California Pictures (52 pictures)
Big Basin State Park: Skyline to the Sea trail
Directions:
Highway 1 to Waddell Beach (North of Santa Cruz).
Park in the Waddell Beach parking lot. The
trailhead is across the street, down the paved
road, and at the end of the over-night hikers
parking lot.
Free.
[This is the back way to get to Big Basin. To
get to the park head quarters and the start for
most of the trails, take Hwy 17 to Rte 9 to 236.
There is a $6 vehicle day use for parking in the
park.]
Trails:
There are _many_ trails in Big Basin. I did a big
loop hike of Skyline to the Sea trail to Sunset
trail to dirt road to Westridge trail. It was a 9
hour hike. The portion of the Skyline to the Sea
trail that I did (the trail goes further into the
park) was mostly an old dirt road. Where the road
ended and it became a real trail was nice and I
took the branch that went past two small waterfalls
and up to the Sunset trail to its end. I then
hiked 4.5 miles of dirt fire roads (in the sun) to
Chalk mountain and the Westridge trail. The
Westridge trail was a nasty equestrian trail that
was not designed for hikers. It goes steeply up
and down along the ridge for 4 miles before a steep
decent for a mile back down to the Skyline to the
Sea trail (and from there about 2 miles back to the
beach.
Area:
The beautiful redwood forest (though you are not in
the redwoods on the fire roads or Westridge trail).
The falls are pretty.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Thursday, July 16, 1999
Recommendation:
I don't recommend doing the hike I did. Go to the
park headquarters (and pay $6 for parking) and get
a trail map and do some hikes in the interior of the
park - there are some true redwood trails. You can
reach the falls from interior hikes.
Big Basin State Park interior loop
Directions:
Hwy 17 to Route 9 to Route 236. Big Basin is midway
through Route 236 (either direction).
$5 per day.
Trails:
There a lots of trails in the park. For this hike, I
stringed together a few trails to make a 5 mile loop.
I started heading north from the park headquarters
along the trail that parallels that creek. It's a
nice section along here through the redwoods. I went
from 1.5 miles to the junction for the Sequoia Trail
(labeled junction) and took the hard right and started
heading up and up (the only climb on this hike) for .9
miles to the road (Rt 236). After crossing the road,
the trail continues down on slate rock for .2 miles to
a T-junction (and then it's back to a dirt trail).
You can take a short left to visit the uneventful
Sempervirens Falls. The Sequoia Trail continues to
the right and soon goes through the Watashi Campground.
From the T-junction, it's 1.7 miles back to the park
headquarters (the trees aren't that impressive along
this section and you get a lot of road and people
noise from the campground).
Trail Length:
This hike - 5 mile loop
Area:
Massive trees in the mountains.
When I did the hike:
Sunday, August 6, 2006
Recommendation:
Big Basin is a really nice park near the San Francisco
area. This first half of this loop was nice, but the
walk through the camping area wasn't. Get a trail map
and make your own hike. I'd stick to the west side of
the park.
Muir Woods National Monument
Directions:
Hwy 1 to Panoramic Hwy (about 9 miles west of Hwy 101)
and follow the signs for Muir Woods (about 4 miles from
Hwy 1). Bathrooms and water (and cafe and park store).
$3 per person or National Parks Pass
Trails:
After all my many visits to northern California (and
even having spent the first 7 years of my life in San
Jose), I made my first visit to Muir Woods. What a
disappointment. I'm sure it didn't help that I had
just spent a day and a half in the luscious northern
redwoods, but the groves in this park just seemed so
much thinner (as in number of trees) and not as
massive as the redwoods I'm used to seeing. Muir
Woods is actually a small sized park, but does have
some longer hiking trails that branches off from the
main trails and heads into the massive Mt. Tamplais
State Park. The floor trails along the creek are
paved and wheelchair accessible - a little over 1.5
miles worth. For my visit, I took the main trail
(heading left over the 1st bridge) and then the
branch for the Hillside Trail after about .4 miles.
The Hillside Trail is a dirt trail that goes up and
then along the hill for about .5 miles with the creek
(and main trail) visible below - it is also well used.
At the end of the Hillside Trail, you have your
choice of heading left along the Ben Johnson Trail
(dirt) or right down to the main trail for a loop
back to the start. I headed left for about 30
minutes (and got away from most of the people) before
turning around [time constraints]. The trail went up
at a reasonable grade (not gentle, not hard) and was
still going up when I turned around - note that it
was not a loop trail back to the park (unless you
want to do a really long hike). [The dirt trail is
part of the redwoods, but again, it is thin redwoods
and not through groves]. If you want to do a longer
hike (using the trails into Mt. Tamplais SP) look at
the trail maps posted at the entrance area [the free
brochure on the park does not show the full routes of
the dirt trails that go outside of the park].
Area:
The redwoods near San Francisco
When I did the hike:
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Recommendation:
It's hard not to recommend the redwoods, but I'd only
suggest this park if you didn't have time to go a
little further south to Big Basin or a lot further
north to Richardson Grove State Park (even though
their trail system is disappointing, the grove is
massive and impressive) or even further north to
Humboldt and/or 3 the parts to Redwood National Park.
Because Muir Woods is so close to San Francisco, it
tends to be crowded - you definitely won't have the
park to yourself, even if you go further than the
main trails. If you've never been to the redwoods
before and this is the only opportunity you have to
visit them, then it would be worth a visit. But if
you have been to other redwood parks, this might be
a disappointment (says someone who absolutely loves
the redwoods).
Hawk Hill and Point Bonita
Directions:
Hwy 1/Hwy 101 just to the north of the Golden Gate
Bridge. Take the first exit/last exit before the
bridge (Sausalito/Marin) and go west along the bay.
The road becomes one-way heading west after Hawk
Hill.
Free.
Trails:
There are no true trails here, just a lot of places to
roam around.
Area:
Some good views of Golden Gate Bridge and the ocean.
Hawk Hill is a nice place to roam around, as is Point
Bonita. Both have some old WWI and WWII batteries and
you can see the lighthouse at Point Bonita.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Friday, July 17, 1999 and Thursday, July 23, 1999
Recommendation:
If you have an extra 30 minutes to an hour, do this
(if the fog isn't too heavy). It's much better than
your usual stop at either end of the Golden Gate
Bridge. There's not much for a hike, though.
Pioneer Tree - Samuel P. Taylor State Park
Directions:
Hwy 1 to Olema, head inland on Sir Francis Drake
Boulevard for about 6 miles to Samuel P. Taylor State
Park. Take a right for the park entrance and park
near the far end of the picnic ground.
Flush toilets.
$6 state park fee.
Trails:
Walk the road across the bridge and turn left and you
head by the Redwood Grove Group Picnic area. Just
past the road barrier, the trail starts to the right
and heads up along side the creek (the branch a short
ways to the right heads to the campground area). The
trail meanders through 2nd growth redwoods, firs, and
ferns and eventually reaches the Pioneer Tree - one
of the few old growth trees in the park. The trail
then descends and intersects with a gravel road/bike
path (used to be a coastal railroad). Take a left
and walk the road back to the trailhead. No hard
climbs for the trail, but some up.
Trail Length:
2 mile loop
Area:
Woods, mostly 2nd growth redwoods, couple of old
growths.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Recommendation:
Unless you're killing time hoping for the fog to lift
from the coast (like I was), skip this. There are
much better redwood parks (the nearby Muir Woods is
better than this).
McClures Beach - Point Reyes National Seashore
Directions:
In Point Reyes, take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to
Pierce Point Road (the first right inside the park)
and take the road all the way to the end.
Chemical toilets at parking area.
Free.
Trails:
It's a short .4 miles walk on a wide trail down
through a narrow canyon to a good sized beach that
has sea stacks (rock mounds in the ocean). There
were some pretty wildflowers in the canyon when I
was there.
Trail Length:
.4 miles down to beach
Area:
Small canyon, beach, ocean
When I did the hike:
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Recommendation:
One of the nice, easy places to visit in Point Reyes.
Kehoe Beach - Point Reyes National Seashore
Directions:
In Point Reyes, take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to
Pierce Point Road (the first right inside the park)
and take the road to midway between Abbotts Lagoon
and McClures Beach - keep an eye out for the
trailhead sign on the west side of the road.
Park along side the road.
No facilities.
Free.
Trails:
The narrow trail heads at a slight down through the
wide marshy valley with bushes lining the trail most
of the way. There were lots of birds in the valley.
At the end is an up over a sand dune (and, yes, the
trail is then sand) and a down on the other side of
the dune to the beach - a bit of a huff-and-puff
over the dune, there is a bench at the top to catch
your breath at. The sandy beach is very long.
Trail Length:
.6 miles to beach
Area:
Bushes, beach, ocean
When I did the hike:
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Recommendation:
One of the nice, easy places to visit in Point Reyes.
Chimney Rock Headlands - Point Reyes National Seashore
Directions:
In Point Reyes, take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to
near the end. Where the road hooks to the right,
look for a road that heads to the left and take that
road to the end (not the drop-down gravel road, the
parking area up top).
Chemical toilets at parking area.
Free.
Trails:
The narrow trails heads a slight up from the end of
the parking lot through the grasslands (no shade).
After reaching the ridge, the trail is mild to the
end, where there is a bench and good looks down on
the many sea stacks (rock mounds in the ocean)
including Chimney Rock. You can either head back
the way you came or take a right and loop around the
rest of the head for more ocean and sea stack views.
The loop has some ups and downs and some concerns of
going too close to the hazardous sea cliffs (my
agrophobia wasn't thrilled with some spots, but I
was able to hike the loop).
Trail Length:
2.5 miles loop
Area:
Grassy headlands, ocean views from above
Picture
When I did the hike:
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Recommendation:
The good ocean views of the sea stacks makes this
a good hike to do. (The ocean views are better
than those you get from the Point Reyes Lighthouse
area.)
Bodega Head loop
Directions:
Hwy 1 to Bodega Bay. Turn left onto East Shore Road.
At the stop sign take a right on to Bay Flat Road.
Go well past the marina to the head parking lot.
Free.
Trails:
There is a trail that goes along the ocean along the
headlands above the ocean - can spend maybe an hour
walking around.
Area:
Dry grassy area with some impressive
ocean-crashing-into-the-cliffs views.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Friday, July 17, 1999; Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Recommendation:
If you have a little bit time to spare, a nice little
place to visit.
Kortum Trail - Sonoma Coast
Directions:
Hwy 1 to just south of Jenner. Take the side road
for Shell Beach and park in the parking area at the
end. Can also access the trail from Wright's Beach
(fee area) and Goat Rock Beach area.
Chemical toilets at parking area
Free.
Trails:
I hike from Shell Beach towards the Goat Rock area -
it was a very foggy day and the ocean views were
limited to shadows and rare glimpses when there were
breaks in the fog. The grass, dirt, and sometimes
boardwalk trail stays fairly level as it heads along
the grasslands above the ocean. There are lots of
sea rocks off the shore. I turned around at the
rock mounds at the rock mounds slightly inland as
the trail headed up towards the road. There are
wooden posts with arrows on them that mark the trail.
There was surprising very little road noise as Hwy 1
is much further inland in this area. Shell Beach
itself was also a nice beach to visit.
Trail Length:
3.8 one-way, total
2.3 Shell Beach to Blind Beach
1.5 Shell Beach to Wright's Beach
Area:
Grassy open lands, ocean views, many sea stacks
Picture
When I did the hike:
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Recommendation:
Hard to recommend from my experience since I had
such a fog-heavy hike. It seemed like a nice trail
and that the views would be great with a clearer day.
Vista Point - Sonoma Coast
Directions:
A few miles north of Jenner on Hwy 1, just past the
switchback up, take a left for the Vista Point area.
Chemical toilet.
Free.
Trails:
It's just a 1/2 mile paved (wheelchair accessible)
easy loop at the top of a small mountain, but the
views down the Sonoma Coast were wonderful (even
though the fog limited a full many mile view).
Trail Length:
1/2 mile loop
Area:
Grasslands on top of a small mountain, ocean views
from high above.
When I did the hike:
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Recommendation:
A nice little sidetrip with a grand view.
