Born in 2006, Weekend Sherpa has been quietly providing amazing recommendations for free and cheap outdoor activities throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Each Thursday, Weekend Sherpa sends out their newsletter, recommending a handfull of things to do around the area.

The free service uses an expert team to suggest hidden hiking trails, bike rides, festivals and events, weekend getaways and more.

I’ve always loved getting outdoors and exploring. There wasn’t really a good source of finding quick and reliable information on where to get outdoors for the weekend. So Weekend Sherpa was born: Give people good ideas, tried and true information, and (hopefully) inspiration for getting outdoors on their weekend.

-Brad Day, Founder and Managing Editor of Weekend Sherpa

In addition to the newsletter, Weekend Sherpa has all of their past recommendations archived on WeekendSherpa.com. The archives are navigated by a simple search function, or you to browse activities by kind of activity (Hike, Bike, Water, Relax Overnight, Winter or Other) or region (SF, East Bay, North Bay, Peninsula & South Bay, or Points Beyond).

While the concept of an email newsletter seems a little archaic, the real value of the site is in the amazing content from legitimate outdoors experts. The editorial team is made up of current and former editors and writers for publications like National Geographic Explorer, The San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner, San Francisco Magazine and Lonely Planet.

In a perfect world, here are some features I’d love to see incorporated into the site:

• Personalized recommendations – The service should make suggestions based on my feedback – a la Netflix.
• Social features – Let me share which activities I’ve done with my friends, and post excursions of my own – like diddit.
• Invite my friends – Let me indicate which activities I’m planning to do, and let my friends RSVP – partner with Plancast?
• A mobile application, for easy browsing on the go.

Be sure to sign up for their newsletter, and I’ll see you out on the trails!

Know of other great services like Weekend Sherpa? Leave a comment below, or give me a shout-out on Twitter.