about the Thorne and Schilling estates.
Long Ridge Preserve: A Flat Skyline Loop to Wallace Stegner's Bench
Along Skyline Boulevard, Long Ridge offers an easy loop hike. It passes through a valley to Peters Creek's headwaters and then follows a ridge with big Santa Cruz Mountains views.
Skyline Ridge Preserve: Two Easy Lake Loops for Families, With Accessible Trails
Skyline Ridge is a good Santa Cruz Mountains pick for families. Two gentle loops circle a pond and a lake, and a nature center overlooks the water. Some of the land once belonged to Gov. James Rolph.
Bear Creek Redwoods: The Los Gatos Preserve That Was Nearly a Golf Course
South of Los Gatos, a preserve of second-growth redwoods was once a mansion estate and a Jesuit college. Midpen opened its first phase in 2019.
Saratoga Gap Preserve: A Short Ridge Trail Walk Where Highways 9 and 35 Meet
At the crest of Highway 9, Saratoga Gap Preserve carries a nearly two-mile piece of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, under oaks and through Douglas fir forest.
San Pedro Valley Park: Pacifica's Creekside Park With a Three-Tier Waterfall
Next to Pacifica's Linda Mar neighborhood, San Pedro Valley Park has creekside picnic spots, a short accessible nature trail and a seasonal waterfall that flows after winter rain.
Junipero Serra Park: The San Bruno Hilltop Left Behind by a Quarry
Most of the ridge above San Bruno was quarried away by the mid-1950s. What's left became a county park with views of SFO, the bay and Mount Diablo.
Hayward Regional Shoreline: Marshes, Salt History and Bay Birding
Hayward Regional Shoreline protects restored tidal and freshwater marshes where salt was once harvested. It has free parking, five miles of trail and dog rules to know before you go.
Abbotts Lagoon at Point Reyes: An Easy Walk to the Great Beach
Abbotts Lagoon is three linked coastal lagoons on the Point Reyes peninsula. A mostly easy trail leads past them to the ocean, and fall and winter are prime birding seasons.
Lake Berryessa Guide: Napa County's Big Lake and Its Glory Hole
Lake Berryessa holds 1.6 million acre-feet behind Monticello Dam and supplies Solano County cities. Before you launch a boat there, you need to know about its new golden mussel inspection program.
Antioch Dunes: The Only Place on Earth for One Tiny Butterfly
On the San Joaquin River in Antioch, a 55-acre refuge guards one of the last river sand dune habitats in the Delta. It is closed to the public, and its free docent tours are paused.
Tennessee Valley Trail: An Easy Walk to a Hidden Marin Beach
Tennessee Valley is one of the easiest ways into the Marin Headlands. A mostly flat trail runs from the parking lot to a small cove beach with a shipwreck story.
Phleger Estate: A Redwood Forest Saved by a 'Buy or Bust' Bet
Phleger Estate is a hikers-and-horses redwood park on the slope of Kings Mountain near Woodside. It is the southern tip of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Salt Point State Park: Tafoni, Tide Pools and an Underwater Park on the Sonoma Coast
Salt Point State Park packs rocky coves, honeycombed sandstone, prairie, forest and an underwater park into one stretch of the Sonoma Coast north of Jenner. Here is what to know before you go.
Calero Reservoir: South San Jose's Boating Lake, Held Low for Earthquake Safety
Calero is one of the few South Bay reservoirs where you can launch a powerboat. It has been kept well below full while it waits its turn for a seismic retrofit.
Crane Creek Regional Park: Oaks, Wildflowers and Disc Golf East of Rohnert Park
Crane Creek is a small, quiet park in the hills east of Rohnert Park. Its meadows fill with wildflowers in spring, and a new 1.8-mile trail to Petaluma Hill Road is under construction.
Stevens Creek Reservoir: Cupertino's Foothill Lake and the Settler Behind Its Name
Stevens Creek Reservoir is the closest of Santa Clara County's reservoirs to Cupertino. Its creek is named for the settler who led the first wagons over the Sierra in 1844.
Shollenberger Park: Petaluma's Most-Visited Park Is a Former Mud Dump Turned Bird Haven
Petaluma bought the ranch in 1970 as a place to dump mud dredged from the river. Today Shollenberger Park is the city's biggest and busiest park and a well-known birding spot.
Stillwater Cove Regional Park: A Small Sonoma Coast Cove With Redwoods and an 1885 Schoolhouse
Stillwater Cove is a small Sonoma County park on Highway 1 north of Jenner. It has a sheltered beach for divers and kayakers, a redwood creek canyon, and a schoolhouse moved from Fort Ross.
Goat Rock Beach: Where the Russian River Meets the Pacific, and the Seals Haul Out
Goat Rock Beach, at the mouth of the Russian River near Jenner, is one of the Sonoma Coast's most dramatic stops. It is also one of the most dangerous for swimmers. Here's what to know.
The Stanford Dish: A Cold War Radio Telescope With a 3.5-Mile Loop and 360 Cows
The Dish trail in the Stanford foothills is one of the busiest walks on the Peninsula. Here is the history of the 150-foot radio telescope it circles, and the rules hikers need to know.
Pulgas Ridge Preserve: Redwood City's Off-Leash Dog Hike on an Old Tuberculosis Sanitarium
Pulgas Ridge, above Redwood City and San Carlos, is one of the few Bay Area preserves where dogs can run off leash. It sits on land where San Francisco once ran a tuberculosis sanitarium.
Sweeney Ridge Guide: Hike to Where the Portolá Expedition First Saw San Francisco Bay
Sweeney Ridge, between San Bruno and Pacifica, has views of both the ocean and the bay. It is where the Portolá expedition first saw San Francisco Bay in 1769, an anniversary that falls Nov. 4.
