Have long eyed the Castle Rock State Park and glad we finally went! The park charges a nominal…read moreparking fee ($10 at time of writing); the parking fee is waived if you have one of the supported passes. Check their site for more info: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=538# We really enjoyed our hike here. The space is beautiful, and the trails are well-maintained. The trailhead had plenty restrooms as well. We made it up to Goat Rock Lookout, back down, then detour to the waterfall. It took ~1.5 hours in total, which was perfect for a end-of-day hike before the park closes at sunset. The view up at Goat Rock Lookout was breathtaking!

If you're looking for another place that has breathtaking views surrounding the whole Santa Cruz…read moreMountains (but don't want to go all the way to Portola Valley), Castle Rock State Park is the place for you. This place is usually my go to when the weather is just perfect and you want good views of the mountains viewing the Monterey Bay and the Santa Clara Valley. In addition, the park is even open during the cold winter season, where it occasionally will snow (because of how high the elevation is, the main base is situated at about 3,200 feet above sea level). This place has been my go-to park for hiking for a while, because of its terrain. At the same time, it's also been because of how much snow they get when cold fronts come into effect. They are also open year-round, so definitely swing by this state park when you do get the chance to! It's a decision you'll never regret.

Pros: Beautiful park, large campsites, very picturesque. Coin op showers, dishwashing station and…read morenice little hikes for the whole family. Family events on the weekends (ie young kids groups Sunday AM and family camp fire with marshmallows Saturday night) Cons: large/loud groups who blast music loudly until 10pm, traipse through others' campsites and allow their kids to scream on their scooters and bikes at 7am. Just in general seems there were a lot of people who did not understand basic camping etiquette. Very windy road to get there so be aware of that if you are prone to car sickness. We loved the park and it would be perfect if not for the annoying crowd. It wasn't any one particular group but multiple groups scattered throughout the park who didn't seem to have any awareness of others. We may consider a return during the week or off season (we were here for a weekend in peak summer) and possibly near the camp host to avoid excess noise we got towards the rear of the camp. Tons of mosquitos.

One of our favorite reserve California sites! The final 20 miles drive there is a little…read moretreacherous but once you get there all is great. We had enough sun and sky for our solar and Starlink and site 21 was huge for our van camper. The pad was semi level so we only needed a few leveling blocks. There were many nice hiking trails and the bathrooms were clean. There were also dishwashing stations (but no hot water). It was a little strange to see all the teslas lol.

Great spot for camping overnight! There's a two night minimum on holiday weekend. Otherwise one…read morenight is fine for regular weekends. The highway to get there (from sf and Redwood City) is really curvy and nauseous! Better if coming from pescadero Site A is louder but close to Wi-Fi. Site C and D is pretty peacefully quiet. C22 and C33 were spacious Super clean for a camp. Restrooms and showers are pretty good condition and not smelly, pay $0.50 for a shower. Restroom buildings are super brightly lit for safety and navigation in the dark. However light sleepers may find it too bright and should bring sleeping masks if you're near one of these buildings. Firewood $9 a bundle at front ranger kiosk. The lighter and less dense the better it burns Bring bug spray. Bees, mosquitos at night, flies. Other fun finds: banana slug and Rollie polly. Squirrels will steal your food if you leave unattended Amphitheater shows kids movies at night in summer! Kung fu panda the night I went

For our annual family camping trip, we switched up our usual favorites (Russian Gulch,…read moreMacKerricher) to try Memorial County Park, a spot a close friend has raved about for 30 years. We are so happy with our decision!The Pros:Amazing Staff: Tyler greeted us warmly and gave great information.Clean & Maintained: Campsites were pristine, bathrooms were clean, and the hot water in the showers was a huge plus (just bring your own towel).Kid-Friendly Nature: Surrounded by stunning redwoods, the kids loved spotting banana slugs, filling out nature activity guides, and wading in the clean creek.Great Atmosphere: It was wonderful seeing so many kids on bikes and scooters. There is no WiFi/cell service, which was a fantastic excuse to unplug (though you can get a signal at the learning center if needed). Since there were no weekday camp programs, we made our own fun playing charades at the amphitheater.The Cons:No Fire Ring: Our site in the Azalea loop didn't have one, which disappointed the grandkids. Luckily, the neighboring site was empty so we "borrowed" theirs.Departure Encounter: We had a brief interaction with a rude employee on our way out, which was a bummer after such a great trip.Overall, it was an excellent experience and we will definitely return!