Salt Point State Park
Directions:
Hwy 1 to Salt Point State Park. Take the Stump
Beach exit off of Hwy 1 and park in the parking
area. Or take the 1st park entrance on the left
(visitor center) and head straight to the parking
area at the end.
Flush toilets at the parking area.
Free.
Trails:
The 1.2 mile (one-way) Salt Point Trail goes from
Stump Beach to Salt Point along the coast. From
Stump Beach, go down to the small beach (in a cove),
cross the little stream to the left and the trail
goes up the cliff wall. From there you can stroll
the rim and see beautiful views of the ocean
crashing against the cliff as well as a nice view
back at Stump Beach from above. There are a number
rock mounds along the way that are fun to scramble
up (but the trail itself is flat). Near the south
end, you can scramble down to near oceanside for
some neat tidal pool watching spots, if the tide is
low.
You can also go to the next parking area to the
north (Fish Cove) and there are more trails along
the rim and tiny beach coves (I was able to safely
scramble down to one of them). Look for pelicans
and sea loins resting on the sea rocks.
Area:
Beach and coastal views. Not many trees and mostly
flat.
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Friday, July 17, 1999; June 2000 (twice);
Tuesday, June 29, 2004; Thursday, July 26, 2007
Recommendation:
I love this place and have stopped there every time
I've gone past it.
Schooner Gulch
Directions:
Hwy 1 to just north of the Schooner Gulch bridge, a
few miles south of Point Arenas. You have to keep
an eye out for the bridge sign and you might see some
cars parked along side the road. There is a paved
pull-off area for parking on the west side of the
road (it's not marked what the area is for).
No facilities.
Free.
Trails:
Taking the left trail, it's a short walk down to a
pretty little beach that is great for surf-walking.
I really liked this beach.
Taking the right trail, the trail heads straight for
a bit on to the headlands and then hooks right
(stepping over the "trail closed" sign) and heads
down wooden steps. When I visited, the last 10 feet
of the steps were washed out, but you could make it
the rest of the way by carefully making your way
over the rocks, dirt, and branches. This brings you
to Bowling Ball Beach - a long beach. It was windy
when I visited on Thursday and I didn't stay long as
the sand was blowing everywhere (where as the bluffs
protected the Schooner Gluch beach). I did stop by
the next morning (with the tide out) so I could see
the "bowling balls" - small, half-submerged rocks -
but wasn't impressed (I had seen the massive Moeraki
Boulders in New Zealand a few years before, so that
might have influenced my impression of these beach
rocks).
Trail Length:
Short.
Area:
beaches, ocean
When I did the hike:
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Recommendation:
If you can find it, the Schooner Gultch Beach is
worth a visit. The Bowling Ball Beach wasn't to
my taste.
Big Hendy Grove - Hendy Woods State
Park
Directions:
Take Hwy 1 to a little south of Mendocino and turn
inland on Hwy 128 for about 20 miles to Hendy Woods
State Park.
Chemical toilets at parking area (flush toilets
in campground).
$5.
Trails:
There are 3 loops trails through Big Hendy Grove, a
good-sized (80 acres) old growth redwood area - the
loops are one on top the other. A tiny bit of the
start of the trail is wheelchair accessible (paved)
and the rest is packed dirt. The trail is fairly
level and it's a pretty redwood area worthy of
meandering through. For the other grove in the park,
you have to hike about 1.5 miles through thin trees
that will completely underwhelm you after having
spent time in the Big Hendy Grove. To get to the
Little Hendy Grove, take the Eagle Trail (baring
right at the junction for the campground) until it
becomes the Little Hendy Trail with a loop through
the small (20 acres) redwood grove.
Trail Length:
Big Hendy Grove:
Discovery Loop - 1 mile
Upper loop - 1.8 miles
Back Loop - 2 miles
Eagle Trail and Little Hendy Grove: 3 miles
Area:
Redwoods, trees
When I did the hike:
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Recommendation:
If you have the time and are in the Mendocino/Fort
Bragg area, the Big Hendy Grove is a pretty redwood
area. Skip the Little Hendy Grove.
Russian Gulch
Directions:
Hwy 1 to just north of Mendocino. After entering
the park, turn right and park at the small picnic
area.
$5.
Trails:
The thin trails meander through the headlands with
some nice ocean views and a loop around a blowhole.
There is also a trail on the headlands on the south
side of the inlet (don't know how to access it,
though) and you can take the road down to the small
beach (it's right underneath the Hwy 1 bridge).
Trail:
Less than a mile
Area:
Headlands (grassy and bushy area above the ocean)
Picture
When I did the hike:
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Recommendation:
A nice little outing.
Jug Handle State Reserve
Directions:
On Hwy 1 between Fort Bragg and Mendocino, look for
the Jug Handle State Reserve sign on the west side
of the road and park in the small parking lot.
No facilities.
Free.
Trails:
I pulled into this little park on a whim and was glad
I did so. It's a .5 mile loop along the headlands
with access to a large beach. You can also make your
way down (no official trail) to a precious isolated
small beach.
Trail Length:
.5 mile loop
Area:
Headlands, beaches, ocean
When I did the hike:
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Recommendation:
Worth a short little visit.
Richardson Grove State Park
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Richardson Grove State Park. Take the
turn off for the park entrance and take a left under
the Hwy and park at the end of the road in front of
the river for the Toumey Trail.
Park at the visitor center for the nature loop.
Flush toilets at visitor center.
$5
Trails:
Toumey Trail is a 1.9 mile hike up and along the
hill across the river (season bridges over river
at both ends). There were no redwoods along this
trail, much to my great disappointment (thought I
was doing a redwood hike).
The nature loop is a short (about 1/4 mile) paved
trail through an old-growth grove. There are a
couple of other longer trails on the west side of
the river (Toumey Trail is on the east side), but
I haven't hiked them and don't know if they
actually go through the redwoods or are similar to
Toumey - the Durphy Creek Trail and Tan Oak Springs
Trail can be combined for an about 4.5 mile hike.
Area:
Redwoods, trees, hills, small river
When I did the hike:
Toumey Trail: Saturday, July 18, 1999
nature loop: Friday, July 27, 2007
Recommendation:
Definitely skip the Toumey Trail. The nature loop
was a nice, short redwood hike, but you can skip
this park as you are so close (20 minutes) to the
Avenue of the Giants/Humboldt Redwood State Park
and its many (and free) redwoods trails.
Chemise Mountain trail - Shelter Cove
Directions:
Hwy 101 to just past Gaberville. Turn left on
Shelter Cove and drive about 8 miles. Turn left
(the first left in a while) on Chemise Mountain
Road. Drive 1.5 miles to the Wailaki Campground.
Park near the (chemical) toilets.
Free.
Trails:
There is one switchback early on and then it's a
steady up as the trail gains 600 feet in the first
.8 miles. At the 2nd junction (the trail from
Nadelos Campground intersects with this trail early
on), take a hard left and the trail continues at a
milder up for .7 miles to the overlook junction.
The overlook is a short hike up and has a view of
the interior valley and its (tree capped) mountains -
no ocean views. Back on the trail, if you continue a
little bit ahead, there is a section with shorter
bushes that if you find the right spot, you can get
on your tiptoes and see if there is a reward for this
hike. The view to the west of the ocean is supposed
to be fantastic, but I was sorely disappointed to
have a view only of the cottonfield of clouds that
covered the ocean.
Trail Length + Elevation:
1.5 miles, 800 feet (one-way)
Area:
Tress, mountains, maybe ocean view
When I did the hike:
Friday, July 27, 2007
Recommendation:
Definitely not when the clouds are over the ocean.
Shelter Cove (Lost Coast, south end)
Directions:
Take Hwy 101 to Gaberville and follow the signs west
to Shelter Cove. Take the road straight to almost
the end - turn left into the parking area right
before the beach (the couple of spaces straight
ahead are handicap only).
Toilets at the parking area.
Free.
Trails:
Okay, it's not really a trail (what hints as one
dead ends at a cliff drop off - you might be able to
scramble down, but I didn't even try). After first
climbing the rock at the head of the beach, hike the
beach until you feel like turning around (I turned
after 2 hours).
Area:
Long black beach in front of mountains. The Lost
Coast goes for about 26 miles.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Saturday, July 18, 1999
Recommendation:
When you drive over the last hill and see the cove,
man, awesome! It's worth a visit just for that and
worth visiting once, but beach hiking isn't really
my thing.
Point Gorda (Lost Coast, north end)
Directions:
From the south: Hwy 101 to Humboldt Redwood State
Park off of Hwy 101 or Avenue of the Giants, take
the Honeydew exit. Enjoy your pretty drive
through the redwoods (you may want to make a stop
at Tall Tree for a short visit of the redwoods)
before the long, windy drive over the mountains.
After crossing the one-lane bridge, take a right
towards Petrolia. After many miles, there will be
a fork with a sign saying Murtle Beach to the
left. Go left along the narrow road to the beach
parking.
From the north: (constructing backwards) Hwy 101
to Ferndale. Go down Main Street in Ferndale to
almost the end and turn right at the intersection
where going straight is a dead end. A couple of
blocks later on your left should be a large metal
sign that says (I think) Petrolia. Take a left
on that road and go forever and a day on a long
mountainous road to Petrolia. Follow the sign to
Murtle Beach.
Free.
Trails:
Though not quite as stunning as Shelter Cove,
your beach hike will have a destination: Point
Gorda lighthouse. It is mostly a beach hike, but
there are occasionally short trails above the
sand (easier to find coming back than going).
After crossing the creek in front of the cabins,
there is a trail up to the left that goes to the
lighthouse (or you can stick to the beach and cut
up when you're in front of the lighthouse). It's
3 miles from the parking lot to the lighthouse.
Bring a lunch and eat at the small, abandoned
lighthouse. The hike back is tough as the wind
is in your face. I spent about 4.5 hours here.
Area:
Long black beach in front of mountains. The Lost
Coast goes for about 26 miles.
Picture
When I did the hike:
June 2000
Recommendation:
Though not a fan of beach hikes, I enjoyed it
and lunch at the lighthouse was nice. Worth a
trip once.
Franklin K. Lane Grove - Humboldt Redwood State Park
Directions:
Take Hwy 101 to Avenue of the Giants scenic drive.
Just north Phillipsville (the first town on the south
end of the drive) is a small parking lot on the east
for the Franklin K. Lane Grove.
Free.
Trails:
A nice, short loop through a redwood grove.
Trail Length:
.5 mile loop
Area:
Massive old growth redwoods
When I did the hike:
Friday, July 27, 2007
Recommendation:
Sure. You wouldn't be in this area if you didn't
want to see the redwoods. If you are rushed for
time, stick to the groves around the Founders
Grove area.
Founders Grove, Humboldt Redwood State Park
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Avenue of the Giants scenic drive to
Founders Grove turnoff (midway through the drive).
Flush toilets in parking area.
Free.
Trails:
1/2 mile loop through the redwoods. Stunning,
but you likely won't have it to yourself. Can
also do the .6 mile Mahan Plaque hike that starts
in the middle of the Founders Grove loop.
Area:
Peaceful Redwoods
Picture
When I did the hike:
June 2000; June 24, 2002; Friday, July 27, 2007
Recommendation:
Even if it's crowded, it's worth a visit.
Definitely do Avenue of the Giants drive.
Goosepen Loop - Humboldt Redwood State Park
Directions:
Take Hwy 101 to Avenue of the Giants scenic drive.
Just north of Weott (midway through the drive), is a
pulloff on the east side of the road (just south of
the Founders Grove area) for the Goosepen Loop.
Free.
Trails:
A nice, short loop through a redwood grove. There
is a lot of road noise from Hwy 101, though.
Trail Length:
.5 mile loop
Area:
Massive old growth redwoods
When I did the hike:
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Recommendation:
If you have time after doing other groves in the area,
sure. I liked the Founders Grove, Rockefeller Loop,
and Tall Trees areas better, though.
Rockefeller Loop - Humboldt Redwood State Park
Directions:
Take Hwy 101 to Avenue of the Giants scenic drive.
Just north of Weott (midway through the drive) and
past the Founders Grove area, take a left onto the
road towards Honeydew. A short ways ahead is a
sharp left down to the Rockefeller Grove. Can also
access this area from the Bull Creek Trail.
