Category: Spring Hiking

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Hiking Crags Trail to Castle Dome at Castle Crags State Park

A pair of crags tower over the end of the Crags Trail at Castle Crags State Park.
A pair of crags tower over the end of the Crags Trail 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

The view from Panoramic Trail looking over the Pacific Ocean from above the marine layer.
The view from Panoramic Trail looking over the Pacific Ocean from above the marine layer.

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.

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Hiking Silver Lake to Spanish Peak in the Bucks Lake Wilderness

The view from the top of Spanish Peak is vast and sweeping with Mt. Lassen vaguely visible in the distance.
The view from the top of Spanish Peak is vast and sweeping with Mt. Lassen vaguely visible in the distance.

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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Hiking the Historic Orchard at Jack London State Historic Park

The Historic Orchard at Jack London State Historic Park once produced apples, apricots, pears, plums, and prunes.
The Historic Orchard at Jack London State Historic Park once produced apples, apricots, pears, plums, and prunes.

The hike to the Historic Orchard at Jack London State Historic Park is mild. The one-time 100 acre orchard once produced apples, apricots, pears, plums, and prunes. The orchard is a casual hike, but getting there is a hike up and down hills and through forests.

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Hiking Sunset Trail, Mount Livermore and North Ridge Trail on Angel Island

The views from the top of Angel Island offer a 360 degree view of the San Francisco Bay.
The views from the top of Angel Island offer a 360 degree view of the San Francisco Bay.

The views from the top of Mount Livermore on Angel Island State Park of the San Francisco Bay are incredible on a clear day. You can see the San Francisco Skyline, the East Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge and the hills of Marin County and much more.

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Hiking Vasquez Rocks Natural Park Area

The iconic Vasquez Rocks, made famous by Star Trek and other films and television are a fantastic place to hike.
The iconic Vasquez Rocks, made famous by Star Trek and other films and television are a fantastic place to hike.

See and stand where Captains Kirk and Picard once stood. If you’re a Star Trek fan, you’ll recognize the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park where several episodes and movies from the franchise have been filmed over the decades. But it’s also a really neat hiking place. Continue reading “Hiking Vasquez Rocks Natural Park Area”

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Hiking Cronan Ranch: River Trail to West Ridge Trail Loop

On a clear day, from Sky Ridge Trail at Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park, you see the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range as you look east.
On a clear day, from Sky Ridge Trail at Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park, you see the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range as you look east.

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!

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Hiking the Burma Blast at Mount Diablo State Park

The views from Mount Diablo are far and sweeping.
The views from Mount Diablo are far and sweeping.

This hike up Burma Road, the Burma Blast, at Mount Diablo State Park is a son of a b*tch. So a friend really wanted to this hike because it was labeled the “the toughest hike in the Bay Area.” I don’t know if it’s the toughest, but it was a challenge. And the views over the Bay Area, to the north, east and south were worth it.

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Hiking Mountain Trail to Cowan Meadow Trail

The view from the high point on Mountain Trail at Jack London State Historic Park is spectacular.
The view from the high point on Mountain Trail at Jack London State Historic Park is spectacular.

Jack London State Historic Park is becoming one of my favorite places to hike. It has redwoods, oak forests, foothills, ridges and very scenic views. The hike up Mountain Trail to High Point is worth the effort and is spectacular.

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 London Lake.

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Hiking Snow Mountain East Peak

The view from Snow Mountain East Peak into the Sacramento Valley.
The view from Snow Mountain East Peak into the Sacramento Valley.

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.

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