We took a Class 3 day trip on the South Fork of the American last week. Everything was…read moreprofessionally done and went smoothly. Our equipment was in excellent shape. Our guide was experienced, patient and knew the river well. He took good care of my 10 year old granddaughter, who was a first-timer. This is a quality outfit. I recommend them without reservation. Of note: the South Fork has become a bit crowded with rafts. I'll be trying a different river next time.

We've rafted twice more with All-Outdoors since my last review - Goodwin Canyon in October 2022,…read moreand then Middle Fork American River again this past month (both 1-day trips). The last time we rafted Middle Fork American was on a cold, gloomy, drizzling day in October 2019 - so we had to give it another go in warmer weather. This time around was just as memorable. Two of us in the boat ended up falling out in the water at Tunnel Chute, which happened so fast that I barely knew what had happened - thankfully, there was a nice calmer stretch of water right after through the river tunnel, so we were easily able to get back into the raft. (Thank you to our guide, Troy, for hauling me back in, and for being an awesome guide in general!) Plus this was one of the photographer spots, so the action was all captured for us to laugh about later. Later, after our tasty sandwich picnic lunch, we had a few unexpected events happen, starting from the portage down Ruck-a-Chucky Falls. Shout-out to all three guides in our group - Troy, Shea, and AJ - for handling things so calmly and getting us all back where we were supposed to be! We had plenty of calm stretches floating down the river as well. The canyon is beautiful and quite peaceful. We saw a ton of dragonflies flying above our heads, masked ducks chilling on rocks and diving underwater, and wild grapes and blackberries growing alongside the river. We'll be back again for another trip with All-Outdoors! Maybe we'll try a 2-day or 3-day trip next time.

GRASSHOPPER LOOP TRAIL REVIEW: The open space preserve is large, with many trails, but this review…read moreis just for the newly open Grasshopper Loop Trail (open June 2022). This is a great trail for older folks and little kids. It's pretty short (just 1.3 miles), flat, and mostly shaded. The start of trail is open but you soon reach a gate where you enter a redwood forrest. The path is very new and pristine. The redwoods are spectacular. Some of the trees were covered in a fuzzy type of moss (spanish moss or lichen moss?), so you'd think you were in the bayou or something. We were hoping to see more birds and butterflies, but didn't see any wildlife. Before we knew it, we reach another gate, where you exit the redwood part of the loop and back to the parking lot. If you wanted to extend the nice part of the trail, I suggest turning around when you reach the exit gate and backtrack through the redwoods again to the start of the trail. Overall, I enjoyed the redwood portion of the loop, but the loop was too short. Driving to the trail head involves driving through miles of winding roads with bicyclists popping up at every turn. It was not so fun to drive up here, so for a 30-minute hike, it wasn't quite worth it. There are many other trails to explore here, but there didn't seem to be much to see.

There are actually two, separate sections of La Honda Creek OSP, an upper section and a lower…read moresection. These are not connected, nor close, and they are entirely different, so it's too bad the Open Space system (and Yelp) has them lumped together as one. Most reviewers have just reviewed one section; I'll cover both. [UPPER SECTION] Access is off Skyline Blvd. As mentioned by others, this section is accessible through a free permit system, so some advance planning is required (See OSP website for details). It took only a day for me to obtain the combo for the gate lock, but others have reported longer. The good part of this permit system is that it keeps out the masses, so a hike here is likely to be full of solitude and quiet. I saw one other small group the entire time I was here. Ambiance: Ridgetop hills of mixed forest and meadows with views to the west. There's the typical selection of native trees here, but there are a couple of giant, old-growth redwoods you can visit as well. (Only one is shown on the map, but a few others are hidden off-trail). No bathrooms or amenities here. My main issue with this upper section is that it is quite small; it really isn't a place to do a big loop, only a small loop with a few there-and-back side trips. I visited every trail and only hiked 5.5 miles. I prefer to do more. (3*) [LOWER SECTION] Access is off La Honda Rd (Hwy 84) near the town of La Honda. No permits needed. At the entrance there's a newish, paved parking lot and a unisex pit bathroom. Ambiance: Rolling grassy hills with plenty of cattle - it felt very much like an East Bay hike to me. Trees are limited to a few, stream-side groves. Nice views of the ocean can be found here, though it will take 3 miles to reach that spot - and of course 3 miles back. You'll likely be sharing the view with cows (and dodging their patties). This lower section is much bigger than the upper section but still doesn't offer any full loops (only a "lollipop"). Nevertheless I enjoyed my 9-mile hike here. I may bring friends back, just to show them something new; but it's not a destination I need to visit often. My curiosity itch has been scratched, and grading on a curve against other OSPs, it's just OK. (3.5*) My Peninsula hike collection is here: (https://www.yelp.com/collection/qBI6U6Lz9LJQjnGjFW6ubg) Hiking Spot Checklist: -- Parking: Small, paved lot at both sections -- Bathrooms: None at upper section; Yes at parking lot of lower section -- Potable water: No -- Maps provided: Yes (except during covid) -- Highlights: Nice views to the west in both sections

Caitlin was the nicest tour guide. She had us walking through nature and explained a lot about…read moremushroom hunting, and made the experience magic.