Free.
Trails:
A nice loop through a redwood grove.
Trail Length:
.7 mile loop
Area:
Massive old growth redwoods
When I did the hike:
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Recommendation:
Definitely. A good grove and a lot less people
than the Founders Grove area.
Tall Tree, Humboldt Redwood State Park
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Avenue of the Giants scenic drive to
Honeydew turnoff, just north of Founders Grove. Go
5 miles along the narrow road to Tall Tree turnoff
(likely not crowded).
Port-a-potties at parking lot.
Free.
Trails:
There are longer trails here, but I only took short
strolls through the beautiful, peaceful redwoods.
This is an old growth section that contains some of
the tallest trees in the world - both Tall Tree and
Giant Tree are over 360 feet tall. The trails are
typical of those you'd find a redwood area - wider,
dirt with fern leaves (not dusty), and peaceful. [I
tend not to call it "hiking the redwoods" as
something that takes as much effort as "hiking" is
missing out of the peacefulness of strolling through
these majestic trees.] It's a beautiful redwood
area without all the crowds. The trail near the
parking area goes about a mile before intersecting
with the road (it continues across the road up to the
camping area, but I turned around at the road). The
(seasonal) bridge over the creek next to the parking
area is the only bridge across. There are several
longer trails on the other side of the creek.
Area:
Peaceful Redwoods
Picture
When I did the hike:
June 2000; June 24, 2002; October 25, 2003;
June 27, 2005
Recommendation:
Well worth the short side trip.
Bull Creek Trail - Humboldt Redwood State Park
Directions:
Take Hwy 101 to Avenue of the Giants scenic drive.
Just north of Weott (midway through the drive) and
past the Founders Grove area, take a left onto the
road towards Honeydew. Continue on the narrow road
a few miles to the Tall Trees turnoff, on the left.
Port-a-potties at the parking lot.
Free.
Trails:
After finally finding a trail map for the area (a
wooden one at a different area of the park), I
figured out a nice longer hike to do through this
wonderful area (instead of just short loops hikes).
Cross the creek over the seasonal bridge and take a
left on the gravel trail to Giant Tree (there is a
sign with the tree's massive dimensions). Shortly
past the tree is the Johnson Camp Trail. Take the
left branch to for the Bull Creek Trail South.
Thankfully, the trail returns to a natural soft
dirt redwood trail. The trail continues through
the redwoods for 3.5 miles to the creek junction.
The trail is mild for a long ways and then a gentle
up along a hillside and then a gentle down. After
a mild bit, there is a harder up for a short ways
and then a longer, gentler down. At the creek
junction, take a left and a sharp down to the creek
(and a bridge). Across the creek, you can take a
side trip through the Rockefeller Grove - a pretty
.7 mile loop walk. The Bull Creek Trail North
heads left from the Rockefeller area and it's
really not that pretty of a trail as it goes in
and out of the trees (and are seldom in the midst
of good redwood groves) and includes some portions
next to the creek, along side the road, and even a
short section where you actually have to walk on
the road. It doesn't have any climbs, though, just
some small ups and downs. After going through the
picnic area, the trail goes back into the redwoods
and the parking lot is just ahead. The trail does
continue for a mile past the parking area to the
campground and that is a wonderful area.
Trail Length:
a little over 7 miles, .7 more if you also do the
Rockefeller Loop
Area:
Massive old growth redwoods
When I did the hike:
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Recommendation:
It's a nice, longer hike through the redwoods.
Hike the Bull Creek Trail South, cross the creek
and do the Rockefeller Loop, and then return via
the Bull Creek Trail South - skip the blah Bull
Creek Trail North.
Trinidad Head Trail
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Trinidad exit. Go through Trinidad
and down to the bay. Park in the beach lot.
(The restaurant at the harbor is good. I always
make sure to stop in the morning and have a crab
omlette [and bring a sandwich roll and stuff the
leftovers in it and have that for lunch]. Mmmmm.)
Free
Trails:
At the back, inland end of the beach lot is a
trail that goes up (trail, walk up the road, and
trailhead). The well defined trail goes along
the rim of the Trinidad Head (it does involve
elevation). There are benches along the way and
some great views of the ocean and back towards the
beach. Go up to the rocky out-crop and enjoy the
view. Continue back along the trail and
eventually end up at the coast guard station and a
monument honoring an explorer who held the first
mass in the area. There you'll have the choice of
going back the way you came or walking the road
back (where you'll have nice views of the harbor).
Area:
Hard packed trail through shrubs with the beach
near by.
Picture
When I did the hike:
June 2000; June 26, 2005
Recommendation:
Wonderful place to watch the sunset and enjoy a
short hike. Good for an hour or so. The Trinidad
beach area is very pretty.
Patrick's Point State Park
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Patrick's Point State Park exit.
Get a park map for the various trails and
parking areas.
$5
Trails:
Agate Beach Trail: Just a short trail down to the
beach.
Palmers Point: a short trail to some nice coastal
views.
The rim trail also goes along a good chunk of the
park, though through the trees mostly without views
of the coast. There are a number of sidetrips out
to points and coastal views.
Area:
Coastal park with a rocky beach.
When I did the hike:
Sunday, July 19, 1999; Sunday, July 29, 2007
Recommendation:
The beach is great for rock collecting.
Granite Lake, Trinity Alps
Directions:
From Eureka, take 299 to Weaverville. Then take 3
north to Trinity Center. On 3 across the bridge,
take a left on Swift Creek road (a one lane, unpaved
road). Follow the signs to Swift Creek Trailhead
(go straight at forks) - about 7 miles in.
[Note _Hiking California's Trinity Alps Wilderness_
by Dennis Lewon is a great book if you plan on
visiting the Alps more than once. It's got trail
descriptions, length, elevation, maps, and
directions.]
Free
Trails:
A beautiful trail along creek that cascades down as
you go up, and up, and up. It's not a steep hike,
but the elevation is increasing the entire way.
It's over 5 miles to the mountain lake. You start
going on the Swift Creek trail. About a mile in,
take the fork for Granite Lake. The trail climbs
for a bit before leveling off to a more pleasant
grade. Be sure to enjoy the scenery along the way.
Stop for a moment to enjoy your first glance at the
snow capped peak in the distance. Then groan with
the (correct) thought that the base of that mountain
is probably your destination. No, the pretty pond
(or overgrown pond/marsh) you finally reach is not
your destination. The lake is still about 45
minutes away with the steepest part of the trail
still in front of you. The lake is a good-size
mountain lake and you can see the falls that feed
the lake. I wasn't able locate a direct access to
the lake (bushes surround the lake) - I went a
little further on the trail and it kept going up
and farther away from the water. The hike back is,
of course, much easier, but it seems like forever
before you reach the car (and crossing the bridge
does not mean that you're almost there - you have a
mile to go). It took me about 3 hours to get to
the lake. Note that horses are allowed on the
trail (didn't see any, but they left some gifts
behind).
Trail Length + Elevation:
5.3 miles, about 2200 feet one-way
Area:
Pretty woods, pretty creek, pretty cascades,
pretty mountain lake.
Picture
When I did the hike:
June 2000; Sunday June 27, 2004
Recommendation:
It's a long drive out there, but it's a wonderful
trail. The lake for the Devil's Punchbowl is more
stunning than Granite Lake, but the hike to Granite
Lake makes this the trail I'd recommend if I had to
choose between the two.
Canyon Creek Lakes trail, Trinity Alps
Directions:
Take Hwy 299 (goes from Eureka to Redding) to
Junction City (8 miles west of Weaverville (a good
kicking off point)). Go north on Canyon Creek
Road (County Road 401) - wasn't a sign, but it's
right across the street of the general store,
shortly to the east of the bridge over the creek
as you enter the town (Junction City is a very
small town). Take the road a little over 13 miles
to the end - it's paved all the way, but it is a
narrow, windy road. There is a good sized parking
lot at the trailhead and a chemical toilet. It's a
popular trail, so expect a number of cars to be
there already.
[Note _Hiking California's Trinity Alps Wilderness_
by Dennis Lewon is a great book if you plan on
visiting the Alps more than once. It's got trail
descriptions, length, elevation, maps, and
directions.]
Free.
Trails:
It's 8 miles (one-way) from the trailhead up to
the Upper Canyon Creek Lake, with about 2,600 feet
gained. This is a very long day hike, probably
much better for most as a 2-day hike (there are a
number of camping areas along the trail). It took
me about 5 hours to reach the upper lake (including
stops at each fall and a longer break at the lower
lake) and a little over 4 hours to get back. The
trail is a one-person width trail that varies
between packed dirt and rocks. The trail is mostly
a gentle climb with a couple of steeper areas at
spots (they'll have you huffing-and-puffing some,
but they don't last long). The first fork of the
trail comes about 2.5 miles in with a sign for the
trail pointing up. The lower branch goes to the
McKay Camp and The Sinks - you can skip those
unless you want to camp there (The Sinks is a pile
of debris from a massive rock fall - 1/2 mile from
the McKay Camp). When you see the large waterfall
coming down the mountain across the way, you're
getting close the the Lower Canyon Creek Falls -
you also are coming up to the first big climb with
a couple of switchbacks. The Lower falls is right
along the trail and 3.9 miles in (took me 1:45 to
reach them). As much as I enjoyed them when I
reached them, the Lower falls turned out to be the
least impressive of the 4 falls along the trail
(one of them wasn't listed on my map). The base
of the Middle Canyon Creek Falls is about an hour
away. Take a short side trip off the main trail to
the base of the falls for a closer look at the most
impressive of the 4 falls. After a climb next to
the falls is the branch for the Boulder Creek Lakes
trail - 6 miles in from the trailhead. Next up is
the pretty falls that wasn't listed on my map. The
old fork for the old way to the Lower Lake is no
longer marked (they changed the trail for the way
up a number of years ago as the old trail had a
dangerous wet water crossing at the top of the
falls) - if you do notice a trail heading right,
ignore it and keep going straight. When the trail
reaches the creek, the creek crossing is on fallen
large trees (the first time I visited, the large
trees didn't cover the entire way and had thinner
that I didn't trust and ended up just getting my
feet wet instead of using them; in 2007, the
crossing was much better and I was able to
comfortably use the trees and rock-hop across).
The trail goes along to the base of the Upper
Canyon Creek Falls. It took me 1:25 to get to the
base of the Upper falls from the base of the
Middle falls. The trail gets very fuzzy here as
it somehow goes up the rocks to the Lower Canyon
Creek Lake, which is at the top of the rocks. I
tried following what looked to be a trail and the
small rock mounds indicating the trail, but lost
the trail several times (I came back down a
different way, again starting with what looked
like a trail, and again lost the trail and
eventually found my way back to the real trail at
the base of the falls) - so don't get frustrated
if you lose the trail, just keep heading up. I
took a break at the lower lake to enjoy the lake
and rest. It's a pretty lake on the smaller size
(but not real small). The trail to the upper lake
goes high up the rocks on the west side of the
lower lake (the side you should be on) - there is
an isolated cove on the northwest side of the
lower lake that requires going above it. The
Upper Canyon Creek Lake is less than a mile away
(my map indicated almost mile, but it felt like
much less than a mile (maybe a half a mile)).
The Upper lake is distinct with a sheer cliff wall
for the border for most of the north end of the
lake. It's also a little larger. There are also
good views back down on the lower lake from the
upper lake area. Rest and relax and enjoy
yourself before heading back, where your body
will start reminding you of how much work this
all was.
Area:
Mountainous area along a large creek with 4
pretty waterfalls along the way up to 2 pretty
mountain lakes. Note on the people: the trail is
described as one of the more popular trails in the
Trinity Alps, but it was not too crowded when I went
on a Friday in late June. I encountered 4 people
on the way up [with my usual early start (7:20 am)]
and encountered several more people on the way
back, but most of them were less than 5 miles in.
Pictures
When I did the hike:
June 21, 2002; Monday, July 30, 2007
Recommendation:
You have to be in very good shape to even consider
doing this hike in one day, and even then you will
hurt afterwards. But it is a wonderful hike with
4 worthy waterfalls and 2 peaceful mountain lakes
as rewards for your pain. I liked it enough that
I hiked it a second time and would consider going
again.
