Outdoors
Refuges, lakes and wild areas near Richmond for wildlife viewing and birdwatching.
Good to know: Early mornings and evenings are best for wildlife; bring binoculars and keep a respectful distance.
Aquatic Park Cove is a vibrantly urban harbor that mimics a natural anchorage and is located on the Pacific shores of one of America's great West Coast cities.
Kirby Cove is located just north of the Golden Gate Bridge at historic Battery Kirby. Visitors are awarded breathtaking views of San Francisco, its famous Golden Gate Bridge, and the rugged Pacific Coast of northern California.
The Bay Model was built in 1957 as a research tool to test the impact of proposed changes to San Francisco Bay and its related waterways.
An area of 3,295 square miles off the northern and central California coast, Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary protects the wildlife and habitats of one of the most diverse and bountiful marine environments in the world.
Haypress Campground is nestled within the coastal scrub of Tennessee Valley, near Mill Valley. The hike to this campground is 1 mile from the Tennessee Valley Trail head parking lot, which means car or RV camping is not allowed.
John Muir’s life was a tapestry of roles—fruit rancher, family man, writer—each interwoven with his deep love for nature.
As San Francisco's only group campground, Rob Hill offers a national park camping experience just minutes from the city.
Walk among old growth coast redwoods, cooling their roots in the fresh water of Redwood Creek and lifting their crowns to reach the sun and fog.
Experience a park so rich it supports 19 distinct ecosystems with over 2,000 plant and animal species.
Entirely offshore, Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary protects soft seafloor habitat, a rocky bank, deep-sea canyons, and diverse wildlife, while acting as a feeding ground for many marine mammals and seabirds.
Point Reyes National Seashore offers four backcountry hike in campgrounds and thirteen boat in campsites along Tomales Bay. Note: For reservation purposes, our campgrounds are organized under the "loop" column of the reservation grid.
From its thunderous ocean breakers crashing against rocky headlands and expansive sand beaches to its open grasslands, brushy hillsides, and forested ridges, Point Reyes offers visitors over 1500 species of plants and animals to discover.
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge is located in a vast cultural and natural landscape.
Nestled between Blue Ridge and Cedar Roughs, east of the Napa Valley, Lake Berryessa offers year-round recreation opportunities.
Lake Solano Park, Solano Project , is located at the base of coastal foothills at the western edge of the Sacramento Valley and offers an array of recreational opportunities.
The Cedar Roughs Wilderness now contains a total of 6,287 acres and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. All of the Wilderness is in the state of California.
Nestled between Blue Ridge and Cedar Roughs east of Napa Valley, Lake Berryessa provides ample public recreation opportunities.
Remember your OUTDOOR ETHICS when enjoying your public lands. Please RECREATE RESPONSIBLY. Explore, learn, and experience the Cosumnes River Preserve with opportunities for guided walks, paddling, hiking, and nature viewing.
With acquisition of the first property in 1994, Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge was officially established as the 505th unit in the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Due to its close proximity to the Sacramento and San Francisco Bay Area regions, and because of its varied terrain, Knoxville's 17,700 acres attract many off-highway vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts each year.
New Hogan Dam and Lake is located in the oak- and brush-covered foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The 4,400 acre lake was created in 1964 with the completion of New Hogan Dam.
Distances are straight-line miles from downtown Richmond. Listings come from Recreation.gov’s federal recreation database; check each official page for hours, fees, fire restrictions and closures before you go.
Aquatic Park Cove, Black Point Overnight Anchoring, Sailing Vessels only (auxiliary engine OK) (National Park Service), about 10 miles southwest of Richmond as the crow flies. Next are Kirby Cove Campground (10 mi) and S F Bay Model Regional Visitor Center (10 mi).
Federal agencies including National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management. Each listing links to its official page for hours, fees, closures and current conditions.