We went on the short hike adventure. This hike is perfect for someone who is a beginner who hasn't…read morethought about foraging in a forest before. We all learned something new. The guide was very nice and informative. Meeting at one location, then meeting at another 5 minutes away seemed like a time filler. I would recommend just giving a meeting location and starting on time at the location. People should be able to handle going pee and getting coffee on their own before a hike. Seriously, I would consider dropping that part of the tour. For the price I would have hoped for a location that was a little more remote or wooded. We walked 0.5 miles and could see the parking lot the whole time. A great addition would be to make a little helpful hints guide for all of the participants so they can look back and remember the tips. That would make the price seem more worth it.

Beautiful fall colors…read more Wonderful little walk through the very quiet forest Different types of mushrooms everywhere! Banana slugs!

Sam McDonald Park was such a pleasant surprise! I loved the variety of trails and the peaceful,…read moreremote feel of the area. Parking was easy, though it's tucked away enough that you could easily pass by if you don't know it's there. Does have restrooms. Overall, a beautiful spot--I really enjoyed my time here!

Well maintained hiking spot! We chose this hike because…read moreafter we were headed to Alpine Inn for dinner. We found the last parking spot along the road and headed up to the start of the hike. There are maps available or you can take a picture of the posted map. After hiking a short way we found a door to the entrance to the coal mine trail. Once at the top we found amazing views of Bay Area. We found an amazing tree to eat a snack under. There was a beautiful rose on the tree so this must we a known place to have a romantic picnic at. The weather was perfect so not a problem with the trails. There was a well maintained bridge as well. It was a moderate hike.

I've only been here twice, and only when my daughter attends the birthday party of a classmate who…read morelives in Portola Valley. Maybe I'm not paying attention on other trails, but this is a great place to find interesting mushrooms to photograph. There's shade, nice views of the valley, a few short bridges, and lots of interesting vegetation, from the ferns to the fungi. In the winter it's wet and lush. The trail is quite narrow in places, and it was slightly muddy due to the recent rains, but I was able to avoid getting too dirty. There's a network of trails that's accessible from this trailhead. I don't really have a destination in mind when I come here - usually I just hike for about an hour and turn back. There were a good number of cars parked near the trailhead, but I didn't run into that many people on the trail itself.

Such an awesome experience. Travis was so great. He was patient, explained directions clearly,…read morechecked in a couple times during the tour, and very understanding. He even takes photos and shares it via google for free. Such a nice bonus. I wear glasses and was able to wear my glasses with the helmet and goggles. Although kind of a tight fit, I wasn't blind I highly recommend trying ATV riding here. Just remember that the directions in the link don't take you directly there. It takes you the to the parking entrance. There is a $5 parking fee for the day. Ask the park rangers where to go next when you pay for the parking. You will drive down the road after turning right and see a white trailer.

Absolutely amazing adventure! Went on a Mother/daughter outing and had soooo much fun…read more Travis is the best guide. He made the check in easy and the ride was an adrenaline rush and so enjoyable. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND them. Thank you Travis!

Had a great time deep sea fishing on the 7 hour adventure leaving from Santa Cruz on Stagnaro's…read more Came with the scout troop and the staff helped for any snags, and the captain kept putting us on the fish. We all caught our limit, and really enjoyed the day. The staff also were able to clean and fillet our fish on the way back to shore to make it easier on us. Will definitely do it again.

This was an incredible whale-watching experience. First, from the moment Abby (our marine wildlife…read moreexpert) gave us an informative introduction before boarding the Velocity to the end of the trip, the crew of the boat were knowledgeable and clearly happy in what they're doing. We saw three humpback whales, communicating with each other through pec flapping. We saw multiple tail flaps and tail throws, as well. The captain's alerts and instructions on where to look were consistently helpful. He also took us closer to shore to see two great white sharks, one of whom swam alongside the boat for a good 10-15 minutes. It was such a beautiful day on the water, I lost track of time! Other highlights were 100s of porpoising sea lions and multiple sightings of pelicans, terns, gulls, and other birds. Abby was happy to answer questions the whole time. There's something so sublime about seeing wildlife at sea. I've been on multiple whale-watching trips along the West Coast over the years, and this was my favorite, so far.