Favorite Hike - Los Liones Canyon

Los Liones Canyon is set back away from the beach in Pacific Palisades, and the canyon trail leads towards Topanga State Park.  It's at the end of a long, mainly residential, road and there is parking at the base of the trail as well as at the nature sanctuary a little below, plus some street parking.  It doesn't get as crowded as some trails in LA, so it's great if you're looking for a quieter walk, to really enjoy the wild feeling part of the city.  The dusty, 2.6 mile trail starts in an area surrounded by trees and brush before becoming more open with spectacular ocean views up at the top, Parker Mesa. 

San Francisco Moment

Ocean Beach, bordering the western side of San Francisco, is one of our favorite places anywhere. Its location means it's often foggier than the eastern, Bay side of the city, but the grayness is part of the beach's charm. It's a great place to surf, walk, or just stop and reflect on how lucky San Franciscans are to have such incredible natural beauty all around.  This photo was taken over the holidays, and we love the incredible, ever changing light that highlights the beach - visible in almost any weather, all year long. 

Favorite Beach: Dillon Beach

 Dillon Beach is a small but picturesque beach community in Northwestern Marin County, between Tomales and Bodega Bays.  It's the perfect spot to take your dog and a picnic, and enjoy a low key afternoon - without shops, restaurants, or other distractions.  The beach has a good-sized parking lot, and there is one small market with an attached cafe, but very little else aside from rental cottages.  This beach is great for surfing and swimming (but like at most California beaches, you'll want a wetsuit unless you're cold blooded) and has ample natural beauty, with pretty dunes, cliffs, and rocks along its edge, making for lovely walks.

Favorite Hike: Land's End

San Francisco boasts a plethora of outdoor spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy, all part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  One standout part of it is in the NW corner of the city, at Land's End.  One of the most popular trails there is part of the California Coastal trail, which we have hiked in Marin before, and which takes hikers down to the famous Sutro Baths toward Ocean Beach.  You can park off the Lincoln Highway and work your way down to the trail head from there.  This hike is fairly easy, only about a mile long, and has stunningly beautiful views of the Bay, ocean, and surrounding landscapes.  We highly recommend it at sunset.

Favorite Hikes: The Alta Trail in the Headlands

The relatively flat Alta Trail in the Marin Headlands is a great place to walk your dog, 

with views of Richardson Bay, Angel Island and Sausalito. 

To access the Alta Trail, take the Sausalito/Marin City exit from Highway 101. 

Turn right onto Donahue St., and continue all the way to the top of the hill 

where the road dead ends, and a fire road begins. You can park there,

and then hike the trail. If you want to make it a more strenuous hike, 

it connects to the Bobcat and then the Miwok trails. 

Favorite Hike: Mount Tamalpais

Mount Tamalpais, in the Bay Area's Marin County, has myriad hiking trails over its peaks.  Despite growing up in Marin, we would be hard pressed to name more than one or two of these trails, but whenever we are in town and are compelled to climb a mountain, we simply drive up from Mill Valley until we reach the top, find one of the many parking pull outs, and begin descending on one of the narrow footpaths toward the ocean.  Once, we walked all the way down to the beach, and were faced with a daunting hike back uphill, but often we will just wander for forty minutes or an hour or so, and head back to the car.  Regardless of how long we have to spend on the mountain, or how many times we go, we are always blown away by its incredible beauty.

Favorite Hike: The Culver City Steps

The Culver City Steps are a great location for a hike on the Culver City/Baldwin Hills border in Los Angeles.  The parking lot is very small, and street parking is competitive, but once you get a spot, the stairs start almost right above the road.  There are several sets of stairs, as well as winding trails around the hill, giving you the option to go all stairs, all trail, or one on the way up, and the other on the way down.  Once at the top, there are beautiful, 360 degree views of Los Angeles County, as well as a striking new visitor's center. 

Image of the stairs via Google, all other images our own

Favorite Beach: Kehoe

 Kehoe Beach is a beautiful part of the Point Reyes National Seashore.  One of the few beaches in the park that allow dogs, it's great for a walk on a relaxed day with your favorite four legged friends.  The beach doesn't have very much parking, and it is accessed by a ten minute walk through flat fields - you might see a hawk or two on the way.  Once you're there, the beach is long, and very walkable, and has the benefit of being less windy than many beaches in the area.  It's a great place to spend an hour or two, well worth the drive.

