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The drought is taking a bigger bite than ever out of the outdoors this month: [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The drought is taking a bigger bite than ever out of the outdoors this month: [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

You could smell whale breath in the air. It was like a mix of fermented broccoli and rotten anchovies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

You could smell whale breath in the air. It was like a mix of fermented broccoli and rotten anchovies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Hot weather and continued drought this week are having a series of landmark effects on glaciers, rivers and streams across California's high country: [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Hot weather and continued drought this week are having a series of landmark effects on glaciers, rivers and streams across California's high country: [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Every week this summer in California, drought has brought new recreation shutdowns and deviations in nature rarely seen before. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Every week this summer in California, drought has brought new recreation shutdowns and deviations in nature rarely seen before. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

What you'll see: From the Donner Summit Bridge on historic Route 40, the view of the High Sierra is one of the most striking you can find anywhere. Donner Lake is nestled in the canyon below, framed and backed by miles of Sierra granite and pines. It's a moment you will never forget. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

What you'll see: From the Donner Summit Bridge on historic Route 40, the view of the High Sierra is one of the most striking you can find anywhere. Donner Lake is nestled in the canyon below, framed and backed by miles of Sierra granite and pines. It's a moment you will never forget. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the Crystal Basin, high on the flank of the Sierra Nevada west of Tahoe, three gorgeous lakes - Loon, Union Valley and Ice House - are full or close to it as the summer recreation season enters full swing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There's a way to experience a national landmark without the crush of people or line of cars associated with destinations such as the Golden Gate, Yosemite, Tahoe, Monterey or Disneyland. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

One of the world's prettiest campgrounds, the boat-in campground at Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay, will open May 23 in time for Memorial Day weekend. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Now is the time. Northern California is the place. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In most years, the biggest ski, snowboard and snow play weekend of the season is the three-day holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In most years, the biggest ski, snowboard and snow play weekend of the season is the three-day holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Over the weekend, it seemed everybody in Northern California was waiting for two things: the start of the 49ers' game and the "big storm" that was supposed to arrive Saturday. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To break in the New Year, the trek to take in the view from 9,930-foot Cloud's Rest in the backcountry of Yosemite might seem an impossible fantasy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To break in the New Year, the trek to take in the view from 9,930-foot Cloud's Rest in the backcountry of Yosemite might seem an impossible fantasy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The New Year is opening with a full-on drought in the Bay Area and Northern California. There are many drought-busting getaways that are best in a winter when there is little snow and rain. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

What you'll see: Big Sur offers the best of woods and water on California's central coast. Andrew Molera State Park is the biggest state park in the area, yet sometimes gets lost in the shadow of more famous destinations. It provides a great easy walk to a secluded beach, the best walk-in campground in the region, trails with ocean views, a chance to see otters and a great horseback-riding center. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

What you'll see: Big Sur offers the best of woods and water on California's central coast. Andrew Molera State Park is the biggest state park in the area, yet sometimes gets lost in the shadow of more famous destinations. It provides a great easy walk to a secluded beach, the best walk-in campground in the region, trails with ocean views, a chance to see otters and a great horseback-riding center. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

For a mini-vacation adventure, venture into the secret world of caves, caverns, tunnels and chasms. In the process, you can discover one of the fastest ways to get a fresh look at the world. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

School is out and the summer heat is in. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Conditions over the coming Memorial Day weekend could hardly be more disparate - from great to nightmarish - across the state as the recreation season launches for summer. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Tioga Pass, the epic Sierra pass that crowns Yosemite National Park at an elevation of 9,943 feet, is projected to open May 11, to the annual parade of cars led by park rangers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The new state parks director will discover some troubling realities as he tries to bail out a leaky ship. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The best and worst deals in the outdoors can turn your world around, good and bad. There are plenty of examples of both. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

At 2:42 a.m. Tuesday, you wake up for the third time and look at the clock. No, it is not time to get up yet. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

From the shore of pretty Island Lake this week, you could watch as a light, warm breeze sent tiny ripples across cobalt-blue water. A rising trout left an occasional swirl. The only sound was the whisper of a ground squirrel scampering across the forest floor. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

At Sunset campground, you wake on a ridge in deep forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains, within minutes of the most beautiful spot in the greater Bay Area: the Golden Cascades that lead to the brink of Silver Falls and a mile below to Berry Creek Falls. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Memorial Day Weekend is only two weeks away. School will be out for many in less than a month. For lots of people, vacation time is imminent. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

One of California's best destinations for adventures - kayaking, hiking, wildlife watching and fishing - remains off the radar for many from the Bay Area, Sacramento and Los Angeles. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The boating, fishing and camping season at lakes in the Sierra foothills and north state went from the prospects of a colossal dud to what looks like the best game in town. All in a month. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The next six weeks is the best chance of the year to join the Mountain Lion Club. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

From my hiding spot behind a small hill, I watched a pregnant doe, about 70 yards below in a ravine, feast on fresh-sprouted grass. Water streamed off my hat from a steady rain. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

What you'll see: The fastest and the best way for many to get to the snow and then rip down a hill in a saucer or tube is to venture to the Leland Snow Play Area. It is up Highway 108 past Sonora and Pinecrest, 125 miles east of Livermore. You arrive at a 12-acre hill with two lift tows and several groomed lanes for different speeds to sail down in saucers, sleds or tubes. That splits off older, high-speed kids from the little youngsters who ride double or triple with their parents. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Nature won't be off limits because of budget cuts this winter at California's state parks, but visitors might have to climb over a gate to get to it. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

From the edge of the Sierra Buttes lookout station, the sensation can feel like you are walking on air. Many get dizzy. Some are afraid to look down. Most all feel a sense of rapture. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Your first steps to Mount Tallac are flamed by a craving for one of the greatest 360-degree views in North America. They are also singed and tempered by the challenge of a 3,175-foot climb in 5.8 miles to reach the summit. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Bowman Lake could have been about all yours this week. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It's a rare Fourth of July weekend with this kind of symmetry: Full lakes, hot weather and three days off - and space available at the major recreation lakes in Northern California. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Independence Lake will be transformed from the Sierra's gated, off-limits fantasyland to a recreation gem this summer with a new walk-in campground, boat rentals and public access. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

You can do more than survive the start of the vacation season this weekend. Unlike the past few years, whether you stay close to home for day trips or roam far for the holiday, you can still flourish even if you do not have a reservation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Locked gates at Samuel P. Taylor, Portola Redwoods and 68 other state parks on the closure list would probably do little to keep the parks empty of hikers and mountain bikers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

If you're heading out of town for the holidays, here's how to crown your road trip with a great getaway: The top 10 holiday get-outs close to highways in Northern California. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

What you'll see: Here's a trip with some of the best fall payoffs in Northern California: Angora Lakes, located just outside of South Lake Tahoe. On the drive up near Fallen Leaf Lake, you can see spectacular fall colors right now with aspens turning yellow, gold and bronze. Then from Angora Ridge, take in a dazzling view across Fallen Leaf Lake below and beyond to Lake Tahoe. At the end of the road is a trailhead that is the launch point for a walk to pretty Upper Angora Lake. The kicker is that there are few people now at Tahoe, the shoulder season, and it will stay light until the resorts crank up for winter sports. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A cool summer and recent cold nights have allowed the Department of Fish and Game and other agencies to stock rainbow trout nearly a month earlier than in past years at eight Bay Area lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The passion of the hunt will inspire 100,000 deer hunters in the next few weeks, with Saturday's opening of deer season in the northern part of the state the most optimistic in years. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]