Shoreline Regional Wildlife & Recreation Area, Mountain View Not so much of a hiking park, but more of a biking/roller-blading/bird-watching park. In the spring the migrating canadian geese have their babies. So cute… There is a golf course, wind surfing and sailing lessons. Michael's Restaurant is on the golf course, and Lakeside Café is right on the lake and servers yummy sandwitches.

Here are some photos from April 2009.

Rancho San Antonio, Cupertino: There are several trails, but our favorite is the Wildcat Loop, which goes thru the farm. It is a perfect balance of length, uphill, shade, views, and an enchanted forest. There is a PG&E trail which is much longer and more strenuous, but very exposed and not so pretty. The drawback for this park is that it is very popular and hence crowded. Parking could be an issue on weekends.

Stevens Creek County Park, Cupertino Wish I could help more with trail names, but we always take the same trail whose name I don't remember. All of the trails are pretty nice and shady.

Wunderlich, Woodside One of our very favorite parks. There are a whole slew of trails but We always take the Alambique trail. It is strenuous (~2200 feet & 5 miles each direction) but shady for the most part and very cushiony because of all the redwoods.

We typically go up to the Crossroads, and then up to Skyline. If you cross Skyline and continue the trail (on the right side of someone's house) for just a short distance you will have a view of the ocean. Pretty nice. 

Uvas Canyon, Svedal (Pronounced Sveeeeeed-le) This park is just 30 minutes drive, but feels so far away. There aren't too many trails, but the nice thing about it is that you will hardly see any one, so it feels nice and isolated.

Big Basin Redwood State Park California's first state park, Big Basin is a couple of hours south of San Francisco. The drive itself is pretty, and the park even prettier. There are lot's of trails and guided hikes. Our favorite is the doggy-friendly "The Road Less Travelled", which is led by Micki and Spock-the-dog.

Paso Robles Wine Country, 2.5 Hours South of San Francisco Halfway between San Francisco and Los Angels is Paso Robles Wine Country, one of the fastest growing wine regions in California. Vineyard Drive, right off of Route 46 west, or The West Side, is dotted with adorable small wineries who produce some of the tastiest wines in California.

Wineries & Hotels we like:

• Denner Vineyards
• Turly Wine Cellars
• Jada Vineyard
• Linne Calodo

• Hotel Cheval
• Orchard Hill Bed & Breakfast

Napa/Sonoma Wine Country, 1.5 Hours North of San Francisco I happen to prefer Appellations of Sonoma Valley, mainly becuase that's where some of my favorite wineries are located. But this doesn't mean Napa Valley Appellations are not equally fabulous. One can't go wrong with either one!

Silverado Trail: Parallel to highway 128 (St. Helena Highway), Silverado Trail is full of small boutique wineries.

Dry Creek Valley: Heading north from Healdsburg in Sonoma Valley is Dry Creek Valley, another boutique winery area.

Hotels we like:

• Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa
• Hotel Healdsburg
• Kenwood Inn
• The Carneros Inn
• Poetry Inn
• Auberge du Soleil

Carmel-by-the-Sea & Monterey Peninsula, 2 Hours South of Sunnyvale Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the largest aquariums in the world, and the Jellies exhibition is a must. Adjacent to the aquarium is Cannery Row, a quiet street full of restaurants. Seventeen-mile-drive takes you to Carmel thru Pacific Grove. It is a toll road, and worth its price, but some of its most stunning segments are outside the "pay area."
Carmel-by-the-Sea is a quaint seaside town with cute shops and good restaurants.
Point Lobos, 10 miles further south, gives you great views and big waves. Big Sur, another hour south of Carmel is a fabulous spot for an overnight stay. Its rocky shores are some of prettiest portions of California Coast.

Hotels we like:

• L'Auberge Carmel
• Ventana Inn & Spa
• Post Ranch Inn

Mendocino Coast, 3 Hours North of San Francisco What used to be a fishing village, Medocino is now a sleepy tourist destination with spectacular coastline and scenery. There are lot's of great restaurants to eat at, and lots of adorable victorian B & B's. Mendocino seems to always be fully booked, so I highly recommend making advance lodging reservations.

Hotels/Restaurants we like:

• Joshua Grindle Inn
• The Mendocino Hotel


• Café Beaujolais

Point Reyes National Seashore, 1.5 Hours North of San Francisco

Muir Woods National Monument, 1 Hour North of San Francisco

Pinnacles National Monument, 2 Hours South of Sunnyvale

Yosemite National Park, 4 Hours East of San Francisco