China Spring to Grizzly Lake, Trinity Alps
Directions:
Hwy 3 to the non-town of Callahan (no services -
about 10 minutes south of Etna, which does have a
Shell gas station), head west on Forest Highway
93 to Cecilville (again no services). Where you
see the sign for China Gulch and Petersburg
Ranger Station (really the only sign you'll
encounter along the way), take a left and go for
about 5 miles. After crossing the bridge, the
one lane road turns dirt and there is a fork just
past the bridge - take a right at the fork.
There may or may not be a sign saying China Gulch
trailhead that way. Head up the mountains on the
dirt road on FR 37N07 and it's about 6 miles to
the trailhead - there are a couple of branch off
roads, but there were signs pointing the way to
China Gulch or FR 37N07. Park in front of the
trail sign/barrier - there is not a parking area
after the road turns to the left. No facilities
any where nearby. It took me 40 minutes to drive
from Yreka (the closest city with chain hotels)
to Callahan and 1 hour to drive from Callahan to
the trailhead (including the long and slow 6
miles of logging road). It's a 3 hour mountain
drive from Weaverville. It's 3 1/2 hours from
Arcata, and that's taking Hwy 96 to Somes Bar
and then East on FH 93 to Forks of Salmon and
then south to Cecilville - but I highly don't
recommend going that way. Make sure you have
supplies and a full tank of gas before starting.
Note: the Trinity Alps book I have referred to
this as China Springs but the road signs call
it China Gulch.
[Note _Hiking California's Trinity Alps Wilderness_
by Dennis Lewon is a great book if you plan on
visiting the Alps more than once. It's got trail
descriptions, length, elevation, maps, and
directions.]
Free.
Trails:
I finally got to the trailhead early enough to
actually attempt this hike (twice before (kicking
off from Arcata and then from Weaverville) I had
tried to do this hike, but got to the trailhead
too late to start). As you can see from the
directions from above, the trail starts in the
middle of nowhere. And it's a long hike so you
need to make sure you have 10 hours of daylight
available before starting. The China Springs
trail is a "short cut" trail over a mountain to
the Grizzly Lake trail. The full Grizzly Lake
trail is an 18.5 mile (one-way) multi-day hike to
Grizzly Lake. The short cut trail intersects
with the Grizzly Lake trail about 4 miles before
the lake. The China Springs trail starts as an
old road, but soon turns into a one-person width
dirt trail. From the old road, you can somewhat
see Thompson Peak in the distances ahead and to
the left (it's the granite and snow, tree barren
saddleback; Thompson Peak is the highest peak in
the Trinity Alps) (Grizzly Lake rests below
Thompson Peak). Those are the only looks you
will get of Thompson Peak until you've been
hiking about an hour on the Grizzly Lake trail
(there are no views of Thompson Peak going up and
down the short cut - the mountains you get
glimpses of are not Thompson Peak). The grade is
mild at first, but once you hit the first hard
climb (trust me, you'll know it), it's up, up, up
to the top. It is a little over a mile from the
parking lot to the top and that took me about an
hour to hike. [I had a delay while heading up as
I heard rustling off to the right and stopped and
looked. It was a bear. Then I saw her 2 cubs
and I went (not in a good way), "Oh, great."
After talking to them for a bit (go away bears),
they eventually moved on and I then continued my
trudge up.] After pausing at the top to catch
my breath, I headed down the backside. It only
took me 35 minutes to get from the top down to
the trail junction, but I kept thinking while
heading down, "I'm going to have to go back up
this???" It's steep the whole 1.3 miles down.
At the trail junction, head left and it's 3.5
mostly mild miles (some climbs, but after what
you've just done, it will seem like nothing) to
Grizzly Meadows - this took me 2:15 to hike.
The trail is well defined, but because it is so
far out of the way, there are some bushes that
crowd the trail during some sections. The trail
goes above Grizzly Creek (and eventually gets
where you can see the creek) and you have water
noise the rest of the way. Once you get your
first good look at Thompson Peak, you still have
a ways to go. From Grizzly Meadows, you can not
see Thompson Peak. And once you see Grizzly
Falls, your thoughts are, "I'm going to go to
the top of that???" It's intimidating and not
what I expected. In front of Grizzly Meadows is
a large boulder field. The trail went into the
boulder field towards the left and eventually
disappeared - I only saw 2 rock cairns early
into the field. With the way I went, I ended up
surrounded on 3 sides by snow with no foot
prints in it. After wandering around the boulder
field for a bit and wondering if I was supposed
to go above both the boulder field and snow
field, I realized that even if I did figure out
the way up, I wouldn't have enough time to get
to the lake (figuring it would take at least an
hour to get up there and another hour to get back
down) and eventually gave up and went back to the
meadow to rest a bit and change socks (ahhh)
before heading back. No lake - the trail won yet
again, arrgh. The way from Grizzly Meadows to
Grizzly Lake is described as Grizzly Scramble
(not a true trail) and supposedly is supposed to
go to the left of the boulder field (with cairns)
and then veers left before the base of the falls,
up a talus slope up a side canyon. Be forewarned
that it is steep and pictures will not prepare
you for how intimidating the way looks. For
overnighters (probably the better way to do this
hike and visit the lake), there are camp spots in
Grizzly Meadows. I did make good time going back
and it took me about an hour to hike from the
Meadows to the junction. It took a slow and
steady (with lots of pauses) hour to get from the
junction to the top of the short cut. And it
took me 45 minutes to get from the top back to my
car. I started at 7:45 am and finished at 4:50
pm. And so on the 5th attempt... Made it to the
meadow with time and determination to finally
reach the lake (no snow this time). The trail
does go through the boulder field staying to the
left (if you can't find the trail, don't go -
heck, don't go anyways). Well before the
waterfall, the trail will curve left and start
heading steeply up the mountain side - this is
no "scramble", it is more of a rock climb. A
little ways up, I reached a questionmark - which
way did the "trail" go? The right looked like
the trail, but petered out quickly. The left
did not look like the trail (there was a stream
coming down), so I headed straight - to the right
through the water was actually the correct way.
So I headed up. By the time I realized this was
not the way to go, I couldn't go back and had to
pretty much rock climb (placing my feet and hands
carefully) to get to the top - with lots and lots
of prayers. Eventually (and thankfully) I made
it to the top and it was an uneventful short bit
to the right to reach the lake. It took a full
1:30 to get from the meadows to the lake. It was
pretty, but definitely not worth the danger. I
elected not to make the short wet water crossing
at the top of the falls where there is more areas
to explore and views to see - going up the
scramble was enough stupidity for one day. Going
down was as scary as I thought it would be - even
going the correct way - and I said more prayers
heading down. It took another 1:30 to get from
the lake back to the meadow.
Trail Length + Elevation:
Total: 13 miles, 5,100 feet gained and lost
1.2 miles, 1,600 feet (up) trailhead to
mountain ridge
1.3 miles, 1,500 feet (down) mountain ridge
to Grizzly Lake Trail (also called North
Fork Trail)
3.5 miles, 1,200 feet (up) trail junction to
Grizzly Meadows
.5 mile, 800 feet (up) Grizzly Meadows to
Grizzly Lake (rock scramble)
Area:
Forest, mountains, meadows, waterfall, mountain
lake
Pictures
When I did the hike:
tried June 2002 and October 2003; Saturday June
26, 2004 (to the falls); 4th try: June 25 2005
again to the falls [a heavy winter meant the area
above the falls was still completely snowed over
and not worth the effort or risk (snow on the
side slopes up) to get up there]; 5th try
(successful) Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Recommendation:
No, no, no, HECK no! It's a long tough hike and
the "scramble" is simply dangerous. I considered
simply removing this writeup so others wouldn't
be tempted to try the hike, but am leaving it.
If you do go, be careful.
Castle Crags State Park
Directions:
I-5 to the Castella exit (about 45 minutes north
of Redding and 30 minutes south of Shasta). The
park is just a short ways to the west from the
highway. After stopping and paying the entrance
fee (and ask for a trail map), take the windy,
narrow road up to vista point parking area.
There is a toilet at the parking area, but no
water.
$3
Trails:
There are almost 28 miles of hiking trails in
the park (including a section of the Pacific
Crest Trail), but most people hike the 2.7 mile
(one way) Castle Dome trail (Crags Trail). At
the vista point parking lot, first take a short
visit to the vista point for a view of the Crags
(sharp granite peaks) and dome (the trail goes
to behind the dome) and Mt. Shasta. The Castle
Dome trail starts along the road just shortly
before the parking area. It's a fairly wide (1
1/2 person width most of the way, some narrower
and some wider parts) well used trail. At the
couple of trail junctions, kept heading up. And
it does go up almost the whole way. The trail is
packed dirt early on and gets rocky the higher up
you get (and pure rocks at some points). Pause
and enjoy the views of the Crags and dome along
the way. You won't get views of Mt. Shasta until
you get closer to the dome (but still have a ways
to climb). I stopped after about 2.5 miles, near
the dome [I know, I was almost to the end, but I
had set a hard time limit (started the hike in
the afternoon), had to push myself to go as far
as I did, it was a travel day - flown in to San
Francisco that morning and had been driving until
I got to the Crags, and had extremely little
sleep] - it took me an hour and a half to get
where I stopped. Going back was quicker, once I
got past the rocks (but you have to be careful
along some of the steeper dirt parts of the trail
as it is easy to slip) and it only took an hour
to get back to the car. I was rushing a little
bit, so it would probably take most people longer
to do this hike.
Trail Length + Elevation:
2.7 miles, 2,250 feet (one-way)
Area:
Forest and interesting granite spike peaks.
Note that because the park is so close to I-5,
there are some road noise, especially early on
into the hike. It's not that bad, but when the
trains go by, their whistles are annoying.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Friday, June 25, 2004
Recommendation:
It's a neat place and I used the hike as a
warmup for a big, big hike for the next day.
Worth a visit.
Fern Canyon
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
Take turn off Hwy 101 that says Fern Canyon this
way. (Note: there is sometimes elk in the meadow
just off Hwy 101.) Take the narrow, unpaved road
(packed dirt, not rutty) 8 miles to the Fern
Canyon parking lot (it's a long 8 miles). There
are 3 creek road crossings once you get past the
campground (maybe uncomfortable in a compact car
(but can be crossed)) - the 1st creek is the
worst. Note: they closed the parking area that
was right in front of the canyon a number of
years ago (that open area right in front of the
canyon entrance is the old parking lot, if you
were wondering what it was) so you have about
.3 miles more of a walk to reach the canyon.
Chemical toilets at the parking area.
$5 per car or National Parks Pass
[Once they didn't accept the NPP, but they've
accepted it other times (it's a state park in
addition to being a national park).]
Trails:
The Fern Canyon trail is a short (less than 1/2
mile) trail that criss-crosses the stream that
goes down the middle of a 30-foot canyon, whose
walls are covered with ferns. At the end of the
canyon, the trail goes up and you can loop back
to the parking lot (but it is better to go back
through the canyon) or at the top of the canyon,
you can go right and hike some pretty redwood
trails. Prairie Creek SP has some pretty,
unherald redwood trails. Combine Fern Canyon,
the redwoods, and the beach, you can easily
spend a wonderful day here.
Area:
Let's see, you've got the beach, you've got the
Fern Canyon, you've got the mountains, and you've
got the redwoods. What more do you need?
Pictures
When I did the hike:
12 times, most recently July 31, 2007
Recommendation:
Awesome! The prettiest place I've ever been to.
Highly recommend. My favorite place on earth.
Prairie Creek loop
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
Take turn off Hwy 101 that says Fern Canyon this
way. (Note: there is sometimes elk in the meadow
just off Hwy 101.) Take the narrow, unpaved road
(packed dirt, not rutty) 8 miles to the Fern
Canyon parking lot (it's a long 8 miles). There
are 3 creek road crossings once you get past the
campground (maybe uncomfortable in a compact car
(but can be crossed)) - the 1st creek is the
worst.
Chemical toilets at the parking area.
