…Or, how to find lesser-known trails to avoid getting or passing on COVID-19. Most of the time, people end up going to trails with MORE amenities and the following trails/places get left out. However, in this time of social distancing, you might want to know where you can go and be away from people but…
Earlier this year, the youngest of our familial crew finally took the training wheels off. (BTW, consider this a non-affiliated plug for REI’s bike classes. Saved some family relationships and worked FAST!) Afterwards, though, we were searching for some bike paths that would allow her to develop some biking stamina without the hassle of dealing…
Are you ready for spring yet? This week has FINALLY started to suggest that we might be heading towards spring and leaving behind all the rain for the season. Yay for filling up reservoirs and all, but COME ON ALREADY. Nevertheless, we shall demonstrate hope for the very near future by focusing on some wildflower…
I am fairly sure that I am not the only human who feels like we are ridiculously lucky with the richness of the East Bay Regional Park District. One of my bucket list goals is to visit every East Bay Regional Park (13 more to go– and that’s including all of them, like the by-appointment-only…
We’ve been quiet on this blog for a while, it’s true. While our lives have not been excessively filled with outdoor adventures, we do want to share a winter camping gem that we visited twice this year. Yurts, tents, trails, crazy ruins, even crazier deer– could you ask for more when camping with kiddos? Mount…
Wintertime can be a warm, cozy time to cuddle up with a good book near a warm (only on good air quality day) fire but let’s be real, that’s more likely to happen in the book you are reading than on a rainy winter day in the Bay Area with an extremely active six year…
Big Sur. Another spot that’s not exactly unknown. And by not unknown, I mean EVERYONE LOVES BIG SUR. And this post is going to tell you exactly why you should love it, too, but more importantly, why you should visit in the off-season. So consider this post a plan-ahead kind of post, which is great…
If you’re reading this and you’re from Oakland or San Francisco, suggesting that you go hiking in Pinole Valley will probably leave you saying, “Huh? Where’s that?” (I mean, SF residents treat even going to Oakland like it’s heading to Tahoe…) Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have known where Pinole Valley was either, so there’s…
Remember that last post about getting places no one had ever been? This is not that post. You will not be alone on this hike. You won’t feel like you’re exploring uncharted wilderness. But you will find yourself on an almost perfect-length hike (with many options to make it longer) in a stunningly beautiful spot…
So if you’ve been following any of these posts for any length of time, you’ll know that while we most definitely love all outdoor locations, part of what we like to do is share spots you might not already know about. The Bay Area has some areas that are… over-trafficked, let’s say. (Tennessee Valley, anyone?)…
First off, Portola Redwoods State Park is no secret. It’s a beautiful park set deep in the redwoods, on the Peninsula. Towering redwoods, fat banana slugs, shady nooks, hikes of varying difficulty– Portola Redwoods has it all, and you definitely need to reserve in advance. However, we found out this October that there are some…
Yes, it’s been a while. Call it life. But today, we went out for a jaunt that absolutely required a posting so that your family can have the opportunity to avail yourself of such wonders. On somewhat of a last-minute whim, we headed out to Big Break Regional Shoreline for the afternoon. It’s a schlep…
Do you ever feel like you are choosing between outdoor activities and high-brow entertainment? Lucky you! You can have BOTH at Sanborn County Park in the summer! Sanborn County Park is located just outside of Saratoga, so it’s a good Bay Area weekend destination. There are several miles of trails lined with towering trees, which…
So here’s another exciting destination hike for you and your smaller hikers– a hike with beautiful views to DELICIOUS BISCUITS in the middle of the hike! Yes, it exists. It gets better though– there’s also a tree house AND the possibility of beer at a dog-friendly, kitsch-heavy watering hole with a giant polar bear. It’s…
Well, it’s time to start thinking about fall or winter outdoor options again, Bay Area Families! I know that sounds crazy, but we just booked a couple of weekends, and it looks like lots of the more popular spots (looking at you, Samuel P. Taylor, or even the lesser-known Portola Redwoods) are already booking up…
Bay Area Families Outside 