What NoCa is, and what it isn't

NoCa is a seasonal almanac for Northern California: what's happening in nature, on the farms, on the coast, and in the mountains right now. It's written by people who live in California and can drive to most of these places in a morning.

What it is

• A monthly almanac: what's worth paying attention to each month.
• A small, deliberate set of destination write-ups, keyed to when they're actually worth going.
• Honest about crowds, peak windows, what's overrated, and what to skip.

What it isn't

• A listicle farm. "Top 25 things to do in Northern California" is already a well-served genre.
• A travel blog trying to sell you anything this month.
• A comprehensive guide. There's too much Northern California to cover everything well. We'd rather do a few places right.

How often things update

Monthly almanac pages get refreshed each year in early March (spring), late May (summer), early September (fall), and late November (winter). Destination pages get updated when something changes: a road closes, a restaurant folds, a trail reroutes.

Get in touch

Tips about a trail, a farmer's market, a seasonal event we missed: drop a note through the contact form (coming soon) or find us on the usual places. Corrections welcomed.