In The San Francisco Bay Area
PRACTICAL WANDERLUST
We rounded up the best easy to intermediate-level hikes accessible within a few hours from the San Francisco Bay Area, from as close as Oakland to as far away as Lake Tahoe and Big Sur.
This hike runs alongside Cataract Creek to a gorgeous waterfall in beautiful Marin County, just north of San Francisco. Hike it during the rainy season for gushing waterfalls!
This short hike is full of coastal views, salty air, and wildflowers. Plus, it’s only 15 minutes or so from San Francisco.
This loop has all the best that California hikes offer: sunny beach, redwoods, fern and ivy glens, shaded climbs, gushing waterfalls, and sweeping views.
The Tan Bark Trail begins in a coastal canyon and then ascends a steep hillside, climbing through flower-filled meadows interspersed with redwood groves, before peaking at the historic "Tin House."
The hike winds down the granite, pine-topped cliffs along Emerald Bay, with sweeping Lake Tahoe views the entire time, before ending at a beach and a Norwegian castle, Vikingsholm.
Joaquin Miller Park connects to sister parks Oakland Redwood Regional and Anthony Chabot to encompass a swath of beautiful, accessible redwood forest right in Oakland.
Mount Diablo is not just one waterfall, but really a landscape dotted with several of them. From big, gushing monsters to some peaceful trickling mountain streams, you will be delighted by sights and sounds.