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Hiking to Glen Campground from Bear Valley

Tents in a campsite under canopy.
Some of the campsites at Glen Campground at Point Reyes National Seashore offer shade under the green forested canopy.

The hike to Glen Campground starts out on the Bear Valley Trail at Point Reyes National Seashore, and I’ve written about the Bear Valley Trail a few times. This portion of the hike is an easy family friendly trail along the Bear Valley Creek under lush cool canopy.

After about 3.2 miles, you’ll come to a junction. Go straight, and you’ll go out to the ocean and to the Coast Trail. Go left, and you’ll start an ascent through lush, humid forest that leads to the Glen Campground. After about .6 miles on a point 6.6 percent grade, a fork appears between the Glen Trail we were on and the Glen Camp Loop Trail. We stayed left and went onto the Glen Camp Loop Trail and then hiked up about .9 more miles on an average of a 2.3 percent grade to the campground.

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Trail Summaries Will Return In The Spring

So, cooler weather is starting to arrive in the arrive in the Sierras, and my hiking summary season has ended, but it will pick back up in March 2026. This doesn’t mean I haven’t hung the boots up yet though. Until the snow drops, I’ll be out there, and some of you will probably see me on the trails during weekends and the holidays. I’m gathering information to post when the weather warms again, and I plan on publishing more trail summaries out of some hopefully spectacular places that you may want to hike when the weather turns favorable.

Until then, I may post here and there on hiking topics, and I will be updating some of the pages such as useful hiking links and hiking tips and safety during this downtime. The site will slow down, but it won’t be stagnant.

Hike on…

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Hiking Rush Creek Trail To Agnew Lake

Silver Lake in the June Lake area.
As you ascend to Agnew Lake, Silver Lake comes into view as you look down on it from the trail.

We wanted to see some fall color last year, and for years we’ve heard about June Lake in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. We guessed the leaves would have peaked at the end of September, but we arrived about a week before the full fall color peaked last year, and we hiked it on September 29. Even though we didn’t see the colors we thought would be there, we were not disappointed. Timing fall color is always chancy, and last year it seemed to come late.

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Hiking to Grinnell Lake in Glacier National Park

Grinnell Glacier high in the mountains with Grinnell Lake below.
Grinnell Lake sits below Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park.

The hike to Grinnell Lake in Glacier National Park is spectacular while at the same time can be spectacularly hard in places when you start climbing.

The hike on the Swiftcurrent Lake Trail starts off just to the south of the Many Glacier Lodge and heads to a trail that is really easy and nearly flat as it meanders around the south eastern side of Swiftcurrent Lake though the forest. The views of the lake, when you can see it from the trail, are amazing with views of Grinnell Point.

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Hiking Three Falls in Glacier National Park

St. Mary Lake with mountains in the background.
Saint Mary Lake from the Piegan Pass Trail in Glacier National Park.

This was our first hike in Glacier National Park, and I’m glad it was our first. We weren’t real impressed with the hike for about the first two miles until we started getting into the forest. Prior to that, we hiked through a burned-out area, and it reminded us of being back home in California where much of the state’s wilderness areas have suffered from wildfires. But we could see beauty in the distance as we looked to where we were headed.

As we hiked along, the view of Saint Mary Lake was quite beautiful with the snowy mountains in the background.

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Hiking to Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park

Hidden Lake sits below mountains in the background and forest in the foreground at Glacier National Park.
Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park is a sight to behold. From the viewpoint, it can be incredibly breathtaking, and we found it difficult to head back.

Overlooking Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park is awe inspiring, and looking out from here is one of the places where you can see why Montana gets the label “Big Sky Country.” No picture can capture this – it has to be experienced to be understood. The best way to describe it is that the sky above you doesn’t seem to stop, and you can seem to see forever over the horizon.

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Hiking Olmstead Loop in the Auburn State Recreation Area

Tall grasses protrude from a pond in the foreground with oak tree covered foothills behind the pond.
One of the ponds at the Auburn State Recreation Area emerges as you hike along the Olmstead Loop Trail from the canopy. This is one of three ponds in the area.

We hiked a portion of the Olmstead Loop Trail in the Auburn State Recreation Area on a warm spring morning when the hills were still green and wildflowers were still in bloom.

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Backpacking to Lake Aloha in Desolation Wilderness

Lake Aloha sits behind pine trees with mountains behind it.
Lake Aloha on the Tahoe Rim Trail/Pacific Crest Trail is a gorgeous site to see with the forest in front of it and the mountains behind it.

The hike from Echo Lake to Lake Aloha is a beautiful Type 2 Fun hike along the Tahoe Rim Trail/Pacific Crest Trail in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. We backpacked into Desolation Wilderness and were there for two nights.

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Backpacking to Dewey Point in Yosemite National Park

The view from Dewey Point with El Capitan to the left.
The view from Dewey Point looks the High Sierras in the distance with El Capitan to the left.

The hike to Dewey Point from the McGurk Meadow Trail in Yosemite National Park is a hike to a fantastic view of El Capitan with Half Dome in the distance and the majestic tops of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in the background. While many people do this hike as a day hike, we decided to backpack in and spend the night at Dewey Point.

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Backpacking to Buck Island Lake in Eldorado National Forest

Buck Island Lake with forest and mountain ridges in the background.
Buck Island Lake is offers crystal blue waters in a picturesque setting in the Eldorado National Forest.

We backpacked out to Buck Island Lake over the summer which is in the El Dorado National Forest near Loon Lake but just short of going into Desolation Wilderness. The lake itself was beautiful where we and other backpackers were. But behold, the other side of the lake where the Jeepers are left the experience something to be desired.

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