“The world’s big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.”
― John Muir
The San Francisco Bay is no less than 550 square miles of murky blue, sometimes emerald green water, converging with the upper (and in our opinion, better) half of California’s total coastline. That’s a heck of a lot of land to cover. Lucky for us in San Francisco and our bordering landscape, it’s ours to explore on weekends, pre-workday adventures, and impromptu golden hour expeditions. It’s a land that has inspired some of history’s greatest naturalists, intrepid explorers, most forward-thinking and sustainable entrepreneurs, extreme athletes, along with us – the run of the mill locale. It is a craggy, wildflower-ridden land that is beautiful and scary and contagious. You’ll explore it for a day and then ask for a week, a month, a lifetime, and somehow never tire of it. Our wilderness and the lifestyle it affords us to live is something we are fine being romantic about. To celebrate this singularity of place, we’ve gathered your stories, your adventures, your explorations of identity, and are celebrating them here, together.
Welcome to the Big Outdoors Guide. Read. Wander. Get lost. And get out there.
The Guides
Whatever it is that you’re seeking, we just may know a place you can find it. Intense relaxation? We’ve got hot springs. A jaunt down PCH? We know a thing or two about Big Sur. A bayside cabin escape with your significant other? Check, check, and check. Dive into our slew of guides and see what you’re been missing.
Local Dispatches
Local photographers capture Northern California wilderness near and far with insight and understanding only locals can possess. Let their images and narratives guide you into your next outdoor adventure, from the Drake’s Bay to Yosemite and back again.