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…
Oh, this little park. If you hail from anything other than the micro-local (like you live within 5 miles), it’s possible you have never heard of this park. And yet, it’s a perfect place to come hiking and outdoorsing with children. Kennedy Grove is off San Pablo Dam Rd, between Richmond and Orinda, with just…
Many moons ago, when I was internationally traveling as a single person (in other words, cheaply), I was struck with the joy of hiking to a eatery (pub, mountain hostel, etc), having a good lunch, and then continuing on my merry way again. Because much of the open space in the United States has strict restrictions against…
When I was growing up, my parents took us backpacking in the Sierras every summer. We usually base camped at a lake, and as people familiar with Sierra lakes know, many of them are in basins carved out by glaciers. This means that quite a few Sierra lakes involve a tough climb during the last…
This summer, my goal was to get out on the water more- in some kind of watercraft. By the end of the summer, we had done a kayaking excursion, a pedal boat and two canoeing days- pedal boat and canoe with children. Our big winner out of this sampling menu was canoeing on San Pablo…
It’s August already! How can this be? There were big plans here to write lots of posts about amazing outside adventures for the summer– and then, summer happened. However, it’s not too late to take advantage of one of our favorite combos– hiking + swimming spots. Hiking before swimming allows you to go park at swimming…
OK, I’ll admit it. I can be a little loath to drive more than an hour for a day’s adventure. (Unless, of course, it involves being crazy and heading to Tahoe or Bear Valley for the day. But that seems like it’s Big Time Adventure Day, and that warrants more driving.) This means we do…
I have lived in the Bay Area for a long time– over 20 years, in fact. And until fairly recently (5 years ago?), I had no idea Hood Mountain Regional Park existed. If you haven’t explored Hood Mountain, I highly recommend you get on that. Today’s post is on a more focused part of Hood…
Recently, the San Francisco Chronicle came out with a list of the Bay Area’s 50 best campsites. Uvas Canyon County Park came in at #35, just after Half Moon Bay State Beach and just before Butano Redwoods’ Trail Camp. I’d probably rank it higher, given our experience last weekend. Why Uvas Canyon County Park? It’s…
Sobrante Ridge Regional Preserve is the best little hiking spot you’ve never heard of. If you’re not a) obsessed with visiting all the East Bay Regional Parks, b) trying to complete the Bay Area Ridge Trail or c) a neighbor of the preserve, it’s unlikely it was on your radar. And yet, I would argue…
Bay Area Families Outside 