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John Muir National Historic Site
Richard Wong/Alamy

John Muir National Historic Site

John Muir National Historic Site
Explore the East Bay home of the legendary conservationist

After wandering the rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains, conservationist and Sierra Club founder John Muir used to come home to Martinez, 30 miles east of San Francisco and near Walnut Creek. The intrepid explorer, geologist, botanist, and mountaineer sauntered across the Sierra and much of the West with only a knapsack containing his notebook and a packet of tea—a stark contrast to his elegant upper-class mansion complete with a bell tower and tidy orchards.

At the John Muir National Historic Site, you can tour the three-story, 17-room Victorian where Muir resided with his wife and two daughters from 1890 until his death in 1914. The grand Italianate-style house was built by Muir’s father-in-law John Strentzel, a well-regarded horticulturalist and fruit rancher. The ornate structure reflects Strentzel’s taste—and that of his daughter, Muir’s wife Louisa—much more than Muir’s.

At the site, watch the 20-minute film A Glorious Journey, which details Muir’s life and accomplishments, then take the stairs to the upper floor to see his belongings and artefacts in the study, including the writing desk where Muir drafted some of his most important works. Then do as Muir would have done—head outside to explore. Beyond the fruit orchards lies the 1849 Martinez Adobe, a Spanish Colonial structure that was part of this original Mexican land grant. Check out the exhibit in the first-floor rooms that tells the fascinating story of the Spanish Anza Expedition—240 men, women, and children who travelled up the California coast in 1775.

One of Muir’s most famous exploits was his walk from Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico in 1867, immortalized in his posthumously published 1916 book A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf. To celebrate that impressive feat, follow a much shorter trail that Muir walked often: a one-mile tromp to the summit of two peaks, Mount Wanda and Mount Helen, named for Muir’s daughters. The ascent provides an inspiring panorama that includes 3,848-foot Mount Diablo and the rolling hills of Contra Costa County, a view that Muir often shared with his girls. From May to October, park rangers lead guided evening hikes to watch the full moon rise from Mount Wanda’s summit. 

 

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Harriot Manley/ Sunset Publishing

Northern California

Discover the San Francisco Bay Area

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June - Aug
27°
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26°
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23°
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A crimson bridge, cable cars, a sparkling bay, and streets lined with elegant Victorian homes—San Francisco is undeniably one of the world’s great cities. Located along the Northern California at the state’s distinctive bend in the coast, the region has an alluring magic that stretches beyond the bay to diverse cities with nightlife and trend-setting cuisine. 

"I left my heart in San Francisco, High on a hill, it calls to me."  –singer Tony Bennett

The Bay Area is also home to some of the world’s finest wine country, including Napa Valley and Sonoma, plus waterfront towns, dramatic beaches, and the tech-savvy southern end of the bay known as the Silicon Valley, where lunchtime ideas at Google, Facebook, and Apple, turn into the next brilliant innovation. 

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San Francisco's cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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Thomas H. Story/ Sunset Publishing

Golden Gate Bridge

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Spotlight: Berkeley

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See a stunning museum, shop, and feast in the Bay Area’s most outspoken city

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July

Get the Spanish spirit at this colourful event. Stroll the grounds of Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards with a glass of bubbly, and take in a whirl of passionate music, flamenco dancing and food....

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World-class accommodations in world-class locations

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It's simply a very romantic place. Just one look at any of those streets, and you couldn't be anywhere else -- it's so beautiful, and there's that location, and the sense of the free spirit. ... Who couldn't become ravenous in such a place?
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Old-fashioned fun in the Golden State

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Livermore

Ranches, vineyards, and relaxed appeal east of San Francisco

With warm sun and wide open spaces cradling vineyards, ranches, and wine country estates, the Livermore Valley makes an appealing destination just...

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Sausalito

Explore this quaint town that’s just over the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco

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4 AWESOME WINE COUNTRY RESORTS

Luxurious spas, farm-to-table dining, and easy access to dozens of wineries—these Napa and Sonoma resorts offer the indulgent getaway you need

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Half Moon Bay

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