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…
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…
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…
How well do you know the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District? I’m going to guess not as well as you SHOULD. (If you remember from this post, they also have introductory geocaching hikes for families!) We live in the East Bay, so it’s rather a haul to get there, but trails abound! Today’s focus is…
So you want to go hiking. And you want (with your kids) to learn something about the Bay Area’s flora and fauna, but your level of nature knowledge amounts to discriminating between trees, flowers & animals. In other words, you are not a born naturalist but you want to support such activities with your kids. Fortunately,…
My Bay Area families! It’s raining! For the first time in, well, YEARS. This means our creeks are changing, and it’s a perfect time to get outside and find your local creek. In the next few weeks, the creeks will be swelling and shrinking– almost on a daily basis. This is the time to find…
Happy New Year! What big plans do you have for 2016? Here at Bay Area Families Outside, we don’t go in for resolutions so much as trying to figure out some fun adventures. To bring this sense of adventure to you, we offer you our Bay Area Bucket List for 2016. (Not going to lie–…
What’s a King Tide, you ask? And why should you or your family care? Despite the somewhat sexist name (there are no Queen Tides, for example), King Tides are happening THIS WEEK, on OUR COAST, and they’re significant right now for several reasons. So with no further ado, I’m going to explain a little about…
So… your kids are out of school and there’s a whole bunch of days ahead of you. You want to get outside but you’re not sure exactly where to go. Fortunately, we’re surrounded by lots of amazing possibilities here in the Bay Area. I try to plan out a couple of day-long adventures and then…
It’s true, friends. You will be able to get to more trails if you have a car. But if you are one of those people who are much kinder to the environment due to your lack of vehicle, the trails of the Bay Area are still open to you! Below are various trails you can…
Bay Area Families Outside 