Redwood Regional Park

You're only a short drive from Oakland's urban core, but Redwood Regional Park feels like you've traveled into another world entirely. A stately forest of 150-foot coast redwoods spreads across the hillside, the kind of towering trees that make you feel small just looking up at them. The park's peaceful groves give almost no hint of what happened here in the 1800s, when the whole area was logged extensively to build up the Bay Area. Those trees are long gone, but what's grown back in their place is genuinely impressive. The park is massive and worth exploring on multiple visits because there's so much to do depending on what you're after. You can hike through the redwood groves, bike the trails, horseback ride if you're into that, or just show up with a picnic and hang out under the canopy. The main entrance off Redwood Road is the most straightforward way in, but there are a bunch of different staging areas scattered throughout if you want to access different parts of the park. Just know that your phone probably won't work out here, so come prepared with directions or a downloaded map. There's something almost meditative about walking under these massive trees after spending time in the city. The forest has a quiet, settled feeling that comes from being allowed to just grow for over a century. It's the kind of place where you lose track of time pretty easily, which is exactly the point.