The Bay Area’s glorious fall weather makes this the perfect time to explore earth-friendly activities right in your own backyard. For more green resources in your community, visit www.sustainabilityhub.net, a project of Sustainable San Mateo County.

Farm tours
Daylight Farms: Get in on some secrets for growing Eda’s Big Atlantic Giant for the pumpkin weigh-off in October. Downtown Half Moon Bay. 650.726.4980

Harley Farms, Inc.: Learn to make your own cheese at the only dairy farm left in San Mateo County. Pescadero. 650.879.0480

Coastal nature
Tide pools: Look for hermit crabs, purple shore crabs and starfish at low tide. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve at Moss Beach. Take California Street off Hwy 1. 650.728.3584 Fishing and whale watching: Year-round in Half Moon Bay. See humpback whales, blue whales or pilot whales through October. Fish for salmon, rockfish, albacore and blue fin tuna. Boats leave from Pillar Point Harbor. For a fishing and whale watching directory, visit www.halfmoonbaychamber.org.

Take a hike
San Mateo County has an abundance of walking and hiking trails. Check out www.weeklywalker.com. You can also find recreational and volunteer opportunities to protect and preserve open spaces at the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Web site: www.openspace.org.

Berry picking
Phipps Ranch: Strawberries and olallieberries. Pescadero. 650.879.0787

Swanton Berry Farm (Coastways Ranch): Blackberries,
olallieberries, kiwifruit and pumpkins. Pescadero. 831.469.8804

Bicycle Sundays
On Sundays, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Cañada Road in San Mateo County closes to motor traffic between the Filoli entrance and Highway 92, allowing joggers, bikers and roller skaters to take over the road. (Strollers are welcome, but no ball/frisbee activity allowed). For more information, call the San Mateo County Department of Parks at 650.363.4021.