Guides
Explore beyond. Learn how to visit California's National Parks and famous outdoor destinations.
Destination guides
Channel Islands National ParkThousands of years of isolation allowed unique plants and animals to evolve on these windswept Southern Californian islands, perfect for exploring over a weekend on foot or by kayak.Explore this place 
Lake TahoeTahoe, from Washo dáʔaw, simply means lake, and cobalt-blue Lake Tahoe truly is the lake. The largest alpine lake in North America, it attracts visitors from around the world every season of the year for its skiing, hiking, and water sports in a dramatic mountain setting.Explore this place 
Yosemite National ParkConsistently one of the country's most-visited national parks, Yosemite deserves its fame. Its towering giant sequoias are dwarfed only by its immense granite cliffs and waterfalls. Buses serve the park year-round from Merced; routes to the Mariposa Grove, the Eastern Sierras, and Fresno are seasonal (May to September).Explore this place Regional guides
Bay AreaThe San Francisco Bay Area is one of the nation's most important biodiversity hotspots, with every corner feeling like a different world. Thanks to the region's strong environmentalist movement, these lands are public and yours to explore, and thanks to the region's strong transit network, you can get there without having to get in a car.Explore this place 
Bay AreaEast BayThe East Bay contains everything from swampy wetlands to redwood forests and rolling grass hills. Every season and every preserve has its own individual style, its own best places to see, and its own small details to enjoy.Explore this place 
Bay AreaMarinMarin County is perhaps the most popular outdoors destination in the Bay Area, and for good reason. A quick trip across the Bay from San Francisco drops you almost immediately in world-famous redwoods, atop mountains with 360-degree views of San Francisco, Oakland, and far beyond.Explore this place 
Bay AreaPeninsulaParkland on the Peninsula takes many shapes: hills that once held radio towers and Nike missile sites today offer a respite from the sprawl below. State beaches and rugged, windswept parkland line the coast, while towering redwood forests loom over the interior.Explore this place 
Bay AreaSan FranciscoSan Francisco offers fantastic urban hiking within the city limits, plus easy access to some of the great hikes in the inner Bay Area. Explore expansive city parks from one corner of the city to the other on the Crosstown Trail, take a ferry to Angel Island, or visit historic forts in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.Explore this place Bay AreaSouth BayThe Valley of Heart's Delight was once famous for its fresh fruit, flowering trees, and scenic beauty. Today, the orchards are mostly gone, but the hills remain above the traffic and development.Explore this place
Bay AreaEast BayThe East Bay contains everything from swampy wetlands to redwood forests and rolling grass hills. Every season and every preserve has its own individual style, its own best places to see, and its own small details to enjoy.Explore this place Bay AreaMarinMarin County is perhaps the most popular outdoors destination in the Bay Area, and for good reason. A quick trip across the Bay from San Francisco drops you almost immediately in world-famous redwoods, atop mountains with 360-degree views of San Francisco, Oakland, and far beyond.Explore this place Bay AreaPeninsulaParkland on the Peninsula takes many shapes: hills that once held radio towers and Nike missile sites today offer a respite from the sprawl below. State beaches and rugged, windswept parkland line the coast, while towering redwood forests loom over the interior.Explore this place Bay AreaSan FranciscoSan Francisco offers fantastic urban hiking within the city limits, plus easy access to some of the great hikes in the inner Bay Area. Explore expansive city parks from one corner of the city to the other on the Crosstown Trail, take a ferry to Angel Island, or visit historic forts in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.Explore this place Bay AreaSouth BayThe Valley of Heart's Delight was once famous for its fresh fruit, flowering trees, and scenic beauty. Today, the orchards are mostly gone, but the hills remain above the traffic and development.Explore this place