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Now is the perfect time to visit Lake Tahoe
Now is the perfect time to visit Lake Tahoe
If timing is everything at Lake Tahoe, now is that time. Tahoe’s fall shoulder season provides a rare chance to make the region your own at the lake, beaches and trails, with a full lake and few people ...
Homage for a pickup truck at 400,000 miles
For an outdoors writer, hitting 400,000 miles on the odometer is a moment in time that stands apart, a testament to years looking for one more place to hike, bike, boat, fish, watch wildlife and camp.
Mountain lion alert sent out for South Peninsula
Three open space preserves in a five-mile span on the South Peninsula are on alert for mountain lions after several sightings and a preserve closure — and the memory of a lion attack on a 6-year-old boy ...
As fall heats up, Bay Area lakes are the place to cool off
Heading into Indian Summer, the payoffs from winter’s big rains just keep on coming for lakes in the greater Bay Area region: 18 of 22 major lakes in eight counties are heading into fall more than 84% ...
Red Bank Fire on brink of heaven, hell for wildlife
The 9,000-acre Red Bank Fire in Northern California is teetering on the brink between redemption and calamity, says a wildlife manager who helped convert a barren landscape in the region to a wildlife ...
Tom Stienstra’s Outdoors notes: Deer, bears, whales and more
As deer, bear and other wildlife prepare for fall, the annual late-summer eating binge is a go with blackberries, wild plums, apples and other goodies available. Sometimes, they prefer more exotic cuisine.
On seafloor, sea urchins trump abalone
In the undersea world of Sonoma and Mendocino counties, divers have found many sites on the seafloor where hordes of kelp-eating purple sea urchins have invaded, conquered and left behind a barren ...
The best way to see Monterey? From the water
From the crowded streets and sidewalks of Cannery Row in downtown Monterey, you can transform your world in just a few seconds — and a few paddle strokes — by renting a kayak or SUP.
How Yosemite is solving gridlock at Glacier Point
The pending one-year closure and renovation of Glacier Point Road gives Yosemite National Park a chance to implement “a grand vision” to solve the car crush at Glacier Point, says a park lover who has ...
What e-bikes mean for Yosemite, Point Reyes, Sequoia
A trail-by-trail analysis of the directive that orders National Parks to allow e-bikes wherever mountain bikes are permitted shows it will have minimal impact at Yosemite, Point Reyes and Sequoia-Kings ...
Point Reyes Lighthouse’s rebirth: Mystery solved, $5 million...
After 14 months of construction, $5 million and discovery of a 90-year-old mystery box, the Point Reyes Lighthouse is projected to reopen in October. As crews deconstructed the original tower, they ...
Humpbacks, killer whales, fin whales star in coastal spectacle
In a four-hour span Saturday, the sightings were mind-blowing on a whale and wildlife watching trip to the Farallon Islands: 55 humpback whales, 25 harbor porpoise, four orcas, four fin whales, along with ...
Yosemite aims for fire-safe weekend
On the eve of Labor Day Weekend, vacationers will find crystal air clarity, few forest fires, ideal temperatures and full lakes in the high country. To keep it that way, Yosemite National Park ordered new ...
Bay Area park experts share advice, secrets for spectacular...
With one little secret or two, you can make nearly any park your own, say three explorers who have ventured to as many Bay Area parks and trails as anybody. Shelly Lewis, Ned MacKay and John Dell’Osso ...
As crowds diminish, Prairie Creek Redwoods stands tall
With schools starting up across the Bay Area and Northern California, the Redwood Empire is the first major recreation region with campsites becoming available after a busy summer. Across this region, ...
5 spots to beat the heat in Sacramento
The hot days in the Sacramento Valley, the sun feels like a branding iron and the best reprieve can be to venture out to float, swim or just go “kerplunk.” Here are the five best spots in the region to ...
Yosemite’s Glacier Point Road set to close in 2021
Yosemite National Park is planning to close Glacier Point Road for the entire 2021 season to rebuild the road and add parking at a key trailhead, according to a new plan developed by the park.
Bears, elk, sharks crown landmark wildlife surge
Many wildlife species, including bears, elk, sharks, whales, eagles and others are at their highest populations in more than a century, a direct result of habitat protection and crackdowns on commercial ...
Lassen national park is finally open
Spring finally has emerged at Lassen Volcanic National Park, nearly two months later than last year. Lassen can be your safety net to camp, hike and explore at a world-class national-park destination.
Camping Cabins are a game-changer at Bay Area parks
The next big thing at Bay Area parks, Camping Cabins, has arrived this summer at Del Valle Regional Park near Livermore. It is part of a game-changer for overnight facilities at parks across Northern ...
