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…
After scoring our fire tower lookout overnight in January (remember, sleeping in a fire tower in California requires much of the planning ahead), I continued my research and found a hike that ended with a fire tower AND had a couple of campsites located not too far from the trailhead. We quickly added on another…
OK. This post is not quite Bay Area-centric. It’s Northern California, but close enough that Bay Area families could head out for a weekend to this locale. You may or may not know that I am a huge fan of the Google. I love looking up new places to go, and Fire Tower Lookouts have…
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…
Just as I promised you! Another post combining trails, views, and a kid-friendly watering hole! This time, it’s even DOG-friendly! Miller-Knox is one of the best little East Bay Regional Parks you’ve never heard about, unless you’re from Richmond. And even then, you might not be familiar with it. However, this little gem of a…
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…
Last year, we made reservations in Point Reyes at Sky Camp, a mere 1.4 miles from the trail head. We figured it would be a good opportunity for the then-3 year old to rather slowly get herself to the campsite on her own power. However, that was one of the weekends that it absolutely poured.…
Bay Area Families Outside 