Trinity Alps Featured in the New York Times

Well, the hiking trails in the Trinity Alps Wilderness, my old stomping grounds, have been featured in America’s newspaper of record, the New York Times. I first hiked in the Trinity Alps when I was twelve years old, and for the next 22 years I backpacked up there whenever I could. (My favorite destinations: Caribou Lake, Lower and Upper Canyon Creek Lakes, Mirror Lake, Grizzly Lake, Kalmia Lake, and Granite Lake.)

Here’s a bit of what Times writer John Markoff wrote (and check out the photos too):

For most Californians, the notion of mountains conjures up the vast Sierra Nevada. In contrast, the Trinities are relatively pocket-sized. Sixty miles southwest of Mount Shasta and a five-hour drive from the San Francisco Bay area, the region exudes an off-the-beaten-path feel of a place that time is in the process of forgetting.
I have been in the Trinities in every season. The mountains empty out after Labor Day, but they retain their beauty and they remain unspoiled. In years when winter arrives late, I have hiked there well into December. Later there is great cross-country skiing, which lasts until summer.

I spent a lot of time in the Trinity Alps with my older brothers Marc and Eric and my sister Camille. Marc and I later coauthored 100 Classic Hikes in Northern California, which features our favorite Trinity Alps hikes. I’ll be covering at least one of these treks as a Northern California Hiking Trails hike-of-the-month next summer.

Here’s one of my favorite pictures my brother Marc has ever taken. (I wanted it to be the cover for the recent third edition of 100 Classic Hikes in Northern California.) This is a cross-country hike above Mirror Lake, one of the Trinity Alps most inaccessible and beautiful lakes. Note brother Eric Soares on the ledge.

Mirror Lake from the Sawtooth Ridge in the Trinity Alps.
(Photo by Marc Soares)