Fog is burning off. He fires up the Jetboil…read more She probes him: "Say, What is this little rat-tail thing you've got going on?" He has a short braided thing of hair hanging off the back of his head, like he's a Padawan apprentice or something. "What, this?" he laughs. "Party in the back?" In a thicket by the creek, they sip coffee. Song of the thrush ascends. Seems to spiral to heaven upward like a shell. They gaze through a seven foot tall cow parsnip at the sky. The umbels are bobbing galaxies in a vast universe. Ever expanding. Wielding a magic wand, she identifies the plant: "Heracleum maximum!" It has gigantic leaves. Each one is connected to a thick, hollow, densely-haired stem. She steers the huge leaves on their thick stems in her slender arms. Swipes away the poison oak. "Found a path to the creek," she says cheerily. Clear water riffles and splits around a shoal. It's sandy with willows and cattails. There is a great blue heron in the reeds. The heron saunters forward deceptively, like a starlet at the Croisette, then recoils its long neck and strikes. "Bill stab!" he exclaims. He purses his mouth, throws his arm up and makes a fist. Taking a beat, she observes the scene, and says wryly "Sick, huge fan. What a bird." The impaled fish writhes on the heron's spear in the sun, scales glinting. It has met its immutable fate. They sit on a bank dotted with Cyperaceae. Lady beetles fly about. They turn and face each other. "F#$%#g sh*# show that was..." he moans. "What do you mean? We shucked a thousand shells. You have to respect your aunt's stamina, it's a Vibe!" she says, grinning. The moment is fleeting. The song and the chirping and the thrum of insects in the morning heat. They kill the coffee. It's time to pack up their tent and go. "Check out time!" she says. "Pack it up!"

Beautiful campground and hike in, I took coast trail from bear valley and it was 8 miles... trail…read morewas very secluded after bear valley fire road... magical forest and garden surrounds the campgrounds. Camped at 2ab and it was ok, it was not very private and near the bathroom/water spigot so I felt like it was more people interaction than I cared for but that was what was available! The beach was a great place to relax after my hiking days and I loved it. I was there 3 days mid week in June and it was 75 one day and foggy/wet 60 degrees the other days, recommend rain fly for tents, and exploring the singletrack trails , they are so beautiful, full of wildlife

Went on the four hour trip in mid August. I grew up in Hawaii, and humans spend the winter there…read moregiving birth and mating. The cool thing is that they don't eat the whole time they're in their warm water breeding grounds! I've always walked to see what they are up to the rest of the year, and figured I'd have to go to Alaska to see it... Not true! We were treated to a beautiful, smooth tour where we saw so many whales! We saw tail slapping, pectoral fin slapping, body rolls, and even saw them emerge from the water head first ad they took big mouthfuls of krill! So amazing! Nicole (one of the owners of this venture) was great, and so full of knowledge, we really enjoyed talking to her. The captain was a an expert at positioning the boat for best viewing of the whales while not stressing them out. The deck hand was friendly and knowledgeable as well. We well definitely be back, and we'll bring friends next time (although the season is almost over for 2026).

I would recommend Blue Giants for a whale watching trip! I appreciated how intentional and…read morepassionate Nicole and Catie were as naturalists. They clearly care about wildlife conservation and educating the public on marine life. It was hard sometimes to hear them over the loudspeakers, but I'm not sure if that can be fixed or if the boat/ocean is just too loud.

This is my third time sailing with May on the Bay and it certainly won't be the last. Ryan is…read morefriendly, knowledgeable, and just a joy to sail with! He pointed out wildlife and areas of interest and really went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable. The boat is clean and well-kept and Ryan is clearly an expert sailer. We couldn't have asked for a better experience.

Do yourself a favor and sail with Ryan! Six of us went and had so much fun! Ryan did a great job…read moreshowing us the sights on the Bay and explained all the proper sailboat lingo! We are excited to do it again! Ryan was the ultimate professional.

If you manage to snag one the campsite nearest the ridge (lot 4 is my personal favorite) you'll…read morefeel as though you're floating above the ocean at night. Just an incredible, picturesque place. The cabins are popular, and book out for the year quickly, but for me the outdoor camping is the thing.