Samuel P. Taylor State Park Guide: Redwoods, Barnabe Peak and Coho Season on Lagunitas Creek
Samuel P. Taylor State Park, 15 miles west of San Rafael, has redwoods along Lagunitas Creek and a climb up Barnabe Peak. Creek access closes Dec. 1 to protect spawning coho salmon and steelhead.
Alameda Creek Regional Trail: A Guide to the 12-Mile Path From Niles to the Bay
The Alameda Creek Regional Trail runs about 12 miles along the creek from the mouth of Niles Canyon to San Francisco Bay. It has a paved south side for bikes and runners and an unpaved north side for horses.
Bair Island: Exploring Redwood City's Restored Bay Marsh
Bair Island is a group of three marsh islands, about 3,000 acres, on the edge of Redwood City. Once slated for 4,000 homes, it has been restored to tidal wetland and has trails reached by a pedestrian bridge.
Sawyer Camp Trail: A Guide to the Peninsula's Paved Path Along Crystal Springs
Sawyer Camp Trail is a roughly 6-mile path through the San Andreas Fault rift valley in San Mateo County. It runs past Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir and San Andreas Lake and is part of the longer Crystal Springs Regional Trail.
Ravenswood Preserve Guide: East Palo Alto's Flat Bay Trail Walk Along Cooley Marsh
Midpen's 376-acre Ravenswood Open Space Preserve in East Palo Alto offers a flat, mostly paved stretch of the Bay Trail along Cooley Marsh, with a raised boardwalk, overlooks and good fall birding.
Memorial County Park Guide: Old-Growth Redwoods, Camping and a WWI Namesake in the Santa Cruz Mountains
Memorial Park is San Mateo County's oldest redwood park, bought in 1924 and named for county residents who died in World War I. Its 673 acres include old-growth redwoods, family campgrounds and nature trails.
Pescadero Creek County Park Guide: 8,000 Acres of Redwoods, Steelhead Streams and Backcountry Camps
Pescadero Creek County Park is the backcountry heart of an 8,020-acre county park complex in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Expect redwoods, a year-round steelhead stream, hike-in camps and creek crossings without bridges.
Quarry Park and Mirada Surf Guide: El Granada's Bluff Trail, Eucalyptus Forest and Burnham Streets
Two San Mateo County parks in El Granada link up into an easy coastside outing: Mirada Surf's bluff-top stretch of the California Coastal Trail and Quarry Park's playground, eucalyptus forest and ridge trails.
Edgewood Park Guide: The Redwood City Preserve That Wildflowers Saved From a Golf Course
Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve, 467 acres off I-280 near Redwood City, is famous for spring wildflowers on serpentine grassland. It became a preserve in 1993 after a long fight over a golf course.
Wunderlich Park Guide: Woodside's Redwood and Meadow Trails Around the Historic Folger Stable
Wunderlich Park, a San Mateo County park in the Woodside hills, has redwood forest, open meadows and oak-madrone woodland on trails shared by hikers and horseback riders, plus the restored Folger estate stable.
Indian Rock Park, Berkeley: A Guide to the Bouldering Spot With Views Across the Bay
Indian Rock Park is a 1.18-acre rock park in North Berkeley with stone steps carved to a summit that looks across San Francisco Bay. It's known for early-level bouldering, and it's where Sierra Club climbers including David Brower honed their skills in the 1930s.
John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez: Free Entry, Hours, Mount Wanda and Muir's 'Scribble Den'
The John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez preserves the 1883 Italianate mansion where the naturalist lived from 1890 until his death in 1914. Entry is free, the visitor center is open Tuesday through Saturday, and the Mount Wanda trails are open daily.
UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley: A Guide to 34 Acres of Plants From Around the World in Strawberry Canyon
The UC Botanical Garden in Berkeley's Strawberry Canyon covers 34 acres and holds more than 10,000 kinds of plants, many of them rare or endangered. It dates to 1890 and moved to the canyon in 1925.
Muir Woods National Monument Guide: Old-Growth Redwoods, Required Parking Reservations and Hours
Muir Woods National Monument protects old-growth coast redwoods on the slopes of Mount Tamalpais and has been federally protected since 1908. It is open every day from 8 a.m. to about sunset, and drivers need a parking reservation.
Ocean Beach Guide: Bonfire Season Ends Oct. 31, Plus Snowy Plover Leash Rules and Rip Current Warnings
Beach fires at San Francisco's Ocean Beach are allowed only from March 1 through Oct. 31, and only in the provided fire rings between Stairwells 15 and 20. Saturday is the last night of the season. The no-burn period runs from Nov. 1 through the end of February.
Fort Funston Guide: Hang Gliders, 200-Foot Bluffs, Bank Swallows and SF's Largest Dune Field
Fort Funston, on 200-foot bluffs at San Francisco's southwest corner, is one of the country's top hang-gliding spots and a popular off-leash dog area. It is also home to the Peninsula's largest remaining dune field and one of only two coastal bank swallow nesting sites.
Lands End Trail Guide: SF's Coastal Trail, Mile Rock Beach, Shipwrecks and the USS San Francisco Memorial
The Coastal Trail at Lands End in San Francisco follows the old Cliff House Railway railbed past cypress groves, Golden Gate views, low-tide shipwrecks and the USS San Francisco memorial. Accessible trails start at the Merrie Way lot by the Lands End Lookout visitor center.
Uvas Canyon County Park Guide: The Waterfall Loop, Triple Falls and Why You Need a Parking Reservation
Uvas Canyon County Park, west of Morgan Hill, has a 1-mile Waterfall Loop along Swanson Creek and a longer loop to Triple Falls. Parking reservations and a $6 vehicle fee are required every day, according to Bay Nature. The falls are best after winter rains.