Hiking Trojan Point to McKennan Gulch Trail via the Coast Trail at Mount Tamalpais State Park
Hiking High Peaks Trail at Pinnacles National Park
The High Peaks Trail at Pinnacles National Park is fun but is also physically exerting in places. There is also the possibility you will see California Condors perched or in flight.
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Hiking Moses Spring Trail to Bear Gulch Reservoir at Pinnacles National Park
The hike to Bear Gulch Reservoir at Pinnacles National Park starts off on the High Peaks Trail as you hike under oak trees and ascend to the Moses Spring Trail junction.
As the trail ascends, you start to hike amongst rock formations that take you to the caves on the Moses Spring Trail. If you are not comfortable with caves, there is a bypass trail that will also take you to Bear Gulch Reservoir on up past the Moses Spring Trail junction that leads to the Rim Trail, but the caves are worth exploring. Continue reading “Hiking Moses Spring Trail to Bear Gulch Reservoir at Pinnacles National Park”
Hiking Meadow Trail to Mt. Wittenberg Trail at Point Reyes National Seashore
Meadow Trail at Point Reyes National Seashore up to Sky Trail is a tough climb, but sometimes the rewards are great if you like wildlife. Both times I hiked the trail I was treated to seeing Black Tail Deer once in a meadow and once running in the forest.
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Hiking Cougar Rock Camp to Carter Falls at Mount Rainier National Park
The hike to Carter Falls is a climb for sure, but it offers a nice view of the falls, and then on up a little further, there’s Madcap Falls is just ahead.
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Hiking Carbon River Trail to Ranger Falls in Mount Rainier National Park
Hiking the Carbon River Trail in the northwest corner of Mount Rainier is pretty easy-going. You will hike next to old-growth Douglas-fir trees while hiking through a densely green rainforest.
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Hiking Humbug Mountain Trail on the Oregon Coast
We were pleasantly surprised by this trail on the Oregon Coast. When looking for trails to hike with some distance to them on the Oregon Coast, there weren’t too many choices showing, but this turned out to be a jewel of a hike.
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Hiking Boy Scout Trail in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
Boy Scout Trail in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is a beautiful hike amongst the ferns and redwood trees. The trail leads to a massive redwood tree, called “Boy Scout Tree” and then a waterfall.
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Hiking Fern Canyon/James Irvine Trail in Northern California
Fern Canyon on the Northern California Coast is a very green must do hike. The 50-foot high walls are covered with ferns that include lady fern, wood fern, five-finger fern, deer fern, leather leaf fern, and sword fern, and their lineage can be traced back 325 million years. Fern Canyon is beautiful, and as well as the James Irvin Trail.
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Hiking Crags Trail to Castle Dome at Castle Crags State Park
Iwon’t sugar coat this. The hike to Castle Dome at Castle Crags State Park is not easy… especially on a hot day.
The hike starts off easy enough on the wide Root Creek Trail under forested canopy, but then you come to a junction about .3 miles in where you make a left turn, and then the climbing begins. Roughly after 500 feet, you will intersect with and cross over the Pacific Crest Trail.
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Hiking Creamery Meadow, Bluffs, Panorama and Ridge Trail at Andrew Molera State Park
Andrew Molera State Park at Big Sur offers beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean and the nearby mountains. While the hike to see some of the views is challenging in places, it is worth it.
Hiking Silver Lake to Spanish Peak in the Bucks Lake Wilderness
In 2021, the Dixie Fire burned much of the area, so the landscape may be different now than when we were there about a month or so before the fire occurred.
Hiking to Spanish Peak from Silver Lake in the Plumas National Forest is not easy, but the views are a spectacular payoff. The terrain is diverse. You start off in the forested area at Silver Lake, then you hike exposed over granite as you climb, and then you hike through forested areas again.
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Hike to “Top Secret Swimming Hole” at Moore Creek Park
The hike to “Top Secret Swimming Hole” in Moore Creek Park is a beautiful foothill and forest hike. Most of the hike is under canopy, which provides good shade on warm or hot days, but parts of the hike can also challenge you.
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