California Outdoors

If you're in wine country and want to get out for a nice hike or a quick jog try the Sonoma Overlook Trail. It's a short drive or walk from the Sonoma town square. The trail is a two mile loop and with a fairly gentle grade. If you're hiking, there are a number of benches to sit down and take in the view, (and maybe enjoy a picnic or glass of wine). The trail is very well marked and a bit rocky in some spots; however you can do the hike or run in regular running shoes. During the rainy season the trail can get pretty muddy.

Most whitewater rafting in California takes place in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains on rivers that drain into the Central Valley. In Northern California, the two best known rivers for whitewater rafting are the American River and the North Yuba River, both tributaries of the mighty Sacramento River that feeds the San Francisco Bay.

The American River

San Diego is a popular destination for a wide variety of activities, and, as most people know, beautiful beaches are one of the most significant resources that the area has. For those that want to give surfing a try during a visit to the San Diego area, we recommend taking a surfing lesson or participating in a multi-day surf camp, which can be especially good for kids.

The San Francisco Bay area has beautiful vistas, rugged coastal trails, and deep redwood forest groves to explore. With all of these hiking opportunities, we just wanted to provide a little introduction to the hiking near San Francisco.

First, in San Francisco itself, two great spots for short hikes are Golden Gate Park, including Ocean Beach, and The Presidio, including Chrissy Field and Baker Beach. Some of these hking spots are part of the the Golden Gate National Recreation Area which also extends north of San Francisco into Marin County.

San Francisco is well known for its seafood, and many have heard of fisherman's wharf, but what most don't realize is that a day of fishing is very easily arranged right at this tourist spot. There are certainly other ways to go fishing near San Francisco, but my personal favorite is to go out on the Pacific Ocean to fish for salmon.

Surfing near Los Angeles, California is as popular now as it was when the Beach Boys sang about it. Times have changed, but the surf along the southern California Coast is still pretty much the same.

Depending on where you are staying in the Los Angeles Area, there are numerous beaches that you can access. Learn to Surf LA offers year round surfing lessons in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and other locations.

The San Francisco Bay Area offers terrific biking, whether it is road biking through the Santa Cruz Mountains, Mountain Biking on Mount Tamalpias, or finding a rental for biking near San Francisco.

One of the most popular activities when visiting San Francisco is to rent a bike for a trip across the Golden Gate Bridge to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area or Sausalito.

Bay City Bike offers rentals and biking tours in San Francisco and across the bridge in Marin County.

Hiking near Los Angeles can be a great alternative to urban and beach activities. Though, as with most of Los Angeles, trailheads can be quite a drive away from where you may be starting off.

One area for hiking that is close to Santa Monica, Venice Beach, and Malibu is the Temescal Gateway Park, which is located in Pacific Palisades, and is one of the most popular parks in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Other hiking spots in this same area include Will Rogers State Historic Park and Topanga State Park.

The Santa Ynez Mountain Range provides tremendous hiking near Santa Barbara, California, not to mention the hiking that is available on the beaches and in the inland valleys around Santa Barbara.

One very unique place for day hikes is Channel Islands National Park, which can most easily be accessed from the Santa Barbara Area.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is a dynamic landscape of granite, marble and other forms of rock, carved by rivers and glaciers into canyons, towering rugged peaks and miles of underground caverns. Throughout the park, thousands of lakes and ponds and miles of rivers and streams provide a valuable source of water not only to park resources but also to the inhabitants of California’s Central Valley.