$5 per car or National Parks Pass
Trails:
Using a combination of trails in Prairie Creek
park you can make one of the prettiest loop hikes
possible. Start with hiking through Fern Canyon
(see above for that trail review). After climbing
out of the canyon, take a right and a little bit
later a left in following the sign for Friendship
Ridge to West Ridge trails. You are now in the
middle of the redwoods and will be for the next
few hours. The trail does go up most of the way,
but it is not a steep hike. It's a tradition
redwood trail - one-person width, dirt (soft, not
hard). After 3 miles, the trail intersects with
West Ridge trail. Hook a left. There are a few
benches along the next 1/2 mile. After a small
up, the trail goes down the rest of the way,
including some steep. After 2 miles, the trail
intersects with the coastal trail - a bike trail.
There is no beach access at the trail junction.
I went a little ways to the left looking for a
beach access before turning around and heading to
the right where there is a beach access about 1/4 a
mile ahead There are some impressive looking
monster rocks ahead, prior to the true beach, and I
walked around them and took a rest near them. I
took my shoes off and walked the surf and sand the
rest of the way back. Ahhh. The only problem was
figuring out where I need to head up to the parking
lot. Since I was strolling and stopping often to
look at small, pretty rocks, I had no sense as to
how far I had gone and was worried I had missed it
(the sun was setting and the parking lot is a day
use area). I ended up heading inland following
what I thought was foot prints (it wasn't) and
going through the shrub and dried-up swamp area
before hitting the coastal trail and hiking back
to the car - I had left the beach a good ways
before I needed to. There is beach access from the
parking area, but you can't see the parking area
from the beach.
Trail Length:
Total: 8 miles
.5 mile from Fern Canyon to Friendship Ridge Trail
3 miles from Friendship Ridge Trail to West
Ridge Trail
2 miles from Friendship Ridge Trail to beach
2.5 miles on beach back to car
Area:
Fern Canyon, redwoods, mountains, beach
When I did the hike:
Sunday, October 26, 2003; Sunday, June 26, 2005;
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Recommendation:
Awesome! Fern Canyon, the redwoods, and the
beach in one hike.
Prairie Creek loop 2
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
Take turn off Hwy 101 that says Fern Canyon this
way. (Note: there is sometimes elk in the meadow
just off Hwy 101.) Take the narrow, unpaved road
(packed dirt, not rutty) 8 miles to the Fern
Canyon parking lot (it's a long 8 miles). There
are 3 creek road crossings once you get past the
campground (maybe uncomfortable in a compact car
(but can be crossed)) - the 1st creek is the
worst.
Chemical toilets at the parking area.
$5 per car or National Parks Pass
Trails:
Similar to the loop described above, but a little
shorter and not quite as steep. Start with hiking
through Fern Canyon (see above for that trail
review). After climbing out of the canyon, take a
right onto the James Irvine trail. Remain on the
James Irvine Trail for 1.5 miles. It goes gently
and peacefully along a creek in the redwoods. Take
a right on to the Clintonia Trail and go for a mile
on this trail in the midst of the redwoods. The
trail does climb some. Hook a right on to Miner's
Ridge trail for 2 miles to the road. The last .5
mile of the trail is pretty blah as the redwoods
recede as the trail goes in to a wide (but green)
canyon and then the trail turns in to a gravel road
for the last bit. At the road junction (Davidson
Road), go left for a tad to the Gold Bluffs Beach
camp area (there is a bathroom and water there if
needed) and go through the camp to the beach. It's
about 1.3 miles along the beach back to the Fern
Canyon parking area. [I missed the parking area
(it's hard to see from the beach, even when you are
above the sand ridge) and went way past it as I was
walking bare foot along the surf (ahhh) and had to
back track some.] There is beach access from the
Fern Canyon parking area, but you can't see the
parking area from the beach.
Trail Length:
Total: a little over 6 miles
.3 mile from Fern Canyon to James Irvine Trail
1.5 miles from James Irvine Trail to Clintonia Trail
1 mile from Clintonia Trail to Miner's Ridge Trail
2 miles from Miner's Ridge Trail to beach
1.3 miles on beach back to car
Area:
Fern Canyon, redwoods, mountains, beach
When I did the hike:
Monday, June 28, 2004
Recommendation:
Awesome! Fern Canyon, the redwoods, and the
beach in one hike.
Hidden Beach coastal trail
Directions:
From Klamath Overlook: From Hwy 101 near Requa take
a right at the sign that says Klamath Overlook this
way. Go a mile or two up to the Klamath Overlook
Parking lot. The trailhead is to the south of the
parking lot. (The trail loops below the lot and
heads north). Toilet at parking lot.
Shortest trail: continue north on Hwy 101 past
Requa for a couple of miles. When you see the
tourist trap on the right with Paul Bunyon and his
ox (trust me, you'll know it when you see it), pull
in the parking lot and park at the far (north) end.
The trailhead is across the road (Hwy 101).
From Yurok Loop: continue past the Paul Bunyon
tourist trap a short bit - after the road curves
and before the ocean, you'll see a parking lot to
the left. Parking in that lot and the trailhead is
at the far end (ocean side) of the lot. Flush
toilets in the middle of the parking lot.
Free.
Trails:
- From Klamath Overlook: A slender little trail that
goes along the coast down to a small beach after
about 2 miles. It's a nice little trail that has
some spectacular views of the ocean (or views of the
clouds - I've done it both with clear views and with
an overcast). (beach description below) The hike
back up to the car was no where near as bad as I
thought it was going to be. On the way back, the
trail ascended above the cloud line and the view of
the cotton field over the ocean and cotton field
down the shore with mountains peaking though was
spectacular. The hike is not a pure up-down hike.
There are some small ups and downs in the middle of
it, with the steepest ones near the parking lot and
near the beach.
- Short cut trail: So you want to visit Hidden
Beach, but don't have the time or energy to do the
coastal trail? There is a quick and dirty way to
go and reach the beach in 15 minutes and little
effort. From the Trees of Mystery (tourist trap)
parking lot, there is a .5 mile trail to the beach.
It is definitely not as pretty of a hike as from
the overlook (though there is greenery surrounding
the trail - a section of it goes along telephone
polls) and you get road noise from Hwy 101 until
you near the beach and the ocean drowns out the
road noise. It's fairly level (but not completely
flat) with a small down to the beach at the end.
- From Yurok Loop: My favorite way to get to Hidden
Beach. Skip the interior part of the Yurok Loop -
there's road noise and it's really not a pretty
hike. But the outer part of the loop is wonderful
with great beach views. Closer to Hidden Beach,
you do get nice views down on the beach.
- Hidden Beach: My 2nd favorite spot on earth
(behind Fern Canyon). The small beach is
wonderful. You do have to be a little careful as
far as timing as the beach disappears in high tide.
After the short down from the trail junction, there
is a pile of drift wood in front of the beach to
make your way across. On the beach, first explore
the rocky area to the south and enjoy the views
down the coast and wonder how the tree can grow on
that rock and explore the rocky area to the north.
Then take off your shoes walk barefoot along the
short strip of soft (not painful rocky) black beach.
You'll probably have the place to yourself - enjoy!
Trail Length (one way):
From Klamath Overlook - 2 miles, some elevation
From Paul Bunyon shortcut - .5 miles, level except
down to beach
From Yurok Loop - 1 mile, mild hike
Area:
Shrubs and trees above the coast and then down to
a precious little beach.
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Sunday, June 25, 2000 (overlook hike); Sunday,
October 26, 2003 (overlook hike); Monday, June 28,
2004 (short cut trail); Wednesday, July 26, 2006
(Yurok Loop); July 29 and 31, 2007 (Yurok Loop)
Recommendation:
Definitely use one of the trails to make you way
to Hidden Beach if you are in the area. Try to
time it for low tide - during hide tide, the beach
is mostly underwater. I love this spot.
Tall Trees, Prairie Creek Redwood State Park
Directions:
You first need to stop at the Redwood Information
Center just south of Orick on Hwy 101 to get permit
(which includes the combination to open the gate
for the Tall Trees Access road) - the Information
Center opens at 9 am [and they tend to run out of
permits early during the summer]. From the Info
Center, head north on Hwy 101 a short ways to Bald
Hills Road (there is a sign indicating Lady Bird
Johnson Grove that way). Head up Bald Hills Road
a ways to just past the Redwood Creek Overlook and
take a left onto Tall Trees Access Road (should be
sign indicating the road). Drive 7 miles long on
the unpaved, single-lane road to the trailhead.
[There are toilets at the trailhead and after 1 1/4
miles on the trail.]
Free, but permit required.
Trails:
It's a steep, wide trail that descends 650 over
the first 1 1/4 miles in going down to an old-growth
Redwood grove that contains some of the tallest
trees in the world (at one point, the 1st, 5th, and
6th tallest were considered to be in this grove).
At the bottom of the trail is a 3/4 mile loop that
goes past some neat looking moss-covered trees and
then through the grove. Then it's a 1 1/4 climb out
where you'll be greatful for the handful of benches
along the trail.
Area:
Traditional redwood area (big trees with fern
flooring) along a large hill.
Picture
When I did the hike:
June 22, 2002
Recommendation:
It's a pretty, well defined trail and I love the
redwoods. If you are pressed for time, you can
find gentler trails else where in Prairie Creek
(and you won't notice the difference between a 330
foot tree and a 360+ foot tree). But if you want
to plan for this hike, go early and enjoy the
solitude of the redwoods (I was first in line to
get the permit and had the place to myself until I
hiked out, where I passed a number of people who
were heading down). And keep in mind that it is a
steep hike out [don't recommend doing this hike
the day after a 16 mile day hike :) - my calves
joined the rest of my body in loudly complaining
after I got back to my car]. [And do take the
scenic Newton B. Drury drive through Prairie Creek
Redwood State Park (similar to Avenue of the
Giants in Humboldt Redwood SP).]
Lady Bird Johnson Grove, Prairie Creek Redwood State Park
Directions:
Hwy 101 to just north of Orick. Take a right on
to Bald Hills Road (should be a sign indicating
Lady Bird grove that way) to the parking lot,
about 2 miles ahead.
Chemical toilets at parking lot.
Free.
Trails:
Short, simple 1 mile trail through old growth
grove. Fairly flat.
Area:
Redwoods
When I did the hike:
June 23, 2002; Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Recommendation:
If you are in the area, then you are here to see
redwoods and any old growth grove is worth a
visit and this is not far out of the way.
Stout Grove - Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Crescent City. Head east on Hwy 199
to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Continue
through the park to about 2 miles past to South
Fork Road on the left. Turn onto that road and
go over the 2 bridges. Right after crossing
the 2nd bridge, take a left on to Howland Hill
Road. The narrow road paved for only the first
mile and is gravel the rest of the way (through
well traveled - don't need a high clearance
vehicle). After a little over a mile, take a
right turn and drive a short ways down to the
parking area for Stout Grove (ignore the
pulloff area alongside Howland Hill Road with
a sign for Stout Grove - it's a lot longer of
a walk from there).
Chemical toilets.
Free.
Trails:
A short loop through the redwoods, including
Stout Tree - the largest redwood in Jedediah
Smith State Park.
Trail Length:
.5 mile loop
Area:
Massive old growth redwoods
When I did the hike:
Wednesday, July 31, 2007
Recommendation:
A nice little loop through an old growth grove.
Jedediah Smith State Park - Boy Scout Tree trail
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Crescent City. Head east on Hwy 199
to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Continue
through the park to about 2 miles past to South
Fork Road on the left. Turn onto that road and
go over the 2 bridges. Right after crossing
the 2nd bridge, take a left on to Howland Hill
Road. The narrow road paved for only the first
mile and is gravel the rest of the way (through
well traveled - don't need a high clearance
vehicle). After about 5 miles, look for a
small parking area on the right side of the
road for the Boy Scout Tree Trail.
No facilities.
Free.
Trails:
The trail is a peaceful redwood trail that goes
one-way for about 3.5 miles with some
ups-and-downs. The trail ends at a small, pretty
waterfall. To get to the Boy Scout Tree (a
monster redwood), take the short branch to the
right (as you are heading towards the waterfall
or to the left as you are coming back, if you
missed the branch on the way going, like I did)
a little ways before the waterfall.
Trail Length:
7 miles round trip
Area:
Redwood forest
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Sunday, July 19, 1999; Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Recommendation:
Very nice true redwood trail.
