The Top 10 Active NorCal Stories of 2024
This was a year of celebration and hard work at Active NorCal, highlighted by the relaunch of the Active NorCal Magazine in January. The response to our print magazine has been tremendous as we look to grow our reach to our thousands of subscribers in 2025.
We also relaunched the Talking NorCal Podcast this year, bringing back the popular video podcast where we discuss the top news of the week, interview the top people in the outdoor industry in Northern California, and do our highly anticipated movie reviews.
With all of these developments, we haven’t forgotten about our digital news coverage, which reaches tens of millions of people each month. Our website traffic is stronger than ever, and our popular social media pages continued to grow at an astounding rate, reaching 300,000 dedicated followers.
The most popular news of the year centered around the Northern Lights, which were seen in Northern California on multiple dates in 2024. Three Northern Lights stories made our top 10 reads this year, so we only included one in our “official” top 10.
So, without further ado, here are the top Active NorCal digital articles of 2024:
10. Mountain Lion Stalks Hikers on Trail in Northern California
A Northern California hiker and his mother faced a harrowing moment recently when they were stalked by a mountain lion on a trail in the Mayacamas Mountains in Sonoma County.
The hiker, known on Instagram as Wild Wild Rocks, shared a chilling account of the encounter that quickly escalated into a potential life-or-death situation.
9. WATCH: Bear Collides with Snowboarder at Tahoe’s Heavenly Resort
Bears at Heavenly Resort, located in California and Nevada, are not an unusual sight. However, a rare and dramatic incident occurred on December 8, 2024, when a bear collided with a snowboarder on the slopes.
Ekalak Lakshana captured the entire encounter on camera and shared the footage on Instagram and TikTok.
8. An Unauthorized Hippie Gathering is Expected to Reach 10,000 People in Northern California this Week (June 2024)
An unauthorized noncommercial group event, known as the Rainbow Family Gathering, is taking place in the Plumas National Forest, approximately five miles north of the Antelope Lake Recreation Area. This annual gathering, which typically draws massive crowds, is expected to peak around the Fourth of July, with participants already arriving in the area.
7. Burney Falls is Closing for Much of the 2024 Season (February 2024)
Burney Falls will be temporarily closed to the public starting April 2024, lasting through the summer season.
California State Parks has announced the closure of McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park’s famed waterfall, a stunning 129-foot waterfall nestled in eastern Shasta County, for the spring and summer months due to essential trail reconstruction efforts.
6. Old Farmer’s Almanac Makes its Fall Weather Predictions for Northern California (August 2024)
As Northern California continues to endure the relentless summer heat this August, many are eagerly awaiting the arrival of cooler weather. However, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the fall of 2024 may not bring the immediate relief some are hoping for.
5. Increased Mountain Lion Activity Forces New Protocols in Northern California County
El Dorado County has experienced a significant increase in mountain lion sightings, prompting local law enforcement to establish an official mountain lion sighting and reporting protocol.
In March, the community of Georgetown was thrust into the spotlight after a mountain lion killed a man and severely injured his brother, marking the first fatal human-mountain lion encounter in California in 20 years.
Following this tragic incident, sightings continued to be reported by residents, leading the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office to develop a formal protocol. The sheriff’s office collaborated with The Outdoor View and the County Agricultural Department to create these guidelines.
4. Baby Seals Were Being Beheaded on Northern California Beaches. We Now Know the Culprit.
Researchers have uncovered the unsettling mystery behind a series of headless seals discovered on the beaches of MacKerricher State Park near Fort Bragg. The gruesome scenes date back to 2015, with dozens of decapitated seals found each year, sparking investigations into the unknown predator responsible.
Ph.D. student Frankie Gerraty from the University of California, Santa Cruz, decided to tackle this baffling phenomenon. Setting up motion-sensor cameras along the California coastline, he hoped to catch the culprit in action.
3. Get Ready! NOAA Forecasts Rare Northern Lights Show in Northern California this Week. (October 2024)
A rare chance to witness the northern lights could come to Northern California tonight and Friday, following a major solar flare observed earlier this week.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center has issued geomagnetic storm watches after the second-largest solar flare of the current cycle erupted on Tuesday.
2. Is California’s Super Volcano About to Erupt? New Study Reveals the Probability.
California’s Long Valley Caldera, one of the state’s most monitored volcanoes, has been the subject of continuous study due to its significant geological changes and seismic activities.
Located near Mammoth Lakes in Mono County, the Long Valley Caldera was formed about 760,000 years ago by a massive eruption that expelled 140 cubic miles of magma. This historic event left a lasting imprint on the area, with the caldera now under close scrutiny by geologists and seismologists.
1. Highly-Anticipated Film Starring Leonardo DiCaprio to Begin Filming in Northern California
Excitement is building in Northern California as one of Hollywood’s most accomplished director/actor duos is set to bring cinematic magic to the region.
Paul Thomas Anderson, known for his acclaimed works like “Boogie Nights” and “There Will Be Blood,” is gearing up for a new movie production in Eureka, California. He will be joined by Academy Award winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio to star in the film.
