5 Best Sights in The Bay Area, California

California's oldest state park is the best place to see old-growth redwoods without going north of San Francisco, and it's far less crowded than Muir Woods. The parkland ranges from sea level up to 2,000 feet in elevation, which means the landscape changes often, from dark redwood groves to oak pastures that are deep green in winter and bleached nearly white in summer. The countless waterfalls are the most visible during the winter and spring rains. To get a feel for the redwoods, take the Redwood Loop Trail, an easy half-mile path, great for kids, that takes in some of the tallest trees here, including the Mother of the Forest and the Father of the Forest. Pick up the trail from the parking lot across from the visitor center, inland at park headquarters in Boulder Creek. A brochure you can pick up here points out significant trees along the way.

If you have a little more time, consider taking the Sequoia and Skyline to the Sea trails for a 4-mile loop that takes you past a pioneer family cabin to a platform overlooking Sempervirens Falls, up the slope of Slippery Rock, and then along stretches of Opal Creek (where you meet up with Skyline to the Sea).

Hikers looking for a challenge might consider the strenuous but scenic 9.5-mile trek from Rancho del Oso valley (accessed on the western portion of the park, east of Highway 1) uphill to Chalk Mountain, which meanders along a ridge with sweeping views of the park and coast before steeply descending by way of the Whitehouse Ridge Trail. Look for the Clark Connection, up Canyon Road, as your starting point.

A short walk from the highway on the Marsh Trail leads to the Rancho Del Oso Nature Center (www.ranchodeloso.org). Open on weekends from noon to 4, the center has natural-history exhibits and is the starting point for several self-guided nature walks.

At 923 feet tall, craggy Hawk Hill is the best place on the West Coast to watch the migration of eagles, hawks, and falcons as they fly south for winter. The main migration period is from September through October, and the modest Hawk Hill viewing deck is about 2 miles up Conzelman Road from U.S. 101; look for a Hawk Hill sign and parking right before the road becomes one way. In September and October, on rain- and fog-free weekends, docents from the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory give free lectures on Hawk Hill; call ahead of time for details.

Runners, joggers, and power walkers charge along the 3.4-mile path that encircles this 155-acre heart-shaped natural saltwater lake. Crew teams glide across the water and boatmen guide snuggling couples in authentic Venetian gondolas (fares start at $60 per couple for 30 mins; 510/663–6603, gondolaservizio.com), while yogis, jugglers, and picnickers look on from the shore. Lakeside Park, which surrounds the north side of Lake Merritt, has several outdoor attractions, including the small children's park, Children's Fairyland (699 Bellevue Ave.), and the Lake Merritt Wildlife Sanctuary, a water and air fowl haven that was also North America's first wildlife refuge. Don't miss the nearby Grand Lake neighborhood, centering on the parallel strips of Lakeshore Avenue and Grand Avenue, for good browsing and even better eating.

With its laid-back restaurants (including Half Moon Bay Brewing Company) and waters full of fishing boats and sea lions, the harbor is a nice place to wander, and you can pick up shoreline trails at nearby Pillar Point.

The original Point Montara fog signal station was established in 1875. The lighthouse, which originally stood on Cape Cod from 1881 to 1922, was added in 1928, and it still has its original lightkeeper's quarters from the late 1800s; it's the only known lighthouse to have served on both coasts. Gray whales pass this point during their migration from November through April, so bring your binoculars. Visiting hours (9 am to sunset) coincide with morning and afternoon check-in and checkout times at the adjoining youth hostel. Parking is free, but a one-hour time limit is enforced.