Redwood retreats: Best-bet cabins in our favorite parks
onOur favorite cabins when we want to spend the night in the big trees but want something cozier than a tent.
Summer camping in Redwoods National Park
onIt was very much a typical Fourth of July celebration. We played outside, splashed in the water, and shared food across a picnic table. Except instead of raucous crowds, booming fireworks, and sloshing beer, we were occupied with the lyrical …
Post-fire Big Basin offers visitors a “forest of hope”
onNearly five years have passed since the CZU Lightning Complex fires devastated Big Basin Redwoods State Park, but many people are still keeping their distance from the park. “A lot of locals are hesitant to come here,” says Debra Martwick, …
5 wonderful winter hikes in the redwood forest
onSomething magical happens to California’s redwood forests during winter. Clouds insulate the trees from the outside world, making a walk among these giants feel cozy and nostalgic. The rains conjure up the earthy smell of the soil and the brisk …
Redwoods backpacking, the antidote to stress
onSometimes modern life can feel like a daunting list of deadlines, debt, and difficult decisions. But all it takes to unzip from these everyday stresses is to walk deep into a redwood forest to live for a weekend, sustained by …
Yosemite cabins: Getaways to the giant sequoias
onFor those who long to wake up and head out for a hike among towering giant sequoias (and who doesn’t?), Yosemite is an evergreen dream come true. The national park is home to three unique groves of giant sequoias—Mariposa Grove, …
Magical winter backpacking in Mariposa Grove
onCamping among Yosemite’s giant sequoias reveals wonders off the beaten path. Camping in Yosemite in wintertime when everything is wrapped in a blanket of snow can be especially magical.