After a trying few weeks, I think we could all use a weekend of peaceful hikes, away from smart phones, social media, and 24-hour news. These hikes have everything — from fresh sea air, to musty redwoods, to soothing trickling waterfalls.

Space out, take in your surroundings, and come back energized for more.

Marin Headlands

Oceans have a way of forcing us to look up and get out of our heads. The Marin Headlands combines that with sweeping views of the Golden Gate and San Francisco beyond, lending your idle thoughts some clarity and perspective.

Muir Woods

There is nothing like Cathedral Grove to pull your mind and body outward and upward. Whether you are deeply religious or not at all, the sheer natural force of Cathedral Grove forces an awakening. And maybe a renewed promise to do better by our sensitive ecologies.

Pillar Point Bluff at James Fitzgerald Marine Reserve

Not the tidepool creeping, but the soaring hills above. You can walk through a Cypress tree grove and sit on a cliffside bench to clear your mind, or keep walking to the hazy views of Monterey Bay.

Waterfall hikes of Marin

There are an oddly large number of small waterfalls hidden in the backcountry of Marin. Here is a great list of many of them, with rankings for difficulty. We loved Dawn Falls Trail and the Waterfall Trail at Indian Valley. Keep your eyes open for mushrooms, lizards, salamanders and snails, and feel the rest of the world melt away.

Lands End

We finish back in San Francisco. If you can’t leave the city, or choose not to, you can’t go wrong with a morning at Lands End. If you’re having trouble leaving the city behind, hike down to the Lands End Labyrinth and zen out to the crashing waves on all sides.