Activity: Half Dome Hike
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Description: Half Dome is a gorgeous hike in Yosemite. You can take a bus to the top and hike down or do the full roundtrip hike
Activity: Hike to the Griffith Observatory
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Website: http://griffithobservatory.org/ and hiking locations
Description: There are a few hikes to the Griffith Observatory that you can chose from ranging from 1 short mile to 7 miles. The views on a nice day are great.
Once you get to the top you can explore the observatory or go to one of the shows that plays on the hour. Mostly the shows are related to the solar systems and constellations. However, there is an marine/ocean show that plays a couple times a day.
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Activity: Weekend trip to Denver including Red Rocks concert, hiking a St. Mary's Glacier, Paddle-boating and ice cream
Rating: 4.6 of 5 stars
Website:
- Red rocks: http://redrocksonline.com/
- Saint Mary's Glacier- http://stmarysglacier.com/
-Indian hot springs- http://www.indianhotsprings.com/
-Washington Park Paddle boats- http://wheelfunrentals.com/Locations/Denver
-Little Man ice cream- http://www.littlemanicecream.com/
Description: This weekend getaway was jam packed with entertainment. Friday night my friends and I went to a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater outside of Denver. The venue was amazing. It is said the the acoustics of venue are much better due to the surrounding rocks. The venue was nicer than I expected, but be sure to get there early for a good seat!
Saturday my friends and I went on a hike at St. Mary's glacier (short hike) where my friend went cliff jumping into the water. Although I love adventure (and rarely pass it up), glacier water is where I draw the line. After the hike we had a lunch at a great BBQ place nearby. Afterwards, we went to the Indian hot springs where you can pay a fee to go into natural springs that are over 116 degrees! It was so relaxing!
Sunday: We enjoyed brunch at Devils Food and then went to Washington Park. In the park we paddle boated for about an hour. It is a fun pastime on a lazy sunday and slightly more of a workout then we were hoping for. Afterwards, we ended the weekend with a ice cream cone at the famous Little Man's Ice cream.
Recommended: Friends, Family, and the outdoor adventurer
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Activity: Exploring Portland for the weekend. This included eating doughnuts and ice cream, hiking and touring the Rose and Japanese Garden
Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Website:
Cost: Doughnuts were under $2 and ice cream was reasonable depending on the size (scoops, cones, etc.), the all day tour was $54 per adult. The Rose garden was free and the Japanese Garden was about $10 pp.
Description: Portland references itself as a "weird" town, but in my experience it was quaint and full of good snacks and outdoor activities.
If you like doughnuts this is the place for you! We tried Voodoo Doughnuts because of its popularity and unusual shapes. Locals told us many time that Blue Star doughnuts actually taste better, so if you have time and the metabolism for both then try them and compare. Personally, I am more of a fan of ice cream and frozen yogurt. Therefore, I was in HEAVEN at Salt and Straw. They had flavors like blue cheese with pear, olive oil, habanero chile with fruit, and coffee with Bourbon just to name a few.
In between our eating festivities we checked out the International Rose test Garden that was beautiful in the summer. There were so many varieties of flowers and colors in full bloom that it was a perfect free afternoon activity. Within walking distance from the Rose garden is the Japanese Garden. You can either walk up a short hill or take a trolley. The garden was nice, but much smaller than I expected. There was also an entry fee unlike the Rose garden.
On the last day of the trip we went on all all day tour of the Gorge. This included stopping at scenic views and going to multiple water falls. I recommend a tour since it was reasonably priced and parking would have been difficult.
Recommended: weekend trip to Portland is a great weekend getaway for outdoorsy foodie crowd!
Alamere Falls is one of my favorite SF hikes so far. In a previous post I mentioned this hike was highly recommended and I finally had a chance to go.
The hike starts in Bolinas and is about 4.5 miles each way from the parking lot. It is not a loop so roundtrip it comes out to 9 miles. The hike is relatively flat by SF standards. My friends from NY who went on the hike with me would disagree and felt slightly misled by the word "flat", however a SF native would understand after one too many grocery trips up a steep hill that this hike is pretty flat.
The views are gorgeous! The trail starts in a parking lot where you can leave your car and immediately veers to a hill overlooking the water. After a few miles you are in tall trees with vegetation (3rd picture). Right before the waterfall you have another beautiful view of the ocean (4th picture). Then the final part is a steep hike down the side of the mountain to get to the beach. The side is eroding so it is slippery (5th picture), but it is not long so no need to worry.
As the reviews all mentioned I would pack layers, bring plenty of water, bring a snack, and eat a full meal before the journey. We stopped at the Grove for a hearty brunch before heading out. It was delicious and filling but we still needed some snacks.
Additional Reviews:
Until next time. Stay tuned.
Hiking is a past time in the bay area akin to Boozy Brunches in NY. Everybody's doing it. So I jumped on board.
If I was on Family Feud and the question was "What are the top 5 words San Franciscans say during the weekend" I would guess YOGA, YOGA, HIKE, HIKE, YOGA.
Thus far I have been to:
Next on the list
1. Mt Tam-I have heard the hike to the beer garden at the Tourist club is worth the trip. They are only open select weekends, so apparently you have to plan in advance. Details here for Mt Tam. Schedule of open weekends here.
2. Alamere Falls- This is a longer hike about 9 miles roundtrip and includes a gorgeous waterfall. I have seen pictures, but I am sure they do not do it justice (one above)
3. Hot Springs Getaway in Big Sur- pictures here. Found on SOSH (app and website for activities in your area)
4. Hidden Black Sand beach in Marin- here also found on Sosh
5. Beach hike on sand dunes- here also on Sosh
Top Bay Area Hike lists include date hike desitinations by Thrillist. Any other recommendations? Let me know @ thesaturdazeblog@gmail.com
Until Next Time. Stay Tuned.
