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The Atlas Heart
  • About
  • Destinations
    • Bay Area
    • Central Coast
    • Central Valley
    • Deserts
    • Gold Country
    • Inland Empire
    • Los Angeles
    • North Coast
    • Orange County
    • San Diego
    • Shasta Cascade
    • Sierra Nevada
  • Activities
    • Attractions
    • Beaches
    • Camping
    • Food and Drink
    • Hiking
    • Kayaking
    • National Parks
    • Road Trips
    • Seasonal
  • Gear
    • Beach Gear
    • California Lifestyle
    • Camping Gear
    • Hiking Gear
    • Kayaking Gear
    • Packing
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Winter

People ice skate at Union Square in San Francisco, surrounded by festive holiday decorations, including a large Christmas tree.

18 Cozy Things to Do in San Francisco in Winter

Christmas Lights in LA

20+ Best Christmas Lights in Los Angeles [2026 Holiday Guide]

There is no where in California that lights up quite like LA during the holiday season, so I’ve created a list of the best Christmas lights in Los Angeles to help you ensure you see it all.

Christmas in San Francisco Feature

Christmas in San Francisco: 25 Things To Do [2026 Guide]

If you’re feeling that “most wonderful time of the year” energy, here’s my guide to the best ways to spend Christmas in San Francisco.

A man in a pin-striped shirt and brown vest smiles while standing in front of the red and gold Grand Concourse sign at the Dickens Fair in San Francisco

Dickens Fair in San Francisco: Essential Things to Know [2026]

Explore the Dickens Fair in San Francisco for a magical holiday experience with Victorian-era entertainment and festive food.

Several people stroll through a brightly-lit and cheerfully-decorated city street during Christmas in California.

Christmas in California: 17 BEST Places to Go in 2026

The best places to celebrate Christmas in California!

Where to find snow in california

23 Best Places for Snow in California (Beautiful Winter Getaways)

The best places for snow in California for a magical winter getaway in the Golden State. 

Best Christmas Lights in Orange County

15 BEST Christmas Lights in Orange County [2026 Guide]

California is rich in festive lights during the holiday season, and this list of the best Christmas lights in Orange County will help you find the most magical lights in your area.

Some of the best Christmas lights in San Francisco are on city hall, seen here at night lit up red and green, with knobbly, leafless trees in the foreground.

16 BEST Christmas Lights in San Francisco [2026 Guide]

Spending Christmas time in the Bay Area? Visit the best Christmas light displays in SF to ensure a festive holiday season.

Christmas in Orange County, a collection of holiday-themed decorations in the form of small, 2-dimensional characters riding bicycles, hung along a boardwalk with a Southern California beach in the background.

Christmas in Orange County: 25 BEST Things To Do [2026]

If you’re wondering where to go for Christmas in Orange County, you won’t be disappointed with our list of festivities happening throughout the holiday season.

Christmas in San Diego, a small, decorated Christmas tree sitting on an empty beach at dusk.

Christmas in San Diego: 25 Things To Do [2026 Guide]

Christmas in San Diego is full of festive activities, and this list will help you plan your holiday season with the best of them.

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Weekly recap 10/25-11/1 🎃👻💀🐥🌟🏃‍♀️🏋️‍♀️🐱🛒 Costumes Weekly recap 10/25-11/1 🎃👻💀🐥🌟🏃‍♀️🏋️‍♀️🐱🛒

Costumes galore for Julian’s first Halloween, Monday game night with friends, having a few friends over for Halloween night to help pass out candy, loving how many kids we get in our neighborhood (and how cute the costumes were this year!), embracing k-pop demon hunters, deep cuts Halloween party where we dressed as 90s Supermarket Sweep contestants, and completing 8/8 Hell Week classes at Orange Theory.
October so far 🍃🍁🎃👶👻💀🪔🎆🍕📚 Pumpkin patch, Suneel’s October so far 🍃🍁🎃👶👻💀🪔🎆🍕📚

Pumpkin patch, Suneel’s bday, magic show in SF, book club, Diwali, food crawl, my dad visiting, and lots of little moments with Julian.
➡️Share this with someone you want to do a nationa ➡️Share this with someone you want to do a national parks trip with this year! 

Here’s the perfect way to spend 48 hours between the two parks:

🌲 Day 1: Sequoia
Lunch at Totem Café → Crystal Cave tour (make reservations) → photo stops at Buttress Tree & Tunnel Log → Crescent Meadow hike (1.3 mi) → sunset at Moro Rock → dinner at The Peaks Restaurant → stargazing with the Sequoia Parks Conservancy.

