San Francisco Trails

California's elk now number 13,000, up from just 3,500 40 years ago.

La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve features 6 miles of trail, redwoods, and Pacific views.

Alpenglow Sports's Afterglow podcast series will feature interviews with outdoor all-stars.

A sheriff's deputy shot video of a mother bear and two cubs at Lighthouse Shopping Center.

NPR listeners share their favorite trails for a post-Turkey Day jaunt.

Park visitors who share photos and stories on social media can snag a free Eagle Creek pack.

The campus CHAOS group hopes to add to its 900-strong membership by introducing newbies to the wilderness.

Now's the time to check out unique fungi and spawning coho salmon on local trails.

The park district has partnered with REI's #OptOutside campaign to get people out of the mall and into the parks.

Drought, a warming climate, and a bark beetle infestation are to blame for the park's 2.4 million dead trees.

Mt. Rose kicked off the winter this week after a light snowfall.

Entrance fees are waived at national parks November 11 and 12 for Veterans Day.

The incident was the first confirmed wolf kill in California for more than a century.

The federal government is forecasting a mild La Nina. Local meteorologists aren't sure.

Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows to officially announce a high-speed link, but environmental advocates aren't on board.

An Oakland couple got stranded overnight after getting disoriented.

Four Lake Tahoe cubs have tested positive for a rare virus that has already killed two other cubs.

Vireos, lesser goldfinch, and scrub jays have flown the Northern California fires—and the Audubon Society is taking notice.

John Ayers, an undergrad at Cal State Fullerton, describes his summer adventures to Yosemite in his own words.

As of Thursday, 16 fires have consumed 158,000 acres, killed at least 23, and destroyed 3,500 homes.

Extremely toxic pesticides like carbofuran are being used to grow marijuana on California's public lands.

With a cost of $24 million, the new bridge helps repair extensive damage from mudslides earlier this year.

A backcountry taco hut has popped up six times on the JMT—then disappeared.

Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed a bill that would speed up a sale of 6,500 acres, which includes 1,100 acres of redwoods.

The Tahoe Weekly gives the low-down on a local favorite.

This series of essays and reflections, in Bay Nature magazine, chronicles the history and color of Mount Tamalpais.

A new $2.6 million project seeks to uncover the genetic code of nature's tallest trees—to better learn how to protect them.

Debbi Preston tracked down 57 day trips for you and your pup.

A proposed 43-home subdivision may go up on the southeastern tip of the Tiburon Peninsula.

A father and his two young children were backpacking through Sequoia National Forest when they were hit.

Camp Curry versus Half Dome Village. The Ahwahnee versus The Majestic Yosemite Hotel. When is a name just a name?

The Bay Area's third-highest peak, Umunhum, has turned from Air Force surveillance site into the Sierra Azul Open Space.

Of the 275 recreation sites in the region, only a handful have more parking than 20 years ago. It's enough to send some hikers back home.

As long as you don't covet a Saturday night spot, the greater Bay Area's 60 campgrounds have plenty of space for you.

Sacramento's popular Hidden Falls Regional Park kicked off a parking reservation and fee system to manage crowds.

On August 27, 1917, three teens climbed Mount Lassen—while it was erupting. This week, their relatives climbed in tribute.

Lake Tahoe's flagship 165-mile loop gets 400,000 visitors—and 15,000 volunteer hours—every year.

Recent research shows the largest area of extinction yet reported; climate change likely to blame.

Two adjacent fires force the closure of trails, campgrounds, and climbing routes in Yosemite.

With good lake levels dispersing visitors, and smoke levels improving, Labor Day weekend is shaping up in northern California.

A three-acre blaze broke out at the Stanford Dish. The culprit? Probably a bird, officials say.

At Tinker Knob near Soda Springs, an Austrian man was struck—and lived to tell about it.

The Orange County couple were hiking in the Mojave, where temps reached 113 degrees.

Miracle and Nomad, two California condors, have a chick—the first born in the wild in decades.

Skloot has 30 titles to his credit, and his latest, "4 Wheel Bob," is a profile of disabled hiker Bob Coomber.

Rarely seen by humans, a solo four-week-old bobcat kitten was found on a trail near Sausalito.

On the first day of a backpacking trip in the High Sierra, two hikers came face to face with a mountain lion. They got proof.

The body of a woman who was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail was found in the northwestern part of Yosemite National Park.

Sacramento Bee reporter captures footage of male rattlers in a tangle on the Lake Clementine Trail.

For the first time in a hundred years, the shores of Webber Lake are available for camping and fishing.

The same helicopter crew responded to multiple incidents last weekend, rescuing three of the four parties.

Computer-powered leg braces help Stacy Kozel cover up to 30 miles a day.

Huge winter snows led to the latest opening ever for the national park's main road.

A crew of more than 5,000 has the blaze about 60 percent contained.

A 32-year-old from Japan was discovered in the South Fork of the Kings River near the PCT.

Volunteers have pulled an unusually high number of the free employee bikes out of a Mountain View creek in recent weeks.

Three regional trails will now allow the electric option as part of a pilot program.

Deep snow and raging rivers are forcing some thru-hikers off the PCT and west to a new challenge.

Heavy winter snowfall has kept the national park's road shuttered well into July, a near-record.

The national monument is one of 27 under review by the Trump administration.

The annual ParkScore report gave the city high marks on park size, facilities, and access.

Rep. Doug LaMalfa introduced the Guide and Outfitters Act last January and hopes for a floor vote soon.

Organizing volunteer cleanups is just the start for one Northern California man.

Heat exhaustion appears to have played a role in the scoutmaster's death near San Rafael.

All 7 hikers got off-track in deep snow near Tuolumne Meadows.

Biologists confirm that new northern California pack traces back to the first wolf spotted in the state since 1924.

Could mysterious hoots at Humboldt Redwoods State Park belong to the elusive Sasquatch?

Camp Sugar Pine closes its doors amid concerns about camper safety.

The San Francisco Chronicle's Tom Stienstra won three awards from the Outdoor Writers Association of America.

Try your luck at these lesser-known California campgrounds tonight.

Some locals want protections lifted on Giant Sequoia National Monument.

Crews cleared the roads leading to the Calaveras Ranger District sites in time for the Fourth of July.

The 26-year-old woman slipped while attempting to cross Silliman Creek.

The 25-year-old man escaped unhurt after being swept into the South Yuba River.

Even the New York Times has noticed how much better backpacking food has gotten lately.

The pass is set to open Thursday, one of the latest openings in decades.

Researchers discovered the big cats almost always flee human voices, even when feeding.

The KCET travel series will tackle Marin and Sonoma Counties in its new season.

Hikers spotted the unique formation in the Las Trampas Regional Wilderness.

Search & Rescue crews pulled a young man to safety after he slipped and was swept over two waterfalls in the Bass Lake area.