Hiking the Judge Davis Trail
Hiking Dipsea Trail To Muir Woods National Monument
This hike takes you under lush canopy at Mount Tamalpais State Park, up steep stairs, gives you a fantastic view overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and then you hike among the Redwoods at Muir Woods National Monument. But it’s also difficult for me to get excited about this hike.
Continue reading “Hiking Dipsea Trail To Muir Woods National Monument”
Backpacking to Rancheria Falls in Yosemite National Park
At the right time of the year, backpacking to Rancheria Falls in Yosemite National Park can be beautiful with wildflowers all around, Wapama Falls with its powerful gushing water, and almost the constant views of the blue waters of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.
Continue reading “Backpacking to Rancheria Falls in Yosemite National Park”
Hiking Mountain Trail to Sonoma Mountain Ridge Trail at Jack London State Historic Park
While the jewel hike at Jack London State Historic Park is the Mountain Trail to its highest point, another good hike is the Sonoma Mountain Ridge Hike.
The hike starts off on the Lake Trail to London Lake from the Upper Parking Lot. As you begin, you hike past a picnic area, winery ruins and the distillery and turn and hike past a vineyard. Follow Mountain Trail which is a service road next to the wooded area. We stayed on Mountain Road as we passed an intersection where another trail leads to the London Lake.
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.
Continue reading “Hiking Fern Canyon/James Irvine Trail in Northern California”
Hiking Cronan Ranch: River Trail to West Ridge Trail Loop
Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park is a playground of trails in the foothills. We hiked in the valleys and over high points that showed off the snowcapped Sierra Nevada Mountain range in the distance.
On this hike, we covered portions of several trails on our 11.5 mile hike. We hiked the River Trail to the Gerle Loop Trail; Down and Up Trail to the Cronan Ranch Road; South Fork American River Trail to the West Ridge Trail. We hiked back to the Cronan Ranch Road and the Down & Up Trail to Sky Ridge Trail. We reconnected with the Connector Trail and back to the Gerle Loop Trail. Wow, that’s a lot of trails!
Continue reading “Hiking Cronan Ranch: River Trail to West Ridge Trail Loop”
Hiking to the Painted Dunes at Lassen Volcanic National Park
The views from Cinder Cone over the Painted Dunes at Lassen Volcanic National Park offer an incredibly “artistic” view of the landscape. But if you want to see this incredible view, you will have to work for it.
Continue reading “Hiking to the Painted Dunes at Lassen Volcanic National Park”
Baton Flat to Wilson Valley (Redbud Trail)
This is a continuation of the Redbud Trail summary I wrote about in 2018. The total length of Redbud Trail (one way) is about 7.5 miles to Wilson Valley where it meets the Judge Davis Trail at Cache Creek. To read about the first 2.5 miles of the hike, see my Redbud Trail to Baton Flat summary. We pick up here at Baton Flat.
Continue reading “Baton Flat to Wilson Valley (Redbud Trail)”
Hiking Sky Trail to Sculptured Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore
Sky Trail at Point Reyes National Seashore is an awesome hike, and at the right time of the year when the wildflowers are in bloom, it’s a feast for the eyes. For the most part, the hike is not too difficult and is actually relaxing as you hike under the pine forests next to ferns and greenery.
Continue reading “Hiking Sky Trail to Sculptured Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore”
Hiking Bear Valley to Kelham Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore
Bear Valley Trail is probably the most popular trail at Point Reyes National Seashore, and I’ve hiked it countless times. This family-friendly trail is wide and follows the Bear Valley Creek under lush canopy almost all the way where it intersects with the Coast Trail.
Continue reading “Hiking Bear Valley to Kelham Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore”
Hiking Meiss Meadow to Showers Lake
From the trailhead, the hike to Meiss Meadow follows the Pacific Crest Trail to the Upper Truckee River you’ll have to cross and proceed up to the Showers Lake.
Hiking Lyons Creek Trailhead to Lake Sylvia
Lake Sylvia is a beautiful lake at 8050 feet in the Sierra Nevadas at the base of Pyramid Peak. The lake is small and beautiful, and the water is clear. It’s also idyllic and lined by pine trees on all but the northeast end, where you can look up at Pyramid Peak.
Continue reading “Hiking Lyons Creek Trailhead to Lake Sylvia”
Hiking Polomarin Trailhead to Wildcat Camp (Coast Trail)
Hiking the Coast Trail from the Polomarin trailhead to Wildcamp Camp is like hiking Highway 1. It’s extraordinary with its views of the ocean on one side and forests on the other.
Most take this trail to hike to Alamere Falls, where the trail offshoot is at nearly four miles in. At the time I took this trail, the Alamere Falls cutoff was mostly overgrown and difficult to ascertain. It seemed like it wasn’t being well-maintained. Some say there is a sign there, but I did not see one when I hiked by, but someone made an arrow marker on the ground (not permanent) marking the intersection. Part of the overgrowth was poison oak, but nonetheless that doesn’t deter people from hiking to the falls. But if you go on, there’s more to see. Continue reading “Hiking Polomarin Trailhead to Wildcat Camp (Coast Trail)”
Carson Pass to Fourth of July Peak
Ihave written about hiking to Round Top Lake and Winnemucca Lake in a previous post, but I want to revisit the hike from a different way. If you like summer wildflowers, this is absolutely the hike for you.
Instead of starting out at Woods Lake, on this hike you start from Carson Pass, just a few more miles up on Highway 88.
The wildflower display on the trail to Winnemucca Lake, I’m told, is “world renowned.” I don’t know if that’s true, but I can attest to the beauty along the trail to the lake like I’ve never encountered on in the wild before. There is lupine, Indian Paintbrush, and a host of flowers I don’t know the names of, but are blue, purple, yellow and white. It’s an explosion of color, and in all the times I’ve hiked this trail, I’ve seen not only hikers, but photographers out on the trail too. About 1.5 miles in, you get into the wildflower burst. There is some uphill, but it’s not bad to this point, so it’s more than worth going just for this. If you were to just go to Winnemucca Lake and turn back, the wildflowers alone would make it a five-star day and the lake a bonus. Continue reading “Carson Pass to Fourth of July Peak”