Dump the chips, hit the trail, live 14 more years
The risk of heart attack is greater from not exercising than it is from high cholesterol, says Ken Brummel-Smith, a doctor with an expertise in fitness and aging. “Lack of cardiovascular fitness is the ...
Cherry Lake a testament to NorCal lakes
As summer hits its stride, the setting at Cherry Lake is a testamento to lakes across the Sierra, Cascade and Shasta-Siskiyou ranges in national forest. They can provide the vacation answer where you can ...
Rangers posting fire restrictions across forests and state and...
At the peak of the summer-vacation season, most of California has eluded the wildfires and smoke that devastated so much of the state last year at this time. To keep it that way, most rangers are posting ...
In the central Sierra, Mitchell Peak stands out
Mitchell Peak offers full frontal views of the Sierra crest that span more than 100 miles roughly from Mount Whitney in north to the 14,000-foot Palisades and beyond.
Castle Rock offers a new answer to car-parking crush
In a mission to provide more parking space and improved access at popular parks, a parking area and trailhead will be unveiled this weekend at Castle Rock State Park on Skyline on the South Peninsula. The ...
Great white sharks show up in huge numbers along the coast
With landmark levels of sightings of fish-eating juvenile great white sharks, anticipation is high that large numbers of great white sharks will arrive on schedule over the next three months.
California kids connect on a world-class Trinity-Divide hike
Outdoors columnist Tom Stienstra leads kids from all over the state on a hike to one of Northern California’s prettiest swimming holes.
Yosemite’s high country finally opens to camping, hiking
In the high country, the arrival of summer is a game-changer. Three major campgrounds have opened since last weekend, and a half dozen trails are clear of snow.
Crush of tourists closes Daffodil Hill for keeps
The crush of tourists claimed another victim this week as the owners of McLaughlin’s Daffodil Hill in Amador County chose to close the site permanently to the public. This spring, the owners, the Ryan ...
A ghost, loaner kayaks and beauty set Sierra lake apart
The prettiest lake most have never seen, Independence Lake, is emerging as the jewel of the high Sierra Nevada. It seems a ghost is on duty to protect it. The Nature Conservancy, which owns and operates ...
Weekend getaway to Skyline Ridge on the Peninsula
What you see: At Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve, you can take a short stroll to pretty Horseshoe Lake. Or you can go all day, with an ambitious hike or mountain bike ride to a ridge with a view west ...
Big Basin trail camps avert annual shutdown
In a major coup for Bay Area outdoors recreation, the best trail camps at Big Basin Redwoods State Park and in the Santa Cruz Mountains will stay open through fall and winter. The decision by California ...
Weekend Getaway: Ocean Beach
What you see: The black sand, magnetite, is magnetic. The hang gliders are sensational. Beach walks go on forever. Along Ocean Beach to Fort Funston, about 750,000 people visit this stretch of San Francisco ...
Weekend getaway to bird watching and more at Coyote Point
What you see: The first surprise at Coyote Point is at the waterfront, where you can look out across the expanse of South San Francisco Bay. It’s so close to so many, but gazing out from land’s end at ...
Weekend getaway to the Diablo Foothills Regional Park
What you see: An extended series of monolithic sandstone structures is the highlight at Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area. As you pass through Pine Canyon and along Pine Creek, you have the option of ...
Sunday Drive: A weekend getaway to Fort Baker
What you get: World-class views and picnic sites, easy walks and a wild-card adventure for kayaks under the Golden Gate Bridge can put Fort Baker on the map for all. Fort Baker is set along the deep cove ...
Weekend getaway to Pescadero reveals beach, marsh
Why it works: You get a twofer at Pescadero State Beach and the adjoining Pescadero State Natural Preserve. For those who love beaches, carved-out havens against the cliffs, tidal reefs, lagoons and ...
Weekend getaway to San Francisco’s Coastal Trail
What you see: The views are so spectacular that it can feel like you are looking at a painting. You can see across the mouth of San Francisco Bay and out to sea, over to the Marin Headlands and the Golden ...
Weekend getaway to old-growth redwoods at Heritage Grove
What you see: The Heritage Grove Trail, one of the Bay Area’s newest trails, provides access to a 37-acre grove with some mammoth, old-growth redwoods. Whether you walk for 100 yards, a mile or make it a ...
Weekend getaway to waterfront possibilities at Bolinas Beach
What you see: At Bolinas Beach, the waterfront arcs in a half moon south to Stinson Beach. To your left, you can walk along the expanse of sand to the mouth of Bolinas Lagoon. Along the way, you can venture ...
Weekend Getaway: Trailhead offers view of Mt. Diablo,...
What you see: From the new trailhead at Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, the payoff is the panoramic view from atop the 1,500-foot North Ridge Trail. Mount Diablo dominates the landscape to the northeast, ...
