Trips and weekends

One of the best parts of living here is how much is within reach for a weekend: mountains, coast, wine country and some of the finest national parks in the world.

Camping and parks

• Camping here is amazing. If you're into it, order a tent, a mattress and basic gear (chair, headlamp) on Amazon.
• For a full gear list with links, see camping essentials on Amazon.
• If you plan to visit a lot of national parks, buy a yearly pass. The best one is the America the Beautiful annual national park pass. You can get a digital pass from Recreation.gov and keep it in the wallet on your phone. The price went up in 2026. It is tied to your name, so you always need to show your ID at the gate. Travelling as a group, you only need 1 pass per car, but the pass holder has to be in that car when you enter. More info: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm

Weekend escapes

Destination	Distance from North Beach	Drive time	Trip length	Good for
Point Reyes	~40 mi / 65 km	~1.5 hr	Day	Windswept coast, oysters
Napa & Sonoma	~50 mi / 80 km	~1 to 1.5 hr	Day or overnight	Wine country
Santa Cruz	~75 mi / 120 km	~1.5 hr	Day	Beach town, boardwalk
Monterey & Carmel	~120 mi / 195 km	~2 hr	Day or overnight	Aquarium, 17 Mile Drive
Big Sur	~150 mi / 240 km	~3 hr	Overnight	Dramatic coastline
Mendocino	~155 mi / 250 km	~3.5 hr	Overnight	Rugged coast, redwoods
Lake Tahoe	~190 mi / 305 km	~3.5 to 4 hr	Overnight	Skiing, lake
Yosemite	~195 mi / 315 km	~4 hr	Overnight	Granite cliffs, waterfalls
Sequoia National Park	~270 mi / 435 km	~5 hr	Overnight	Giant sequoias

Getting home to Belgium

• Sometimes flights are cheaper if you book through a VPN set to Belgium. You can use my NordVPN referral link for a discount: https://refer-nordvpn.com/jhYvdDebtmR
• Chase Travel has good deals now and then.
• 3 convenient airports if you live in SF: San Jose, SFO and Oakland.