It was my first time at Steep Racine Campground. Love at first site…read more A little glamorous camp. Must bring sleeping pad, sheets, and blanket/sleeping bag. Bring lights and lots too. It gets really dark at night and you definitely need it for the cooking, reading, and toilet. There is water and a grill by the cabin. You can purchase firewood $10 per bundle. Bring your own coal if you want to grill. Bring your own cooler and lock your food. I had a little visit who loved my avocados and wanted more. Sunset watching and sunrise is amazing. Love!! I hope to come back again.

Beautiful area, lots of landscape/seascape diversity to explore in a single day. Especially lovely…read morefor summertime when I want to escape the heat.

Pt. Reyes is a treasure. This was our third camping trip to the park, and first time backpacking…read moreinto Coast Camp. From the Bear Valley Visitor Center, it is about a 6.5-7 mile hike, depending on which route you take. The Mt. Wittenberg trail is the steepest, and we went with the Bear Valley trail to the Meadow trail. From there you take the Sky Trail to the Woodward Valley trail, and then there is 0.9 miles on the Coast trail to the campground. In terms of surroundings, you go from meadow, to pine forest, to ridge line, down to the coast covered in chaparral. It's lovely. The campground is just 100 yards from the beach, but because of the large slope, you are protected from the heavy winds. That said, you still get a nice view of the water from sites 1-7. We stayed in site 2, which had everything we needed, including a bear box and picnic table. The larger campground has potable water, vault toilets, and trash bins. After we set up camp we went down to the beach, and walked a mile south to Sculptured Beach, which has lovely rock formations and tide pools. We saw anemones, urchins, and mussels.

My daughter and husband have been taking horsemanship lessons with Karin for 4 years. Karin is…read moreincredibly knowledgeable about horses, as well as dogs and also has great advice for humans as well! We couldn't be happier with the horsemanship lessons. She has been such a great mentor to my daughter as many of the leadership lessons with horses are so very applicable for a young girl's life lessons. For a young girl to have the confidence to lead these horses - it's just so amazing to witness. Recently we decided to take a staycation at her lovely home and rented out a couple of rooms for us for the weekend. Karin was such an amazing hostess from the very beginning when we got there, to the lavish exit from her property, as she had both her dogs positioned on either side of the gate at the end of her driveway as a send off. We stayed in a beautiful room with incredible views of the Nicasio reservoir. This is a must stay place for any photographer, bird lover, horse lover. It felt like we were completely in a different country, when we were only a 20 minute drive to our home. Karin made us an amazing breakfast each morning, while overlooking the reservoir, watching pelicans, falcons, and yes...bald eagles flying overhead! How incredible! Her house has several rooms to rent, and she also has a treehouse, which my daughter stayed in with her friend. They had a blast. A great skylight above the bed to stargaze. One night we enjoyed dinner at her outdoor 'cantina'. During the day, dipping our toes in the beautiful pool. The kids enjoyed chasing the little lizards that basked in the sun. We brought our dog who had probably the most fun of us all. Finally, a place where a dog can actually be a dog! Did I mention Karin is a fabulous dog trainer as well? Thank you so much for such a fabulous weekend that we will cherish always, Karin!

I stayed at Danehill Manor for a week with my boyfriend and it was absolutely magical. We took…read morenatural horsemanship lessons with Karin who was hosting us and it was incredible to learn from her wisdom. We walked away with new leadership skills, confidence and patience. I would HIGHLY recommend the experience of being with these majestic horses that roam the 35 acres freely eating grass. The property is stunning, it feels like you're in Europe amidst the green rolling hills and Karin is also a phenomenal chef. She makes the worlds fluffiest omelettes for breakfast and incredibly authentic Danish dinners as well. It was so much more than a vacation for us, we will remember the things we learned here for a lifetime.

