California is home to an incredible number of state parks—11,826 of them, to be exact, according to the app CaliParks, which uses an unfiltered stream of thousands of new photos every day to show real people enjoying real parks.
Read on to learn about the Bay Area’s most Instagrammed state parks and where you should go. Why state parks? Oh, come on, you already know Crissy Field and Dolores Park. Time to head farther afield.
One crucial tip: know your poison oak. One more: if you’re hiking, bring a headlamp or at least a phone with a light in case you fall in love with the trail and have to find your way back in the dark. Yup, this has happened to me. More than once.
Mount Tamalpais, or Mount Tam, is just north of the city, yet it offers enough opportunities for adventure to fill every weekend for a year. You can mountain-bike, find waterfalls, see wildflowers, plop down for an ocean-view picnic or camp overnight. Two excellent hikes: huff and puff up the historic Dipsea Trail stairs straight out of downtown Mill Valley (maybe fueled by Punjabi burritos), or trek the long Matt Davis Trail to Stinson Beach, then hike back up — or hop on the West Marin Stagecoach to skip the return climb.
Mount Tam too busy? Head beyond Marin to explore the wild coastlines of Sonoma Coast State Park. Starting just north of the little town of Jenner, the park runs for 17 miles, stringing together long, rugged beaches. The park has several places to camp, too, if you don’t want to do the two-hour drive twice in a day. That way, you can wake up and head out to tackle stand-up paddling! In Jenner, you can rent a paddleboard and try it out on the calm Russian River.
Mount Diablo isn’t the Bay Area’s highest mountain, but it has unbelievable views. On a clear day, the park website says, you can see across 8,500 square miles. You can spot Lassen Peak and the Sierras. Go soon to see wildflowers, and don’t wait ’til the heat of summer — they call it Diablo for a reason. It’s been a wet spring, so if you go soon, you should be able to see waterfalls. Or from the Mitchell Canyon trailhead near Concord, you can do a loop through a quiet green canyon. Bring water — many water fountains have been turned off because of the drought.
4. Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Redwoods! Beaches! Banana slugs! This is why you live in Northern California. Big Basin is just a couple of hours south of San Francisco on winding mountain roads. The park offers lots of guided hikes, or you can just wander through old-growth forests on your own. This is a great beginner’s backpacking spot too — after hiking just a couple of miles in, you can camp under the big trees. Maybe you’ll hike out to the beach to stargaze. One thing to note: don’t leave crumbs. Jays and crows eat them and then eat endangered marbled murrelet chicks. There’s a video. It’s tragic. Do your part.
Want to get out to the beach and experience a laid-back vibe but don’t have enough time to head to Big Basin or Santa Cruz? Hit Half Moon Bay and watch some surfers. You can camp here too; just be prepared for fog and a chilly night. In the morning, you’ll be grateful for those hot showers.
Another wild and beautiful beach, yes, but why laze there when you could get some serious cardio along with spring wildflowers, crazy wind and — fog permitting — vast views, all by climbing Montara Mountain? Come back down and reward your exertions with a night at a lighthouse. Basic but comfortable accommodations await you at the Point Montara Lighthouse Hostel. They don’t have a hot tub like they do at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel, but it’s a spectacular setting up on the cliffs above the crashing waves.
Go in the springtime to enjoy the park’s rolling green hills before the summer heat sets in. One popular trek is the mostly flat six-mile Lake Ilsanjo Loop, which swings around a lake and skirts a waterfall. There’s no camping, so you’ll have to head home afterward. That’s OK, because that means you can get dinner in Petaluma on your way back south. I highly recommend splurging on the farm-to-table goodness at Central Market. Mmm.
Elephant seals! Do the males’ interactions remind you of, um, certain political debates? In the winter, there are guided walks to see the seals, but right now, as long as you get a permit at the visitors center between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., you can hike the three-mile trail to see them on your own. It’s molting season, so be prepared for them to look like large, fuzzy slugs festooned with sheets of sandpaper.
More beach! Bluffs! Wildness! Because of the lagoon that connects to the beach here — Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve — this is actually a big estuary like the San Francisco Bay or the Elkhorn Slough. While, alas, it doesn’t have otters like Elkhorn Slough does, the mix of clear and salty water brews up a diverse ecosystem with several endangered species and the potential to see lots of wildlife, especially birds. Nearby at 120-year-old Duarte’s Tavern, restore yourself with beer, pie — preferably ollalieberry — and artichoke chowder in a sourdough bowl. Oh, yes.
Too cold on the coast? Try this hidden gem, inland and out of the fog, with historical displays from the Chinese-American shrimp village that was here in the 1800s. You can camp here or just walk along the San Pablo Bay shoreline, enjoying the marshes and water birds. Bonus points if you see wild turkeys!
Curled into the east side of Point Reyes National Seashore, this park runs along Tomales Bay, where Inverness Ridge shelters four beautiful little beaches. Short trails link all four, so you can sample and pick your favorite. Heart’s Desire Beach is the biggest and is deservedly popular. Avoid parking woes and get a nice hike in by parking at the Jepson trailhead above Shallow Beach and walking 1.5 miles down to the beach. If you don’t want to head all the way up to Jenner to try kayaking or stand-up paddling, check out Blue Waters Kayaking in Marshall or Inverness — some of their trips launch from Heart’s Desire. Later, you can go all locavore on oysters.
El Niño is in retreat, and it’s time to get up and out before the summer heat sets in. Enjoy it. Instagram your adventures, too, to share them on CaliParks and help others get inspired.
