hiking

Stevens Creek County Park hiking trails

 in Fitness  tagged fitness / fitness gear / hiking / hiking gear / lifestyle / outdoor fitness by
stevens canyon hiking trails stevens creek county park cupertino california
stevens creek county park hiking trails cueprtino
stevens creek county park hiking trails stevens canyon cupertino hiking outfit ideas

Wearing: winter jacket (machine washable and packable! Under $100) / knit hat (old, also love this one) / long sleeve tee / backpack / G buckle belt / light wash skinny jeans / spring nail polish / hiking boots (old, also love this pair) /

How pretty is this view! We hiked at Stevens Creek County Park for the first time last weekend, and it was a real treat! This large park puts you out in the wilderness just steps from Cupertino. There is a large network of hiking trails, some of which allow dogs, if your dog enjoys hiking too. You can also ride your bike on the some of the trails. Please refer to the trail map when you arrive to see which trails allow dogs and/or bikes.

The hiking trails at Stevens Creek County Park start from the multiple picnic areas where you can enjoy a picnic and then catch a trail. We hiked the Stevens Canyon Trail for the majority of the hike, which was just over three miles, and roughly two hours long. We had my daughter’s girl scout troop (they’re teenagers) with us, and her friend’s parents brought two dogs along for the fun. We had a blast!

The main attraction from the Stevens Creek County Park hiking trails is the view. You can see Silicon Valley from the viewpoints along the trails, and of course when you get to the top. These trails are medium difficulty and offer a lot of elevation changes, which is super fun!

Stevens Creek County Park is easy to get to from Cupertino. If you are traveling down N. Foothill Blvd, it turns into Stevens Canyon Road. As soon as you stop seeing homes (civilization), there will be a parking lot on your left. That’s a great place to park and enjoy the park! The ranger’s station is a few yards from the parking lot, hidden down the road. This is where you can find tri-fold maps to take with you on the hike. There is also an ancient communications device at the ranger’s station, aka a pay phone-and it works, we tested it! haha

For more information, please visit the county’s website.

If you’re local, I hope you have a chance to check out Stevens Creek County Park!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

stevens creek county park hiking trails

China Camp State Park camping and beach

 in Fitness / Travel  tagged camping / family / hiking / staycation by
china camp state park beach

China Camp State Park is a Bay Area jewel. It’s a beautiful state park which features camping, hiking, biking, water activities, and a beach on the bay. In addition to outdoor activities, China Camp State Park offers local Bay Area history which isn’t typically taught in schools. Love!

We recently took a weekend camping trip to China Camp State Park, and it was both beautiful and fun. The campsites are flat, and well maintained. There are plenty of hiking trails, biking trails, and fabulous views of the bay. The campsite is a quick drive from the beach, which also features a museum, and several buildings that are original to the historical fishing village.

You can drive, hike, or bike to the beach from the campgrounds. Then, you can relax on the beach with your own picnic, or you can buy snacks from the shop on-site. We drove to the beach from the campgrounds, and we brought our own sandwiches. It was relaxing and fun!

China Camp State Park campgrounds are easily accessible from 101 in San Rafael. I recommend making your campsite reservations six months in advance so you can pick the site you want, and ensure you actually get a site. October was a great month to camp since it wasn’t too hot, and the campground wasn’t crowded.

The campgrounds offer bathrooms and showers. For the showers, make sure you bring quarters as they require payment with quarters. Also, prepare to store your food at night in your car, or the bear box. The racoons are very smart, and not afraid to go after your food. We kept our cooler in the car after dark, and it worked perfectly.

There is a lot of wildlife at China Camp State Park. If you need quiet while you sleep, bring earplugs. There are plenty of coyote sounds, and bird sounds, in the middle of the night.

You can learn more at FriendsOfChinaCamp.org. If camping isn’t your thing, and you are local, you can always day trip to China Camp and enjoy the hiking trails, beach, and museum!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Pismo Beach day 2

 in General Fashion / Travel  tagged hiking / outfits / Pismo Beach / summer 2021 / travel style / vacation outfits by
  • Pismo Beach sign near the pier

wearing: sunglasses / lipstick / earrings / puff sleeve tee (under $50) / cross body bag / bracelets / fall nail polish / linen joggers / espadrille mules /

On our second day in Pismo Beach, we decided to check out Cal Poly and their famous hiking trail known as the Architecture Graveyard. We woke up early, grabbed breakfast, and then by 8:30am, we were in our car heading up to Cal Poly; which my oldest daughter was excited about since it is one of twenty schools she is interested in attending next year. I am pretty sure we cannot visit them all, but I digress. . .

Poly Canyon Trail aka Architecture Graveyard Cal Poly

  • Entrance to Cal Poly Canyon
  • Description of work on trail
  • Architectural artwork
  • Example of bathroom
  • Information placard
  • Building on trail
  • Me on the Cal Poly campus ready to hike

wearing: sunglasses / workout tee / fall nail polish / cardigan / cross body bag / wide leg leggings (old, also love this pair) / hiking boots (old, also love these) /

The Architecture Graveyard is located on the Poly Canyon Trail. This trail begins as a service road, and roughly one mile in, you will find the entrance to the College of Architecture and Environmental Design’s trail.

This trail features work by Architecture and Engineering students which dates back to the 1960s. It’s interesting to see how architecture has changed from mid-century modern to now. One thing we found disappointing was the amount of graffiti and vandalism on many of the projects. It’s sad that people would come in and harm projects students created. Despite the vandalism, we could still picture the original intent of the projects, many of which would translate extremely well into real life. Of course, some are merely artistic.

Hiking on this trail was fantastic with the kids. They were having fun checking out the works, and didn’t notice how much hiking they actually did! Our round trip hike was well over two miles; much more then I get my kids to hike on a regular hiking trail. Love that! I highly recommend checking out this trail if you visit the area.

Downtown San Luis Obispo

  • Asian Chicken Salad at Firestone Grill
  • Inside the mission

After our hike, we were hungry! We headed over to Downtown San Luis Obispo and to Firestone Grill for lunch. This restaurant was recommended by the valet at our hotel, Vespera Resort on Pismo Beach. He steered us in the right direction! They had delicious lunch options which were all generous in size. The side of fries alone could feed a family of five! We were very full after lunch. I highly recommend checking this place out when you are in SLO. It’s delicious and reasonably priced. Love!

With our bellies full, we took a short walk around downtown, and then did a self-guided tour around the mission; which is beautiful. I recommend checking out this important part of California history if you visit SLO.

When we were done touring downtown, we headed back to Pismo Beach, and rested for a short bit in our hotel. Then, we headed downstairs for dinner at the Somerset Grill in our hotel, which was delicious! I enjoyed a salmon dinner with lentils and mushrooms. Yum!

  • Salmon dinner at Somerset Grill, Vespera Resort on Pismo Beach

After dinner, we walked around the beach and pier. We discovered there was a height ruler on the edge of the “P” of the Pismo Beach sign by the pier. We had fun seeing our heights with shoes on. I love how shoes add a couple inches. We all felt so tall! haha

Shop my Pismo Beach day 2 outfit and hiking look online:

Day 2 in Pismo Beach was a great day! We got some exercise, checked out a college, and relaxed by the beach. Love!

Stay tuned for more coverage from Pismo!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

  • Ruler on the edge of the Pismo Sign by the pier. I’m taller with shoes on! Love that!