My son and his GF are wanting to go to CA or somewhere else in November where they can easily hike without a car. I think they could do San Francisco and have enough to do. How about San Diego? Any other options? (Albuquerque, Phoenix, Denver (too cold?) ???). They will be coming from the East coast, so want a place not to hard to get to. I am guessing it would be 4-7 days. They are looking for day hikes only, not overnights. they are fairly adventurous and not opposed to taking public transportation. I am on vacation myself and don’t have much access so I may not respond until tomorrow, but appreciate any suggestions.
ETA they would like to visit a national park as part of this trip. I know there are trips you can take from SF to Yosemite, but I’m thinking the national park criteria may be a little less realistic.
If they decide to do San Diego there are hikes they could take, but they would need to use Uber/Lyft to get to the places to hike and back to where they are staying. They could hike Torrey Pines, Mission Trails/Cowles Mountain, Potato Chip Rock and Iron Mountain. Is there a reason they don’t want to rent a car?
FYI the rainy season in SF starts in November. They could have nice weather or it could be rainy. What about flying into Las Vegas (caveat - i’m not sure about their November weather) and hiking Red Rock canyon and looking into some transportation to Zion NP?
I just googled… Las Vegas in November sounds really pleasant, not much rain yet, and there are private shuttles that run to Zion NP (I didn’t check cost). At Zion they have a shuttle that runs all over the park (check that it’s still running in November though). Lots of gorgeous hiking there. It will be cold at night but they aren’t getting much precipitation that month.
Zion shuttle stops running sometime in October. The town also runs shuttle in the town, outside the park when the park shuttle runs. You could do totally without a car during the season. There are other wonderful national parks in CA other than Yosemite. Not sure tho if you can get by without a car.
Why can’t they hire a car?
My vote is for Dan Diego in November! 
Getting to Torrey Pines in La Jolla should be quite doable by bus/Uber, I think. Last time we were there, we stayed at the Hilton next to the golf course, and there was a bus that ran on the street in front of the hotel. We walked from the hotel to the hiking trail. But they will need to get to La Jolla from the airport…
San Francisco best in October, often some of the best weather.
If you google alltrails … or fix the link
www.alltrails dot com/us/california/san-francisco
It shows the many trails in SF. There is also the Bay Area Ridge Trail loop that has many miles of off road hikes accessible by bus.
That said, we spent a week in San Diego in January (bowl game) and had a great time hiking and riding the electric scooters. There were some nice hikes accessed with busses, but some were just short hikes . Depends on if they mean HIKE hikes, or walks around nice scenery.
If they come to San Diego and are willing to rent a car for a day, they could hike Joshua Tree National Park or Anza Borrego State Park. There’s also Cabrillo National Monument in the city with a couple of short hikes.
Lots of nice day hikes in the Phoenix area, but really…Phoenix is a driving town. And it’s not CA…
Agree with @Marilyn about San Diego, but really, they will likely spend as much on Uber and Lyft as they would renting a car (I made that mistake in Austin…really renting a car would have been cheaper).
Is there any reason why they can’t rent a car? It would open up so many more options.
If they are traveling from the east coast…in my opinion, four days isn’t enough time. They will be spending two of those days traveling. That would only leave two days in CA.
OP here. Thanks for the suggestions.
They are both under 25, so I suspect renting a car for the entire trip would be expensive. They could rent a car for a day or something like that. It sounds like they are really interested in the SF Bay area, as she has a friend going to grad school she’s hoping to visit. As I learn more I may be back for more suggestions.
San Francisco is a great place to visit and some accessible hiking. The area around Ocean Beach leads to Lands End and the Sutro Heights. They can also walk over the Golden Gate Bridge or take a bus and go to the Marin Headlands where there is great hiking. I remember many years about taking a bus to Stinson Beach and Mount Tam. They can also take BART to Redwood Regional Park in the East Bay. Beyond hikes and walks, it is a great area to visit. As others have said, however, November can be beautiful or rainy. Yosemite may be tough in such a short trip as it is fairly far away, but there are likely buses that go there.
adding to @mom2and 's post, the Presidio, Lands End, Marin Headlands, etc. are all part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. 140 miles of hiking https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/hiking.htm
Just opened in SF: https://sfist.com/2019/06/03/new-17-mile-san-francisco-crosstown-trail-connects-citys-parks-hiking-trails-and-little-known-outdoor-gems/
Also…they could take ferry to Angel Island https://angelisland.com/top-3-hikes-on-angel-island/
All of the above accessible by public transit. Yes, it could be rainy in November…but guessing if they are hikers, they will be equipped. My one suggestion if they do it is to make sure maps are downloaded…connectivity is not always guaranteed in these areas! Enjoy!
Thanks everyone, especially @gosmom, for the suggestions. I am passing them along, but have no idea if or when they will actually decide to go. It sounds like my son, who is now on his “big” vacation for the year, may be a little apprehensive about spending the additional funds. I suspect they will make the trip, but it may not be until next year, once he’s “recovered” from this vacation. For now they may decide to stay closer to home, and then plan a longer trip to CA in the spring.
I believe USAA car rentals have no surcharge for renters under 25, but not positive if it’s they or another company.
Enterprise used to have no surcharge for under 25 if they were students…any chance either of these kids is a student?
Thanks for the car rental info. Neither is a student any longer. They can and may rent a car for a day or so, but having public transportation available is their first choice.
If they are still thinking of going to SF this November, you might want to read this thread…
They should check the status of this runway paving issue!
Thanks @thumper1 - I saw that thread and of course thought of them. My son hasn’t mentioned the trip in a couple of days, so I haven’t either.