Recently camped at Bootjack again…read more Scroll down to my first review for most of the technical camping specs. Read THIS review to find out how you're camping wrong. Since I was so early in the season (mid April), when I got there, I was the only one there. Having Bootjack to yourself, or to yourself with a few other very quiet people, is a blessing. Creeks run in multiple directions through this campground, so there are several spots located right next to the water. In early spring, some even have creeks on both sides. It can be so incredibly peaceful here if you come at the right time. I've watched turkeys, deer, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, and butterflies cross my site. The only issue I've ever had with Bootjack is that, especially as the weather gets warmer, highly inconsiderate locals come here to party, and not just on the weekends. Sometimes it feels like, no matter what my strategy is for picking the quietest spot, the worst camper there will also use the same strategy. Or maybe people think, "That's just a woman camping alone, so she won't care or be able to do anything if we completely wreck her experience." What I've been witnessing over the past few years is just an absolute breakdown of common courtesy and campground etiquette. Bootjack is just one of many campgrounds that have been affected. As a camp host myself, I've heard all of the arguments that people should be allowed to blast music, and all of the arguments are wrong. You are in a public space. Everyone else who paid to be there has a right to enjoy the environment they paid to enjoy. Disabled people with sensitivity to light and sound have a right to not be tortured by your antics. You have a right to play music and use bright lights FOR YOUR OWN USE ONLY. If other people can hear your music, it's too loud. It's 2025. You can get a fantastic pair of noise canceling ear buds on Amazon for $15, and be entirely enveloped in your terrible music without ruining the natural soundscape for everyone else. There's just no excuse. The argument that you should have a right to infringe on everyone else's enjoyment when you could very easily just use ear buds is just dumb. If other people's campsites are illuminated by your lights, you're being inconsiderate and rude. If you are looking around the campground with a head lamp on after dark, that's rude. How would you like having a bright light pointed at your face when you're trying to fall asleep? It's really not that hard to contain your lights to your own needs. As to string lights: congratulations on figuring out the best way to attract insects to your site! They love those! Also, your light pollution is ruining the Northern Lights for the rest of us. So what I'm saying is, if you're looking for a good night's sleep in between hikes while backpacking Mt. Tam, you might not be able to find that here, even though this campground was literally built for that purpose. But it's as beautiful as can be, and the access to hiking trails could not be more ideal. Pantoll is just a .4 mile hike away. I did have a super creepy experience on my last night here. I was the only one in the campground, and someone else set up a hammock on my site in the middle of the night (and abandoned it there before dawn). I had actually woken up to a headlamp, but convinced myself that no one would be outside my tent in the rain. Maybe they were from Appalachia and thought it was normal to set up on the same site. Let's hope it was that. Because otherwise... Lastly, don't forget to lock up your food. Raccoons are very active at night, and they will rip your tent open for a Cliff bar. I have a ripped rainfly to prove it. Also (adding this based on another experience at this campground I just remembered), raccoons aren't scared of light, so please don't be that camper that leaves food in your tent and then wakes everyone else up with your flashlight because you failed to follow the rules in the first place.

I didn't camp. But I parked. In the parking lot for this campground as a starting point for an…read moreincredible hike down to Muir Woods. Day parking is $8 here. Get here early!! This area becomes packed! The boot jack trail goes down, down, down, into the redwoods. Eventually you'll end up at Muir Woods monument that requires a reservation. It is cold down there among the redwoods!! The entire area is absolutely majestic. The canopy trail loops back up towards the parking lot and then across. What happens on this trail is outstanding as you toggle between chaparral and redwoods. Watch out for the roots and steel posts leftover on the canopy trail from previous trail markers. Excellent area to explore. Can't wait to go back for more.

Thank you Captain Drohan for a memorable day on the bay. It was a special day saying goodbye to…read moreour loved one with a commemorative sail to the Golden Gate Bridge. The boat was stunning, comfortable and very well kept. Your crew did a wonderful job handling our sensitive moments with care and grace.

Captain Drohan made sure our son's 13th birthday (which also happens to be on July 4th!) was…read morememorable and fun! Even though it was somewhat foggy, we had a great view on the water of both the Sausalito and San Francisco fireworks! He was professional and engaging with everyone in our group. To top it all off, he is very reasonably priced. Thanks for a great 4th of July experience on the bay!