It has been quite the year. We, for one, can’t wait to pull out a new calendar and start fresh in 2026.
Before we do, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the best things to come out of 2025 at 7x7.
So many features on Northern California hotels and inns topped our list this year, we decided to give them their own place to shine (8 Northern California Hotels + Inns We Loved in 2025). Many of our other most-loved stories celebrated the great outdoors, from the hip new pool club and upscale camping resort The River Electric in Guerneville to the newest California National Monument, Cotoni-Coast.
Read on for more of what most grabbed your attention in 2025. Happy New Year from the 7x7 team!
12 Bucket List Hikes, One For Every Month of 2025
(Courtesy of @outsidelands_sf)
Since we made our first bucket list hiking tour back in 2022, it’s become an annual tradition at 7x7 to plan out the Northern California trails we hope to complete in the new year. From the Bay Area’s tallest climbable peak, Mount Saint Helena, to beloved Golden Gate Park, here are the hikes on our 2025 bucket list. Keep reading. -Shoshi Parks
One of the "best food festivals in the country" returns to SF.
(Erin Ng)
After a five-year break, the La Cocina Street Food Festival was back in October 2025, something of a family reunion for more than 25 La Cocina alumni, including some of the city's most celebrated chefs and business owners. Attending is quite possibly the best opportunity to literally taste the Bay Area's diverse culinary offerings in a single weekend—and we expect it to return in 2026. Keep reading. -Amy Sherman
Fifty years ago, seven wineries put Napa Valley on the map. They'll be celebrating all year.
(Courtesy of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars)
2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris, the blind wine tasting in Paris that pitted a collection of little-known California wines against French icons. When both a California red and a California white took top honors, it knocked the wine industry off its feet and put Napa Valley on the map. Seven Napa Valley wineries were chosen to compete in the Judgment of Paris. To celebrate the golden anniversary, they’re offering special tasting flights, historical tours, culinary events, and more. Keep reading. -Dana Rebmann
This New Pool Club + Camp Hotel in Sonoma Is the Ultimate Summer Getaway
(Bess Friday)
A new pool club and camp resort brought an intoxicating wave of energy to the Russian River Valley this summer. You can feel it pulsing in the obscure early-’90s pop tunes on the stereo system, in the parakeet-green loungers under circus-striped umbrellas, in the redwoods that shiver in the warm West Sonoma wind. There’s a reason they call it The River Electric. Keep reading. -Shoshi Parks
5 Coastal California Wineries with Stunning Ocean Views
(Courtesy of Hearst Ranch Winery)
California's world-class wine regions are a sight for sore eyes—rolling hills with vineyards that change colors with the seasons, charming towns, and both grand and rustic tasting rooms. But there's something extra special about sipping a glass of pinot with the salty sea breeze and a view of the Pacific. Keep reading. -Nicole Findlay
The Bay Area Ridge Trail is iconic. Here's how to hike its most scenic sections.
(Courtesy of @bayarearidgetrail)
Every year since 1989, the Ridge Trail has grown a little longer, and 2025 was no exception. Planned new additions will include some 14 miles in the Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve in Morgan Hill, plus a six-mile segment near the Crystal Springs Reservoir. But with around three-quarters of the Ridge Trail already complete, there’s no need to wait to start exploring. Keep reading. -David Jen
The results are in. These state parks were voted California's best in 2025.
(Elizabeth Fadali)
There are 280 California State Parks stretching across 340 miles of coastline; 970 miles of lakes and riverfronts; 5,200 miles of trails; 3,195 historic buildings; and more than 11,000 archaeological sites. In 2025, the California State Parks Foundation helped narrow down all those options with their first-ever Best of California State Parks Poll, selecting everything from the best for camping and hiking to the best for wildflowers and birdwatching. Keep reading. -Shoshi Parks
New Cotoni-Coast National Monument in Santa Cruz Opens for Hiking + Biking
(Flo Sales)
Eight days before President Obama left the White House, he made Cotoni-Coast Dairies an official national monument. North of Santa Cruz, near Davenport, it’s 5,800 beautiful acres of coastal prairie, oak woodlands, canyons, wetlands, and redwood forest—and it’s now home to a brand-new trail system. Keep reading. -Kristin Conard
Where to Eat the Freshest Dungeness Crab, from Marin to Mendocino
(Courtesy of @tonysseafoodrestaurant)
Winter in Northern California brings so many riches: thirst-quenching rain, snow in the Sierra, whales migrating along the coast, wild mushrooms and, maybe best of all, the start of the local Dungeness crab season. From crab shacks in Marin to upscale dining in Mendocino, here’s where to get the freshest, most delicious Dungeness around. Keep reading. -Shoshi Parks
Escape to Havana at SF's First Permanent Pop-Up Bar, Long Weekend
(Courtesy of Long Weekend Bar)
Future Bars, the city’s prolific bar group, first garnered attention with its modern speakeasy, Bourbon & Branch. Now, 19 years later, they’re flipping the script with the group’s most ambitious undertaking to date. Long Weekend radiates with the rhythms, hues, and rum-spiked drinks of Havana, Cuba. In the summer of 2026, the theme will shift to the next location in a series of rotating, global-inspired pop-ups. Keep reading. -Garrick Ramirez