Hatton Loop - Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Crescent City. Head east on Hwy 199
to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. At the
2.84 mile marker is pulloff areas to the north
and south side of the road. The Hatton Loop is
on the south side.
Flush toilets on the north side of the road.
Free.
Trails:
Very short loop through the redwoods. Actually
as climb to it.
Trail Length:
.2 miles
Area:
Massive old growth redwoods
When I did the hike:
Thursday, August 1, 2007
Recommendation:
If you have time for both this and Simpson-Reed,
sure. If you don't, this is the one to skip
(a partial walk though Simpson-Reed is even
better than this).
Simpson-Reed Interactive Trail - Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Crescent City. Head east on Hwy 199
to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. At the
2.84 mile marker is pulloff areas to the north
and south side of the road. Simpson-Reed is on
the north side.
Flush toilets on the north side of the road.
Free.
Trails:
The Simpson-Reed Interactive Trail is a wide
trail through the redwoods with interpretive
signs along the way. At the junction, you can
hook a right for the Peterson Memorial Trail
half loop - the .5 mile loop will rejoin the
Simpson-Reed trail.
Trail Length:
.7 mile loop Simpson-Reed
.5 mile loop Peterson memorial Trail (access
from Simpson-Reed trail
Area:
Massive old growth redwoods
When I did the hike:
Thursday, August 1, 2007
Recommendation:
A very pretty redwood area.
Devil's Punchbowl
Directions:
From Crescent City (_long drive_) take Hwy 101 to Hwy 199 for about
25 miles (past Darlingtonia, before Grant's Pass). Near mile post
24.85, turn right on Little Jones Creek Road/Forest Service Road 16/
Forest Service Road 17N05 and say goodbye to pavement and hello to
logging roads. Go almost 10 miles to the fork in the road and take
Forest Service Road 16N02 for about 5 miles to the end of the road
and the trailhead parking. Those 15 miles will take about an hour
to drive.
Free.
Trails:
Start with the mild Doe Flat trail (fairly flat) for about 3 miles
to the Devil's Punchbowl branch to the right (there should be a
sign marking the way. As you start your climb up Bear Mountain,
remember that you chose to do this. The trail switchbacks all the
way up Bear Mountain. After rounding the mountain and crossing the
creek, you'll trudge (the only thing you can do after that climb is
trudge) across barren granite rock while keeping an eye on the
small stacks of rocks that mark the trail. Then you round the
corner and say, "yes, it is worth it" as a small pretty lake with
some trees and granite surrounding it appears. As precious as this
lake looks, it is not your final destination. Make your way to the
left around the lake and then head across more granite rock for
about 15 more minutes. The Devil's Punchbowl is a magnificent, gem
of a mountain lake (on the smaller side for a mountain lake)
surrounding by granite walls on three sides. Spend some time here
and enjoy the spectacular view. It's about 3 miles and 1,500 feet
of elevation from the base of Bear Mountain to the lake.
Area:
Twiggy forest, rugged mountain, miles of granite, wonderful
mountain lake
Picture
When I did the hike:
Monday, July 20, 1999
Recommendation:
Tough, tough hike with a great reward. The trail along the way
isn't much to speak of (besides the killer hike up Bear Mountain),
but the destination is awesome.
Jackson State Forest - Chamberlain Creek Falls trail
Directions:
From Fort Bragg, take 20 for about 17 miles to Jackson State
Forest. Take a left on Country Road 200 (a loggers road), just
past the Steam Donkey picnic area. Stay to the left for all of
the forks and about 7 miles in from 20. Park to the side of the
road next to the stairs going down.
Free.
Trails:
Short little trail (about 1/2 mile) down to a stream and 50-foot
waterfall.
Area:
Woods
When I did the hike:
Tuesday, July 21, 1999
Recommendation:
Na. Small fall and hard to find.
Feather Falls
Directions:
From Sacramento, take I70 north to Oroville. Go right on 162 to
Forbestown Road. Take a right onto Forbestown Road then a left
on to Lumpkin Road. Go a ways and follow the directions to the
Feather Falls parking lot.
Free.
Trails:
5 1/2 miles, well defined trail to the 6th largest waterfall in
the US.
Area:
Picture
When I did the hike:
Thursday, July 23, 1999
Recommendation:
Yes! Impressive falls and a nice hike.
State Line Trail - Lake Tahoe
Directions:
Take Hwy 27 to Hwy 28 at the north end of Lake Tahoe
to the town of Tahoe Vista (near the California-Nevada
boarder). From Hwy 28, go north on Reservoir Drive
(at the end of the casino parking lot, just to the
east of the stop light). Take a right at the end of
the road (Lakeshore Avenue) and continue on that road
(through a residential area) to the gated road on the
left - if the gate is close, park along side the road
and walk up the road (it's a bit of an up, about 15
minutes walk); if it's open, drive up to the parking
lot at the top.
Chemical toilet at the parking area.
Free.
Trails:
There is a lookout point next to the parking lot and
about 1/2 mile easy paved trail that loops around
just below the top of the hill with various
information signs along the way (including one about
Mark Twain starting a forest fire). The views of
Lake Tahoe are outstanding.
Trail Length + Elevation:
1/2 mile, very mild (if the gate is close, the walk
up the road is a little bit of a workout)
Area:
Trees, small hill, monster lake.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Friday, July 20, 2007
Recommendation:
The views are well worth the extra drive for this
little hike.
Eagle Lake and Granite Lake Loop - Lake Tahoe
Directions:
In the Lake Tahoe area, take Hwy 89 to the southwest
side of the lake to Emerald Bay State Park. Park in
the Eagle Falls parking area or in the near by
Emerald Bay Overlook parking area. Note that it is
a very popular area and the parking lots can fill
(though spots tend to open up if you wait a bit -
more so at the overlook).
$5 fee to park in the parking lots
Trails:
This is a very popular trail. You need to first
register at the trailhead about your hike (no extra
fee). From the parking lot, the well developed
trail heads into the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
There are rock steps most of they way and it is
fairly mild to the small Eagle Falls (there is also
a larger Eagle Falls next to Hwy 89). A mere mile
from the trailhead is the very pretty Eagle Lake,
in a bowl at the end of the valley you are heading
up. There are some nice looks of Lake Tahoe and
Emerald Bay along the way, so stop and look back
every once in a while. Hook a right from the trail
for the short side trip to get lakeside. It's a
popular swimming hole and you'll likely have plenty
of company. After enjoying the lake, head back up
to the trail and the rocky, loose dirt one-person
trail heads up and goes high above Eagle Lake
with some good views down on the lake. After a
bit, the trail turns left and heads a harder up
and you lose views of the lake, but get shade as
you are in the trees. Eventually the trees thin
as you near the ridge and there is a rock out-crop
to the right that is good for a short side trip
for a good view of Lake Tahoe (no view of Eagle
Lake, though). When you hit the peak of the ridge,
it's a good turning around point if you are not
doing the loop or going to Velma Lakes. From
the ridge, the trail heads down some before
leveling out for a short bit and then climbing
again out the small valley (no lakes in that
valley). A little ways past that ridge is the
junction for the Granite Lake trail. I had
hoped to reach the Velma Lakes, but started my
hike too late (started about 1 pm) and had to
turn around before reaching them - I went a
little bit past the Dicks Lake junction (and a
small pond trailside) and went off trail to the
right to a rock with part of it chopped off and
from there I was able to see 2 of 3 lakes in
the far distance and wasn't impress with them
(may have been different up close, may have not).
There are some neat looking trees along the way,
though as the trail has some small ups and downs
(and it looked like it was going to be down to
the lakes from my turning around point). The
Velma Lakes are to the right from the junction.
For the loop, take a left at the junction and
the trail heads up, up, and up - there are no
views down on Eagle Lake along the way. I didn't
realize I had reached the apex of the ridge until
I noticed that the trail had leveled and was
actually heading slightly down. Near a rocky
peak to the left is an open area with a great
view down on Eagle Lake from high above. A short
bit ahead is views of Lake Tahoe - and you'll
have views of Lake Tahoe and 2 smaller lakes as
as the trail switchbacks down, down, down all the
way to Granite Lake. It was a nice little lake
surrounded by trees (no where near as pretty as
Eagle Lake). It's another mile from the lake
down to Hwy 89 - there is one pretty view point
of Emerald Bay (Lake Tahoe) along the way, but
it's mostly an unexciting hike. Walk the road
through the Bayview Campground to Hwy 89 and
take a left and walk about .5 miles on the
narrow shoulder of Hwy 89 (not fun) back to the
parking area - it's down hill going north, so
if you are doing the loop, do it the way I
described (plus going up all those switchbacks
wouldn't be fun).
The two mornings later, I took an early trip out
to Eagle Lake and was the first person there.
It was absolutely stunning as the lake was so
still that there were great reflections and with
the solitude the natural sounds of the waterfall
(across the lake), birds, and chipmunks were
soothing.
Trail Length + Elevation:
Note that there is a good trail map at the start
of the trail that shows the distances for the
various trails.
1 mile, 400 feet to Eagle Lake
1.6 miles, lots of elevation Eagle Lake to
junction
2.1 (more up, lots of down) junction to road
1.4 miles junction to Middle Velma Lake
Area:
Monster Lake Tahoe, trees, small lakes, mountains
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Friday, July 20, 2007
Recommendation:
Most definitely go to Eagle Lake. The loop hike
(without Velma Lakes) is pretty, but you get most
of the highlights by hiking to Eagle Lake and
then on up to the ridge above the lake (for a
shorter, but still hard hike).
Rubicon Trail - Lake Tahoe
Directions:
In the Lake Tahoe area, take Hwy 89 to the south
west side of the lake to D.L. Bliss State Park
entrance. Take the road through the park all
the way down to the small parking lot at the end
(Calawee Cove Beach - you may want to take a
short side trip down to the beach before you
start). The parking is very limited, so you may
have to use a lot a little farther away. If the
park is full for the day (they limit access),
drive a little further south to Emerald Bay and
park in the Emerald Bay Overlook parking area ($5
parking fee) and take the steep trail down (1
mile, 600 feet) to Vikingsholm and hike the
opposite direction as described below.
Flush toilets in the park and at Vikingsholm.
$5 state park access fee.
Trails:
From the parking lot, you can take a .3 mile
one-way side trip up to an Old Lighthouse - no
good views along the way, it's an up all .3 miles,
and the lighthouse is completely uninteresting
(looks like an outhouse), so skip this. If you
really want to see the lighthouse, hit it on the
way back and take the signed branch for the
lighthouse a little over 1/2 mile from the
trailhead. Even though it is a lakeside trail,
the Rubicon Trail is not a mild, level trail -
it sometimes goes high above the lake and that
first mile will seem like a lot longer than just
one mile. But the views of Lake Tahoe are
fabulous. After a mile, the trail does calm down
some, but the good views go away for a while as
you are in the trees for about 1/2 mile. Then it
is back to the great views and the trails heads
down (still well above the lake). After the trail
switchbacks down a couple of times, the trail goes
near (but still above) the rocky shore. Just when
you think the trail is going to stay mild until
Emerald Point, it takes a sharp up to go over a
rock outcrop and has stone steps down the other
side. From there, the trail does stay near the
shore. A short ways ahead is a small cove slightly
off of the trail with a pretty little beach - a
good resting and feet soaking spot, both going and
returning. The trail then heads inland across
Emerald Point and comes out near the top of
Emerald Bay (about 3 miles from the trailhead).
In Emerald Bay, the trail stays a short ways above
the shore with small (very small compared to early
on for the trail) ups and downs. At the Boat Camp,
one mile from Vikingsholm, continue on the road
through the camp to the ramp. The trail continues
from the ramp and is very mild along the shore the
rest of the way to Vikingsholm, at the bottom of
the bay. Vikingsholm is an old summer house done in
Norwegian style (there are tours of the house with
a fee) and has a park visitor center as well as a
good sized beach. Emerald Bay is a very pretty
area, but I liked the views along the Rubicon
Trail outside of the bay better - and loved the
little beach right before Emerald Point. Note
that there will be lots of boat noise, especially
on beautiful days and weekends.
Trail Length:
4.6 miles one-way from parking lot to Vikingsholm
Area:
Monster Lake Tahoe, trees, beaches
Picture
When I did the hike:
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Recommendation:
Definitely. Very beautiful.
