Upper Lake, California

Clear Lake State Park is only two hours from downtown San Francisco and Sacramento. The state park offers amazing opportunities to photograph deer in the area and pick blackberries for breakfast on a morning stroll. On my visit I saw over 15 deer and one buck in full velvet. The sunrise and sunse...

This is a great find. We saw it on the map it was on the way from Mendocino to our next stop, Napa Valley. So glad we took the time to visit. It is a small park with about a two mile loop hike in a valley floor loaded with huge redwoods and few people. The trail is very easy and starts along a sm...

Bald Hill is the first serious peak/summit that can be reached via the Oat Hill Mine Trail as it breaks from the more popular loop and heads into the heart of Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. To get there you can either begin at the less frequently used trailhead at Picket and Rosedale Roads h...

The incline on this trail begins pretty much right away and is fairly gradual for the entire hike, some of it is quite rocky, making this an easy to moderate level hike. However, with some shade (probably wouldn't attempt it on a hot summer day) and the sweeping views of the valley that get bette...

The Parson Jones Tree is the tallest tree in the reserve, measuring more than 310 feet (94 m) in height. This is longer than the length of a football field!  Named after a lumberman who chose to preserve this portion of the park in the 1870s, the Colonel Armstrong Tree is the oldest tree in the ...

This 8 mile (out and back) hike begins at the trail head off of Knoxville Road, just before mile marker 24. The first 3 miles are relatively flat, though you will cross the creek about 9 times. Right before you reach the waterfall, you will come to a fork in the trail marked by a pink boulder. St...

Northern California beaches are not your typical soft sand, warm water, grab a surf board type of spots. Of course when the weather is cooperating you can enjoy those activities as well! What makes this spot so special is how few people ever come and enjoy the raw beauty of this landscape.  If y...

Along Point Arena Lighthouse Road there is an access trailhead to Stornetta Public Lands, which is part of the Bureau of Land Management system. There is a wonderful coastal trail that offers great views of the rugged coastline. From the trailhead, you will be walking south across an open field w...

Salt Point State Park, about 90 miles north of San Francisco, features rugged, windswept coastline and dramatic forests of cypress, pine and redwoods. The North trail is a great way to experience much of the inland portion of the park including the unique Pygmy Forest, named for the stunted trees...

Salt Point State Park, about 90 miles north of San Francisco, features rugged, windswept coastline and dramatic forests of cypress, pine and redwoods. The Central Trail is a great way to experience much of the inland portion of the park including a unique highland Prairie where elk graze and are ...

Point Arena Lighthouse is situated on the piece of land that is the closest to the Hawaiian Islands from the continental United States. The lighthouse stands at 115 feet high and you are able to go to the top. I did not have time for this, unfortunately but definitely something I will take advant...

Go into the museum and gift shop first and have a look around at all the cool stuff they have from the lighthouse. Once you're done checking everything out in there, go make your way up the spiral staircase to the tippy top. You can stop just before the peak and go for a walk on the landing that ...

There are numerous points at which you can enter the trail from Highway 1, but on the south end it begins at Gertsle Cove and heads north as the Salt Point Trail heads toward Stump Beach. You can choose to head further north of Stump Beach along the Bluff Trail or south of Gerstle Cove State Mari...

The Fern Canyon Trail system is the main hiking vein of Van Damme State Park. This particular hike is on a mostly flat, wide trail through dense, green forest of California Redwoods, Cypress, Pines, and giant ferns. The trail is paved but typically carpeted in soft pine needles. Come in the rainy...

It's a short walk down to the beach and there is a nice trail that follows along the creek. Be sure to check the forecast when heading out to Stillwater Cove. If it's sunny a few miles inland, fog may still be on the coast, making it quite a bit cooler. Make sure you pack extra layers just in cas...

Hiking at Timber Cove: Sonoma Coast's Hidden Coastal Trail Network Timber Cove offers over two miles of private hiking trails right in front of the resort, providing guests and visitors an intimate connection with California's rugged Sonoma coastline. These accessible oceanfront trails wind thro...