Favorite Hike: Lake Lagunitas

Lake Lagunitas is located in the town of Fairfax in Marin County, above the Meadow Club on lower Mount Tamalpais.  It's only a short drive from downtown Fairfax, but feels picturesquely remote.  The lake is in fact a reservoir, one of seven which provide water to the county, so there is no swimming, but some fishing is permitted.  We love it for the easy and lovely trail around the lake, and the incredible array of birds that are attracted to the water.  There are also several smaller trails which spread out from the lake, making it easy to spend anywhere from an hour or longer there. 

Note: As of this writing, the parking lot requires an eight dollar fee per car, payable by cash (no bills larger than $10 accepted)

Favorite Beaches: Hendry's in Santa Barbara

Hendry's in Santa Barbara is one of the most walkable beaches in all of California.  Not too long to easily be able to cover the entire length, protected on one side by gently sloping cliffs, and covered in the softest sand, this beach is always a treat to visit.  We love it on a foggy morning after breakfast at the Boathouse, for sunning on a warm day, or as a perfect spot to watch the sun go down.  It's also a great surfer's beach all year round, so there's always action in the water as well.

Favorite Hikes: The Hogback Trail at Griffith Park

 One of our favorite trails in Griffith Park is called the Hogback, a slender path that leads over a ridge, with amazing views on all sides.  This trail can be linked to from the Bird Sanctuary, Observatory, or the Glendale/Zoo side of Griffith Park.  On a clear day, it offers spectacular vistas of Downtown, Mount Hollywood, and the San Fernando Valley, and on an overcast day, it gives us the feeling that we're walking on the clouds above LA County.  We love how open it is, and often how quiet - making it a perfect respite from the city.  

Favorite Beaches - Stinson Beach

Stinson Beach is the beach we visited most often as children, and it is the best all-around beach option in The Bay Area's Marin County.  It has a large public beach with a parking lot and showers, a semi-private beach that can be accessed off of public roads if you prefer to street park, and a variety of great lunch spots nearby.  Additionally, it has enough waves for surfers and boogie boarders, but doesn't have too strong of a current for casual waders and swimmers.  We also love Stinson for its tide pools, perfect walking length, adjacent lagoon, and the charming town itself - the book store and surf shop there are always worth a visit.  It's a long, windy drive to get there over Mount Tamalpais, but this beach remains a perennial favorite, especially when we catch it on a perfect, sunny day.

Favorite Beaches - Zuma Beach

Zuma Beach is one of our favorites in California - easily the most accessible in Malibu, this beach is also clean, open, and visually stunning.  Though the drive up Highway 1 can be long and congested, it's always worth it to get to a beach where we can swim, sun, and surf.  We love this beach even after the summer heat dies down...  It's very walkable, with soft sand, and beautiful views up and down the coast.  The beach has a parking lot which charges a fee, but there's also street parking if you're willing to make the extra effort to find a spot.

Favorite Hikes - Cascade Canyon

Located in Fairfax, in Marin County, Cascade Canyon is a favorite spot to hike.  The recreational area encompasses nearly 500 acres and has forests, meadows, and hills for every level, not to mention stunning views all the way to The Bay.  We love exploring all of the different paths and terrain, and could spend anywhere from an hour to the better part of a day walking its paths.

Learn more about it here.

Favorite Beaches - Limantour Beach

In the summer, there is nothing better than escaping to the beach for a day of fun and relaxation.  While the first thing that may come to mind is a day splashing in the surf and lolling on a towel in a bikini, Northern California's beaches are sometimes too cold to swim (or even sun yourself).  However, they are still worth a trip for their incredible beauty.  We would happily spend an August day running around in the wind on Limantour Beach, part of the Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County.  You can read more about planning your own visit here.

Favorite Hikes - Inspiration Point at Will Rogers State Park

Will Rogers State Park was donated to California by Rogers' widow in 1944, and it has become a very welcome recreational area in Los Angeles.  It has the late actor's home to tour, a polo field, and several hiking trails.  The three mile loop up to Inspiration Point is moderate, and has beautiful views of the natural local landscape, surrounding homes, and the ocean - you can see all the way from the Getty Center to the Santa Monica beach, as well as vast open space.  It is a really pleasant, easy hike, and feels light years away from the city - we even saw a rabbit hopping along the trail on a recent morning.

To get to the trail, head toward 501 Will Rogers State Park Rd in Pacific Palisades.  There is a parking lot there, which charges a fee, or you can easily find street parking on the road below and do a short walk up.  Once in the park, you can follow the signs to start at either end of the loop.