Five Lakes - Lake Tahoe area
Directions:
From Tahoe City (northwest side of Lake Tahoe), take
Hwy 89 north about 3.5 miles to Alpine Meadows Road
(a developed ski area, about the only left turn
along that stretch of Hwy 89). Go for about 2 miles
and keep an eye out for a trailhead sign to the
right; there is a road to the left right before it.
Park along side the road.
No facilities.
Free.
Trails:
There is nothing mild about the first little under
2 miles of this trail as it heads up, up, up, with
little shade. And it is not scenic as you have
plenty views of ski lifts. The trail eventually
goes between 2 ski lift poles, but you still have
plenty of more up to go. The trail finally levels
out once it reaches the trees and it's a mild short
ways ahead to the 5th lake, the largest of the 5.
The trail does continue on from the 5th lake (and
eventually hooks up with the Pacific Crest Trail),
so don't be confused and continue on and think
there is another lake ahead (there's not). The 5th
lake is right off the trail and has trees on the
east side and a small rock mound on the west side.
You can walk around the east side to reach another
of the 5 lakes that is adjacent to this one and
see a 3rd one to the left (very small, pond-sized).
You'd have to walk way off trail to reach one of
the lakes (I didn't bother) and the first lake you
can actually see from the trail if you keep a sharp
eye out for it through the trees to the south of
the trail (it's surrounded by trees and very
uneventful) - the 5th lake was definitely the
prettiest of the 4 of the 5 that I saw.
Trail Length + Elevation:
2.1 miles, about 1000 feet one-way
Area:
Ski area, mountains, small mountain lakes
Picture
When I did the hike:
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Recommendation:
No. It's an ugly huff-and-puff up for 2 miles and
the lakes really didn't impress me (probably didn't
help that I went to the stunning Eagle Lake that
morning) - though they look great in the pictures.
Summit Lake
Directions:
From I80, take the exit just west of Donner
Pass (about 2 miles west from Donner State Park
and 3 miles from Hwy 89 junction) - the exit
should have a brown sign noting PCT access
(Pacific Crest Trail). Follow the PCT signs to
the parking area.
Chemical toilets at the parking area.
Free.
Trails:
The mild trail heads west from the parking area
through the trees, going next to a small pond.
After 3/4 mile, the trail intersects with the
PCT - take a left on the PCT. The trail soon
goes through steel tunnels under I80 and then
continues through the trees to a junction about
1/4 mile ahead. Take a right at the junction,
following the signs for Summit Lake. The trail
now has some ups along the way (but no
huff-and-puffers). A mile ahead is another
junction and take a right for Summit Lake
(leaving the PCT). The lake is 1/2 mile ahead.
It's an uneventful tree-surround lake with no
great background views. There is a small shore
at the far end of the lake.
Note that being so close to I80 for most of
the way, there is lots of road noise.
Trail Length:
2.5 miles one-way
Area:
Trees, mountains, small lake
When I did the hike:
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Recommendation:
If you have the time, it's a pretty little hike
through the trees. The lake itself wasn't that
pretty.
Loch Leven Lakes
Directions:
Take I80 to near Cisco Grove (the midst of the
Sierras) and take the Rainbow Road exit and head
west or take the Big Bend exit and head east on
Hampshire Rocks Road - the trailhead is about
midway between the two exits. Look for a
parking area (about 12 spaces) on the north side
of the road with a toilet at the west end. The
trail starts on the other side of the road.
Chemical toilet at the parking area.
Free.
Trails:
The trail starts immediately heading up, as it
will do for the next over 2 miles. You'll also
get lots of road noise from I80 for those 2
miles. The terrain varies between solid rock,
small rocks, and loose dirt - it's sometimes
difficult to see which way the trail is going
over the rocks. At one point, the trail will
level out some, with small ups and downs. Then
it is back to heading up and the trail goes over
(active) railroad tracks [I couldn't resist
putting some pennies on the track on the way up
and picking up the flattened pennies on the way
back]. The trail continues up past the tracks,
including some switchbacks. It took me about
1:15 to get to the ridge. Once you reach the
ridge, the road noise goes away. The trail is
mild for a bit through the trees and then drops
down to the first lake (Lower Loch Leven Lake).
It's a pretty little lake (the smallest of the
3) in a small granite rock mound (not mountains)
bowl. After all that work, find a nice feet
soaking spot (I liked the spot just off the
trail next to a tree) and rest for a bit. A
down-and-up 1/4 mile ahead is the wonderful
Middle Loch Leven Lake - the largest of the 3.
There are a number of small islands in the
middle of the lake and plenty of feet-soaking
resting spots along the shore to enjoy the
pretty lake. The middle lake is the destination
for some people, but I definitely recommend
continuing on (after a rest) to the upper lake,
a mile and more up ahead. The trail continues
level along side the middle lake to the top of
the lake. Then it goes slightly away from the
lake behind a rock mound. A couple of orange
blazes on the rocks helps guide you through a
tricky spot of the trail. Then is a hard up
over the rocks and then the trail is mild the
rest of the way to the High Loch Leven Lake, a
small but precious lake with an island in the
middle. You have to work your way over some
rocks to find a nice lakeside spots, but it is a
wonderful place, especially when you have it to
yourself. There was even a family of ducks
swimming in the lake when I was there that added
to the atmosphere.
Note that all 3 lakes are popular swimming
holes.
Trail Length + Elevation:
3.7 miles, 1300 feet one-way to upper lake
Area:
Sierra Nevada Mountains, 3 mountain lakes
Picture
When I did the hike:
Monday, July 23, 2007
Recommendation:
Absolutely. I loved these precious lakes,
especially the upper lake.
Tuolumne Sequioa Grove - Yosemite National Park
Directions:
In Yosemite National Park, go to the junction of Big
Oak Flat Road and Tioga Road (north of Yosemite
Valley). Head east for a short bit and the parking
area of Tuolumne Grove is on the left (north) side
of the road (note that despite the name, it is well
west of the Tuolumne Meadows area).
$20 per week (for a car load) or National Parks Pass
Trails:
It's an old road (but paved) that heads down (so
it's up on the way back) 400 feet for about a
mile to a small sequioa grove - with the most
impressive sequioa being the first one you see
(on the left). Take a right at the trail branch
and an old "drive through tree" goes across the
road and you can walk through it (of course,
today's cars are too wide) - it's actually a
sequioa stump with the tunnel carved through it
(so they didn't carve up a living tree). Just
passed that is a nice little nature loop through
the trees - it's a narrow dirt trail, which is
a nice change after the road.
Note that though in the same family, Sequioas are
different from Coastal Redwoods - Sequioas are
shorter (everything's relative) but fatter and
have a softer bark.
Trail Length + Elevation:
2 miles, 400 feet round trip
Area:
Forest area
Picture
When I did the hike:
Friday, July 28, 2007
Recommendation:
Unless you have no other chance to visit the Sequioas,
no. It's a very small grove and not a scenic hike
to get to it.
Lukens Lake - Yosemite National Park
Directions:
On Tioga road, about 2 miles east of the turn off for
White Wolf. There is no road sign for the lake trail,
but there is a parking area on the south side of the
road (the trailhead is on the north side).
$20 per week (for a car load) or National Parks Pass
Trails:
Blah hike in the woods to a small, blah lake.
Trail Length + Elevation:
1.5 miles round trip
Area:
Woods, trees surround lake (no distance views)
Picture
When I did the hike:
Thursday, August 1, 2006
Recommendation:
No. Boring and not scenic.
May Lake - Yosemite National Park
Directions:
Along Tioga Road to the May Lake turnoff (shortly
before the Olmsted Overlook (roadside view point);
not too far from Tuolumne Meadows). Head up the
narrow (have to pull over when cars come the other
way) paved road about 2 miles to the trail head
on the east side of the parking lot. Chemical
toilets at the parking lot.
$20 per week (for a car load) or National Parks Pass
Trails:
If you are lucky, you might have some pretty
reflections on the ponds next to the trail head.
The trail heads up gradually for about a mile
and then it's a steeper up to the ridge. There
are great distance views behind of a good section
of the park. The lake is just ahead from the
ridge (you don't get a view of the lake until
you reach it). Make your way to the lake and
find a nice resting spot (or spots) and enjoy
the pretty views. You can find resting spots
between the trees heading along the west side
of the lake - the views here are of May Lake
and Mt. Hoffman looming above it. Take a walk
to the south east side of the lake and enjoy
more views of the lake with trees behind it
and rock mounds in the distance.
Note that there is a High Sierra Camp along the
south west side of the lake. [But there weren't
many people the 2 times I visited - the crowds
tend to stay in the Yosemite Valley area.]
Trail Length + Elevation:
1.4 miles, 400 feet one-way
Area:
Rocky area with few trees, good sized mountain
lake with trees on one side and a mountain on
the other.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Friday, July 28, 2006; Thursday, August 1, 206
Recommendation:
My favorite lake in the park.
Cathedral and Sunrise Lakes - Yosemite NP
Directions:
Tioga Road to the Tuolumne Meads area. Park
along side the road near the Cathedral Lakes
trailhead (west of the gas station).
$20 per week (for a car load) or National Parks Pass
Trails:
I stringed together a couple of trails to
make a half-loop long hike. The rock and
dirt trail heads up most of the way (some
milder spots, some steeper spots) to the
junction for Lower Cathedral Lake (about
3.2 miles in). With about 20 minutes from
the junction, you'll start having views of
the distinctive Cathedral Peak. After the
junction, take a right for .5 miles to the
Lower Cathedral Lake. It's a beautiful
lake and I took the extra time to walk all
the way around it (with rests at spots) -
a view of Lower Cathedral Lake with
Cathedral Peak looming behind it makes it
worth going around to the far side of the
lake. When you're ready to move on (I
spent an hour at this lake), head back to
the junction and it's .5 miles and a bit
more up to the Upper Cathedral Lake.
Though I didn't walk all the way around
this lake (there's not a trail), I did
spend time at both the southeast and
northeasts ends - again the northeast will
give views of the lake with Cathedral Peak
behind it. The trail then continues
heading up, and up, and up. At the apex
is majestic distance views 360 degrees
of the Sierras. And then it's down, down,
down for a bit. At the end of the down is
a very large meadow and then the trail
heads through it for a while. At the
trail junction, continue straight and then
hook a left in to the High Sierra Camp -
it was about 3 miles from the Upper
Cathedral Lake to the Sierra Camp. Note
that up to this point, the trail you had
been on was part of the John Muir Trail,
which is a combo trail that horses use
(the rest of the way is horse free). Make
your way to the far end of the camp (the
trail is not well marked through the camp),
use the outhouse if you need to. Shortly
after the outhouse, head right and start
heading up (again, not well marked - ask
someone if you aren't sure you're on the
trail) - this is the last of the big climbs
(there is a small one out from the Lower
Sunrise Lake). About 30 minutes ahead is
the Upper Sunrise Lake. There is a small
sand shore on the east side of the lake,
but not much shoreside access besides that.
I took an off-trail side trip to visit the
Middle Sunrise Lake, the prettiest of the
not-that-spectacular 3 Sunrise lakes. Back
on the trail, the Lower Sunrise Lake is not
too far ahead. The trail crosses over the
outlet stream for the lower lake and the
trail out is a hard right just past the
outlet. There are good resting spots along
the lower lake, but you are probably going
to have company (but not crowded) as it is
a well known (shorter) day-hike destination
and a swim hole. The trail heads up out of
the Lower Sunrise Lake bowl for about 10
minutes and then the next about 1.5 miles is
pure down hill. At the trail T-junction,
take a left and go down, down, down (steep
enough that I wouldn't want to be heading up
it). The last about .5 miles levels out and
is mild the rest of the way. The trail ends
at the Sunrise Lakes trailhead (near Tenaya
Lake - a pretty place to visit and rest).
Catch the hikers shuttle back to the
Cathedral Lakes trailhead (or you could take
trail that goes behind Tenaya Lake and the
parallels the road, but that's 7.6 more
miles).
