Hiking to Loch Leven Lakes
Backpacking to Lake Aloha in Desolation Wilderness
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 Buck Island Lake in 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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Deafy Glade Trail Update
This is an update to the 2020 summary of the hike from the Deafy Glade Trailhead to Summit Springs due to changing trail conditions that now present a safety hazard to hikers and backpackers.
Hiking and Backpacking Sterling Lake
This summary is going to be a little unusual, as I’m going to combine a hiking and a backpacking summary into one post in that we did both in the same location.
Hiking the Arnold Rim Trail to the “Top of the World”
The Arnold Rim Trail is a hike through a part of the Stanislaus National Forest that leads to a fantastic point dubbed the “The Top of the World” where the view is incredible. From the Sierras, you can see over to the Coastal Range and Mount Diablo nearly 90 miles away on a clear day.
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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 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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Trash in the Snow Mountain Wilderness in the Mendocino National Forest
We went backpacking at Snow Mountain in late March, but this is not a trail summary. It’s more of a gripe similar to what I wrote in 2019 about garbage people left behind near the Fleming Trail System in the Eldorado National Forest.
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Hiking Snow Mountain East Peak
As when I wrote about my hike to the West Peak of Snow Mountain, the same two words apply: “peaceful desolation,” but the scenery has drastically changed since 2018 when I was there last.
A little less than a month after I hiked to the West Peak, the Ranch Fire broke out, and the area was closed for nearly two years for restoration. Then it was opened it up, but then the August Fire broke out in 2020, and the forest closed back down for a few months.
Virginia Lakes Trail
Virginia Lakes in the Eastern Sierra’s is a feast for the eyes but a workout on the lungs. The peak on this trail reaches approximately 11,120 feet give or take, with a starting elevation of 9,846 feet.
River Canyon Trail at Calaveras Big Trees State Park
River Canyon Trail at Calaveras Big Trees State Park is the poorest maintained trail I’ve ever hiked. Parts of the trail should be closed as a safety hazard due to the poor upkeep of it. If the trail were maintained, this could be a really nice hike through the forest down to the North Fork of the Stanislaus River. Instead, I should have worn my heavier off-trail boots for parts of this trail.
I hate to start the hiking season off with a downer summary, but I want to get the word out before anybody might consider going to this state park.
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Hiking to Ralston Peak