Sunday getaway to the gateway to Big Sur
What you see: Garrapata State Park is the gateway to Big Sur on Highway 1, and with it, access to a series of spectacular state parks: Garrapata, Andrew Molera, Pfeiffer Big Sur and Julia Pfeiffer Burns. In ...
Sunday getaway to see humpback whales in Monterey Bay
What you see: Humpback whales have provided such a sure-thing spectacle out of Monterey this month that the Monterey Bay Whale Watch Center has been running up to seven trips a day. Sightings have ranged ...
Weekend getaway to Jenkinson Lake
What you see: The scene was gorgeous last week at Sly Park: a full lake ringed by conifers, a few boats sprinkled across the water along with a handful of kayaks and powerboats. From the dam looking east, ...
Sunday getaway to Samuel P. Taylor State Park
What you see: In minutes, you depart the city life at Fairfax for open foothills and then enter beyond into creekside redwoods at Samuel P. Taylor State Park. The trip provides one of the sharpest ...
Sunday getaway to Coloma
What you see: By river or by land, Coloma is one of the state’s best launch points for surprises. It is the No. 1 site for rafting in California and a state park built around the 1848 discovery of gold. ...
Sunday getaway to Lake Hennessey
What you see: Surprises are great in the outdoors, and when you come ’round the bend and see Lake Hennessey for the first time, you might be shocked at what you’ll find: a small, gorgeous lake settled ...
Sunday getaway to Coyote Hills
What you see : Coyote Hills provides panoramic views across south San Francisco Bay, whether from a shoreline trail or a hilltop. In an interior wetland, a boardwalk is routed through a marsh that ...
Sunday Getaway to Lake Tahoe’s Emerald Bay
What you see: Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe is one of the prettiest places on the planet — a giant cove with cobalt-blue water, surrounded by a mountain rim crowned by Maggie's Peak, and dotted with Fannette ...
Sunday getaway to Carmel’s Point Lobos
Venturing to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is kind of like falling in love. Each time you look, you see something different that draws you in. Take your pick: Gorgeous ocean views, secluded coves and ...
Sunday getaway to Bodega Bay
Why now: One of the fastest ways to give your world a three-day holiday weekend makeover — and get a jump on summer — is to head out on Bodega Bay in a kayak or SUP. It’s easy to do, the location is ...
Sunday getaway to El Corte de Madera Creek Preserve
What you’ll see: This easy trip features a pretty drive and five-minute walk to see the Methuselah Tree, a giant redwood. Go the extra mile and you’ll see the Tafoni — a one-of-a-kind sandstone ...
Sunday getaway to Uvas Canyon
What you see: The reopening of Uvas Canyon County Park brings with it a gorgeous easy walk, a good loop hike, and a campground with a guarantee that you won’t have to deal with parties. Swanson Creek is ...
Sunday getaway to Mitchell Canyon
Why now: If you hike on Mount Diablo one time a year, now should be that time. Winds out of the northwest are common in May and that cleans out the air for great long-distance views from ridges. ...
Sunday getaway: Del Valle Regional Park
Why now: Spring rains and warm April temperatures have sparked Del Valle Reservoir and its 5,000 acres of parkland to life. You could search across the Bay Area’s 275 recreation destinations and find that ...
Homage for a pickup truck at 400,000 miles
For an outdoors writer, hitting 400,000 miles on the odometer is a moment in time that stands apart, a testament to years looking for one more place to hike, bike, boat, fish, watch wildlife and camp.
Mountain lion alert sent out for South Peninsula
Three open space preserves in a five-mile span on the South Peninsula are on alert for mountain lions after several sightings and a preserve closure — and the memory of a lion attack on a 6-year-old boy ...
As fall heats up, Bay Area lakes are the place to cool off
Heading into Indian Summer, the payoffs from winter’s big rains just keep on coming for lakes in the greater Bay Area region: 18 of 22 major lakes in eight counties are heading into fall more than 84% ...
Red Bank Fire on brink of heaven, hell for wildlife
The 9,000-acre Red Bank Fire in Northern California is teetering on the brink between redemption and calamity, says a wildlife manager who helped convert a barren landscape in the region to a wildlife ...
Lake Tahoe loop trail inches closer to completion
A new 3-mile section of trail spanning one of Lake Tahoe’s most spectacular areas, from Nevada’s Incline Village south to Sand Harbor State Park , represents a major step toward the longtime dream to ...
Sunday drive to Pearson-Arastradero Preserve
Gateway park: A little-known trail from Pearson-Arastradero Preserve provides a gateway into Foothills Park, the only access available for non-Palo Alto residents. The payoff is a sensational view of the ...