🏞️ Day 2: Kings Canyon
Start at General Grant Tree → drive the Scenic Byway with stops at Boyden Cavern (make reservations), Grizzly Falls, Roaring River Falls & Zumwalt Meadow (1.5 mi) → pull over at the scenic turnouts for epic canyon views. If you have more time, you can head to Hume Lake for a couple of hours or do the Big Stump Loop. 

🌲 Day 3: Sequoia
Photo at the park sign & Tunnel Rock → General Sherman Tree → Congress Trail loop (3 mi) through some of the most impressive sequoias in the park.

✨ 3 Things I Did But Would Skip Next Time
 I tried these but left them out of the itinerary for a reason:

 🚫 Hume Lake as a quick stop – Beautiful, but the road is slow and winding down. If you’re not planning to spend at least a couple of hours here, it’s not worth the detour. Also, check when the day use area closes. 

 🚫 Sequoia Coffee & Kitchen – The wait is too long on weekends. We got there 30 minutes after they opened, and it still took 20 minutes just to get an iced latte, and the coffee was just okay. Better to head straight into the park early.

 🚫 The Gateway Restaurant – I found this stop from an Instagram reel, and I kind of wish I hadn’t. One of those influenced places that isn’t worth the hype. Great views, but disappointing food, service, and cleanliness. I’d recommend grabbing food from somewhere further away from the park entrance instead. 

🔎 California national park travel, Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, National Park Itinerary, Giant Sequoias, Big Trees
#sequoianationalpark #kingscanyonnationalpark #findyourpark #optoutside #nationalparkservice
So… apparently walking through trees is kind of a So… apparently walking through trees is kind of a thing in Sequoia & Kings Canyon. 👀

🔎California national park travel, Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, US National Parks, Giant Sequoias, Big Trees, funny national park videos, national park humor. 
#sequoianationalpark #kingscanyonnationalpark #findyourpark #optoutside #nationalparkservice
My Camera Roll After a Weekend in Sequoia & Kings My Camera Roll After a Weekend in Sequoia & Kings Canyon 📸

48 hours exploring two of California’s most iconic national parks. We saw towering trees, unique caves, and some of the best views in the Sierra Nevada. 

📍 Day 1 – Sequoia National Park
 Lunch at Totem Market
 Crystal Cave
 Buttress Tree & Tunnel Log
 Crescent Meadow
 Moro Rock at sunset
 Dinner at Peaks Restaurant
 Stargazing Tour

📍 Day 2 – Kings Canyon National Park
 General Grant Tree Trail
 Boyden Cavern
 Zumwalt Meadow
 Grizzly Falls & Roaring River Falls
 Scenic stops along the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway
 Hume Lake

📍 Day 3 – Sequoia National Park
 Sequoia NP Sign
 Tunnel Rock
 General Sherman Tree
 Congress Trail

✨Follow @theatlasheart for more California travel itineraries and tips

🔎California national park travel, Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, National Park Itinerary, Giant Sequoias, Big Trees
#sequoianationalpark #kingscanyonnationalpark #findyourpark #optoutside #nationalparkservice
➡️ Share this with someone you want to go on a Men ➡️ Share this with someone you want to go on a Mendocino getaway with! ✨ 

Here are my top 3 bucket list activities to make a trip to Mendocino unforgettable👇

1. Explore the Redwoods 🌲
Options include Hendy Woods SP, Montgomery Woods SNR, Jackson State Forest, Russian Gulch SP (waterfall hike!), and Navarro River Redwoods SP. 

2. Kayak Mendocino Tour 🛶
Paddle through sea caves, blowholes, and kelp forests. It’s adventurous but still beginner-friendly and gives you a whole new perspective of the coastline.

3. Skunk Train to Glen Blair Bar 🚂
Enjoy a drink at a forest bar in the middle of the redwoods, complete with fire pits, s’mores, string lights, and live music. The drinks were surprisingly affordable; I’d just recommend getting beer or wine. The cocktails weren’t great. 

Things I’d skip:
❌Glass Beach - beautiful beach with some tidepools, but the glass is mostly gone + it’s super crowded.
❌Railbikes - unique, but overpriced for what it is.

More of my favorite things to do in Mendocino:
 🌊 Walk the Mendocino Headlands
 🌸 Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
 💡Point Cabrillo Light Station
 🍷 Wine tasting (love Lula Cellars!)
 🏡 Kelley House Museum
 🛍️ Boutiques in downtown Mendocino
 🐟 Fresh seafood at Noyo Harbor (HarborView Restaurant at Noyo Harbor Inn for a sit-down, or Sea Pal Cove for casual fish + chips)
 🏖️ Jug Handle Beach

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