Trail Length + Elevation:
Total about 11 miles, ?? feet (a lot)
3.2 miles, 1,000 feet to Lower Cathedral
Lake junction
1 mile to and from junction to lake
.5 miles junction to upper lake
about 3 miles upper lake to Sierra camp
about 1 mile Sierra camp to Lower
Sunrise Lake
about 2 miles Lower Sunrise Lake to road
Area:
Trees, mountains, mountain lakes, meadows
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Recommendation:
Only up to Cathedral Lakes (and maybe then
up to the trail's highest point with the
wonderful view of part of the Sierras).
Both Cathedral Lakes are definitely worth
visiting (the rest was a lot of effort for
what it was worth). You can skip the
Sunrise Lakes.
Dog Lake and Lambert Dome - Yosemite National Park
Directions:
Tioga Road to Tuolumne Meadows area. Take a
left (north) on the paved road for the stables.
Park where you can (stable lot is good, but may
be full). You can also park in the Dog Lake
parking area near the Tuolumne Lodge (but that's
not the way I did it).
$20 per week (for a car load) or National Parks Pass
Trails:
There are 2 separate destinations, but its a
semi-short hike altogether and Dog Lake isn't
too much extra effort. You should see a rock
and dirt trail parallel to the stables, but
below them. After a little bit, the trail
intersects with another trail that runs
north-south. Take a hard left and start
heading up. After about a 1 mile, you reach
a small meadow and another trail junction -
the way to Lambert Dome is to the right.
Continue straight for about .3 miles and a
little more up and then take a right for
the side trail to Dog Lake. Find a nice
spot at the lake to feet soak. It's a good
sized lake surrounded by trees. Nothing
exciting, but there are views of domes in
the distance. Back at the Lambert Dome
junction, take a left (heading from Dog Lake)
and a little further ahead is probably my
favorite section of this hike. There is a
small pond right behind Lambert Dome that I
enjoyed a visit at (sitting on a log at the
east end of the pond, near the trail). After
about .5 miles from the junction (mostly level
and then some down towards the end), there
is a T-junction and the way up Lambert Dome
is to the right. Once you reach the top of
the dome, head up as high as you feel
comfortable with (I didn't go to the top) and
enjoy the views. Head back the way you came.
Note you can continue on the trail towards
the road after getting back the the Lambert
Dome junction, but the trail ends at the road
and there is no trail back along the road,
which means you would have to walk back to the
start area on a heavily used road with that
does not have much of a shoulder.
Trail Length + Elevation:
1.4 miles, 600 feet to Dog Lake
about 1 mile, 250 feet Dog Lake to Lambert
Dome
about 1.5 miles back to start
Area:
Trees, mountains, dome
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Friday, July 28, 2006
Recommendation:
Not really. Though Lambert Dome was the only
dome I went up. If you have the extra time,
go ahead and do it. But don't feel you're
missing something if you skip it.
Elizabeth Lake - Yosemite National Park
Directions:
Tioga Road to the Tuolumne Meadows area.
Turn into the Tuolumne Meadows Campground
area (just east of the gas station). Tell
the campground attendant that you are there
for day-hiking to Elizabeth Lake (and
hopefully he'll give you directions). You'll
want to park in front of the restrooms near
campsite #B49. The trailhead is on the other
side of the road and a tad to the left.
$20 per week (for a car load) or National Parks Pass
Trails:
The trail heads up for the first 30 minutes,
but it's not a steep grade. Then it's mild
the rest of the way to the lake. It's a nice
mountain lake, but not spectacular. Explore
the area as you wish. There weren't too many
spots to rest and soak your feet lakeside, but
with some effort you should be able to find a
place.
Trail Length + Elevation:
2.4 miles, 900 feet one-way
Area:
Mountains, woods, mountain lake
When I did the hike:
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Recommendation:
If you are looking for a shorter hike with a
mountain lake, this could be your hike. If
you had only time for one hike in the area,
I'd do the Cathedral Lakes.
Middle Gaylord Lake - Yosemite National Park
Directions:
Tioga Road to just before the park entrance
station - the parking area is on the left
(north) side of the road.
$20 per week (for a car load) or National Parks Pass
Trails:
It's only a mile to the first lake, but man,
what a killer of a hike. It's a tail-kicker
going up, up, steeply up with no switchbacks
until near the top. But once you hit the
ridge, the view is spectacular. You're
presented with a gorgeous mountain lake below,
a wide meadow dotted with small ponds, and
granite peaks above - and that's not including
the view behind you. The lake is so pretty
that you want to rush down (and it's a steep
drop of 200 feet - fun on the way back) and
spend a lot of time there. I rushed down and
as soon as I neared the lake, I was attacked
by mosquitoes. I put a ton of OFF on and they
were still swarming (though not bitting).
Their presence made my visit to the lake
nothing more than a quick walk along the east
shore as I was going to continue on to Upper
Gaylord Lake. Shortly after the lake, the trail
took a hard right and I could see it heading up
along a creek. But the destination that I
had my eye on was ahead and slightly to the
right to the bowl of a granite peak that I
thought would have a lake at the base (and the
trail looked like it wasn't going near that
area), so I broke a taboo and headed off the
trail through the meadow to the mountain basin,
trying to keep to rocks as much as possible to
lessen any damage I was causing. It was worth
it as there were 2 precious little lakes in the
basin (Granite Lakes). The bugs weren't as
bad there (though still present) as I was able
to spend some time wandering around and resting
and enjoying the lakes. I tried again stopping
or walking around Middle Gaylord Lake, but the
mosquitoes were so bad that I quickly left.
Trail Length + Elevation:
2 miles, 700 feet round trip (plus more length
to Granite Lakes)
Area:
some trees, mountains, meadows, mountain lakes
Picture
When I did the hike:
Tuesday, August 2, 2006
Recommendation:
It's has such pretty views that it's hard not
to recommend it, but the bugs were really
bad.
Yosemite Falls - Yosemite Valley
Directions:
In the Yosemite Valley area, park where you can (if you
arrive early, you should be able to park along the road
near the trailhead) and take the shuttle to stop #7 (to
visit the lower falls first) or #8 (true start of trail).
Note that the shuttle only travels clockwise (so you don't
want to take the shuttle to get from stop #8 to #7).
Restrooms at the top of the Lower Falls trail.
$20 per week (for a car load) or National Parks Pass
Trails:
I first made a short visit to the lower falls - it's a
easy 1/2 mile level loop and it's about a 1/2 mile on
a dirt trail from the top of the loop to the start of
the Upper Yosemite Falls trail. The trail immediately
starts switchbacking up (with no views) and continues
switchbacking up for a good while (about 45 minutes
worth) - it's a rocky trail along this section. The
switchbacks ends for a little while and the trail turns
to dirt (including a steep up in the dirt). There is a
view point of the valley (but not the falls) along this
section (Columbia Rock), but if you were looking for a
shorter hike, don't stop there as a good view of the
falls not much farther ahead - and the trail is mild to
that point. After a straight section, the trail makes
a sharp turn and you should notice near there a trail
branch heading down to the right - take the short side
trip to a good overlook of the falls (and you can also
see the 2 middle pools from that spot) - not for the
faint of heart though as there is a steep drop off.
Right after the corner is some of the best views of
the falls and a good resting spot as the climbing is
about to begin again. It took me a little over an
hour to get to this point. The trail then switchbacks
up and up and up for the next 2 miles. And it's not
an easy up as the trail is set flat stones and you have
to be careful not to slip where there is dirt on them.
But you do get great side views of the falls (though
you lose them for the last .5 miles). It took me a
little less than 3 hours to get to the top of the falls.
The top area really isn't that exciting, but you should
go the extra .75 miles to Yosemite Point (elevation
6,936 feet) where you get great views of Yosemite
Valley, including seeing Half Dome - it took me a little
less than an hour to reach the point from the falls top.
Note that the falls can dry up in the late summer.
Trail Length + Elevation:
3.7 miles, 2700 feet (one-way) from trail head to
top of falls
extra .75 miles and bit of up (not switchback, though)
top of falls to Yosemite Point
Area:
trees, rocks, massive waterfall, valley views
Picture
When I did the hike:
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Recommendation:
It's tail-kicker of a hike, but is worth the effort.
If you don't want to do the full hike, go to the view
of the falls (past Columbia Rock) for good shorter
hike (but still not easy).
Panorama-Nevada Falls half loop (Yosemite Valley)
Directions:
Go to the Yosemite Lodge in Yosemite Valley and advance
purchase a one-way (I think it's slightly cheaper than a
round trip ticket) for the tour bus to Glacier Point.
The bus leaves from the front of the lodge (and you can
park in the lodge parking lot - purchase of a ticket
makes you a lodge "guest" for the day).
$20 per week (for a car load) or National Parks Pass
$20 for shuttle to Glacier Point
Trails:
So for a mild, relaxing day, I took a hike that was
mostly down hill. This 8.5 mile hike drops 3,200 feet
and only gains 760 feet. And since this was the only
thing I had planned for the day, I took my time and
took long breaks along the way. After an uneventful
bus ride, the shuttle drops you off at Glacier Point.
Glacier Point is a tip at the top of the south valley
wall and has great views of the valley, Yosemite Falls,
Nevada and Vernal Falls, and a number of domes including
Half Dome. Glacier Point is an out of the way spot
worth a visit even for those who aren't going to hike.
After spending a bit of time at the Point, I headed to
the trailhead (a short ways ahead from the shuttle stop
and well before the overlook areas - look for the wooden
post with sign markers - the Panorama Trail starts by
heading back behind a rock pile before swining left) and
started heading down. It's mostly an open 2 miles down
as a fire a number of years ago (no burn scars left) took
out most of the trees. There are a couple of switchbacks
and the trail isn't steep. As you get close to the end
of the first 2 miles, keep an eye to the left for a very
short branch that goes to an overlook where you can look
down on Illiouette Falls (really the only place you can
see the falls). Shortly after that spot is a bridge that
goes over Illiouette Creek just prior to the top of the
Falls - there are nice resting spots creekside on the
otherside of the bridge. Next up is the only climb of
the hike - you gain 760 feet in less than a mile, so it
is a bit of an up. It is mostly forested along this
section of the hike. Then it is mild for a ways with
some great valley views (between breaks in the trees)
along the way, including of the backside of Half Dome.
And then down for a bit. At the end of the down is a
junction with the John Muir Trail - head straight and the
stream above Nevada Falls is just ahead (and you'll likely
start encountering people). I found a nice resting spot
at the creak and soaked my feet for a bit. A short bit
after the creek is another junction and hook a left
(straight is the trail to Half Dome). This part of the
trail is the same nasty set stone that I encountered on
the Yosemite Falls hike. But it is also the gem of the
hike with majestic views of the large Nevada Falls right
next to it - find a spot or 2 along the way down to stop
and simply watch the falls for a bit - the best view of
the falls is slightly off the trail. After the descent
ends, it's mild for a bit to the Emerald Pools. There
were lots of people at the pools (including some ignoring
the "no swimming" policy). With the crowds, I didn't
stay at the pools too long. Next up is the nasty part of
the hike. After looking down from the top of Vernal
Falls, the trail heads to the left and then down next to
the falls with granite stone steps - really fun as the
mist from the falls like results in wet stone steps. But
there are pretty views of the falls along the way (as
well as lots of people). I found a nice view point of
the falls at the bottom and took another break. The last
mile of the hike is uneventful as it's back to a dirt
trail and is only a slight grade down. Wait for the
shuttle and take it back to Yosemite Lodge.
Trail Length + Elevation:
Total about 8.5 miles, 3200 feet down Glacier Point to
Valley floor
- 2 miles, 1200 feet down to Illiouette Falls
- 3.2 miles, 760 feet up and then some down Illiouette
Falls to top of Nevada Falls
- 2 miles, 1550 feet down top of Nevada Falls to top
of Vernal Falls
- 1.2 miles, 1050 feet down top of Vernal Falls to
shuttle stop
Area:
Valley views, waterfall views, mountains, open areas,
and trees.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Friday, August 4, 2006
Recommendation:
It's a nice, fairly easy hike and goes by some very
pretty waterfalls (but costs a pretty penny for the
shuttle). Glacier Point alone is worth visiting for
the views of Yosemite Valley.
General Sherman Tree - Sequoia National Park
Directions:
Route 180 to Sequoia National Park, taking a right
on to Generals Highway.