This month we head way north on the coast to Redwood National and State Parks just south of the Oregon border. I lived in nearby Crescent City and in a rural area near Klamath from 2001 to early 2005, so these trails have a special place in my heart. I went to Hidden Beach dozens […]
Briones Regional Park Hiking Trails: Briones Peak
Briones Regional Park has an extensive network of hiking trails. In the hike described here, you will explore Alhanbra Creek and Maricich Lagoons, and then climb Briones Peak for views of rolling hills, Mounts Diablo and Tamalpais, and San Pablo and Suisun Bays. This is Hike 97 in my book 100 Classic Hikes: Northern California, fourth […]
Trinity Alps Hiking/Backpacking Trails Update
Note: go see the July 1, 2010 Trinity Alps hiking and backpacking trails update post! The Trinity Alps in far Northern California suffered heavily from fires this summer, and many of the trails that hikers and backpackers love were impacted. I have a special concern because, not only do I love the Trinity Alps, but […]
Northern California Outdoor Adventurers in Redding
The Northern California Outdoors Adventurers is a Meetup group of outdoors enthusiasts centered in Redding in Shasta County, California. They already have over 100 members and are quite active in doing a variety of outdoors activities all over Northern California, including a lot of hikes. For example, they recently went snowshoeing in Lassen Volcanic National […]
Snowshoeing Treks and Classes in Lassen National Forest
We hikers often walk on the snow in the winter, primarily with the aid of snowshoes. Check out the snowshoeing walks sponsored by the Almanor Ranger District of the Lassen National Forest. The walks take place in Plumas County, one of my favorite counties in California, and one that just happens to be just south […]
Disputes Over OHV Use Can Turn Violent
In early November I wrote about an editorial discussing off-highway vehicles (OHVs) and the damage some have done in Shasta and Trinity counties. The comments (all ten of them) came on both sides of the issue, and it was a very useful exchange that helped me clarify my own position on OHV use. I recently […]
Northern California Hiking Trails Blog Radio Interview Available for Download
I was interviewed last Thursday on Siskiyou County’s 101.7 FM/102.3 FM about my books, blog, and local hikes. Several people asked if they could listen to the interview, so I put it on the Northern California Hiking Trails main site on the Hike of the Month page (Dreamweaver CS3 initially didn’t want to load the MP3 […]
Talkin’ About Northern California Hiking Trails on the Radio
I taped an interview yesterday with Cindy Summers at KSYC radio. It’s the initial entry of an on-going series on outdoor adventures that will run every Thursday just after noon on 102.3 in south Siskiyou County and 101.7 in north Siskiyou County. Here’s what Cindy and I covered: The Lake Siskiyou Trail around Lake Siskiyou. The Mount […]
Beautiful Photos of Yosemite Hike
I didn’t go, but I sure wish I had. Head over to Calipiddler’s Sierra Nevada hiking and photography blog to read about her recent excursion in and around the Yosemite Valley, and make sure you click on the links to her excellent photo gallery. Also hit her main Calipidder home page to find out about her other Sierra […]
Off-Highway Vehicles Cause Damage in Shasta and Trinity Counties
Retired United States Forest Service employee Ken DeCamp has written an interesting and provocative piece in the Redding Record Searchlight about the damage caused by OHV riders in Shasta and Trinity counties. He even caught one member of the Shasta County Board of Supervisors riding an OHV off-road: The reason for my amusement stems from […]
Free Admission to Federal Lands on Veterans Day
FYI: Veterans and active-duty military and their families will receive free admission to most national parks, national monuments, and other federal fee-charging areas on Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11. No documentation is required. I know for sure that Lassen Volcanic National Park and Whiskeytown National Recreation Area are taking part. I just checked the Lassen […]
Where the Fires Were: Beacroft Trail in Tahoe National Forest
Sacramento News & Review writer Jeff McCrory recently got a first-hand look at the devastation from last summer’s wildfires when he hiked the Beacroft Trail in Tahoe National Forest with his brother. Here’s a few tidbits from the excellent article: Inhale deeply. Try to smell the fall season: the whisper of snow, decaying leaves, the mineral […]
Hiking Anderson Marsh State Historic Park Trails
Anderson Marsh State Historic Park is one of the gems of the California State Parks system. It borders the east shore of Clear Lake, near where Cache Creek begins its journey to the Sacramento River. You can download the hike as a PDF file over on the main Northern California Hiking Trails website articles download […]
Sims Flat-Upper Sacramento River Autumn Hike
Fall is fleeing fast from the mountains of far Northern California, although it remains in full flourish in the Sacramento Valley, Bay Area, and the low foothills. Just over a week ago my golden retriever Molly and I made our way to Sims Flat on the Upper Sacramento River to relax and take some autumn foliage […]
Economic Woes Means More Hunters
Seems tough times in the economy sends people out into the woods to put some food on the table. From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: “There’s a very important statistical relationship between housing starts and license sales in states that saw an increase,” Duda said. “There’s something going on there.” It could be that a slow housing […]
Box Canyon Trail Maintenance – It’s Good for You!
Yesterday I wrote about my recent hike on the Box Canyon Trail located just above the Upper Sacramento River, just below Lake Siskiyou, and just west of the town of Mount Shasta. The Mount Shasta Trail Association (I’m on the Board of Directors) is sponsoring a Box Canyon Trail maintenance day: Come help do some needed […]
Box Canyon Trail Hike Near Lake Siskiyou
The Box Canyon Trail starts at the north side of Box Canyon Dam at Lake Siskiyou on the outskirts of the town of Mount Shasta. It’s a great hike any time of year, including in winter as long as there is no snow. The hike is a mostly level one mile to a lookout point […]
Yosemite National Park Rock Slide Follow-Up
Tom Mangan’s Two Heel Drive hiking blog has this great entry on the rock slides at Yosemite National Park. It provides a bunch of links to news sources and other blogs, and also places where you can get pictures and updates. Do the recent rock slides make it less likely you’ll visit the Yosemite Valley […]
Hiking Can Be Hazardous–Always Be Prepared!
The October Hike of the Month takes you to Emigrant Lake in the Mokelumne Wilderness. However, remember that this is October, and you must be prepared for winter conditions at such a high elevation. Don’t go unless you have the equipment, experience and physical stamina. A recent tragedy in the Sierra Nevada took a hiker’s life: PLACER […]
Northern California Hiking Trails Blog Gets Some Attention
I’m pleased that the Northern California Hiking Trails blog has garnered some online attention recently. Tom Mangan’s Bay Area hiking blog Two-Heel Drive gave me a mention: Soares has an excellent hiking blog for the Shasta-Trinity region of northern California. Tom has a top-notch blog/website that describes a ton of Bay Area hikes; you’ve got […]
Hiking to Emigrant Lake in the Mokelumne Wilderness
Just posted the October hike over on the Northern California Hiking Trails article page: Alright, now it’s October. Let’s head to the Sierra Nevada one more time before winter buries it in ten feet of snow. This hike to Emigrant Lake in the Mokelumne Wilderness is fairly easy: 4.5 miles in and only 950 feet […]
Visit National Parks Free This Weekend
You can visit National Parks for free this weekend, September 27 and 28. Here’s the press release from the National Park Service: All National Park Service sites will offer free visitor admission this weekend. There will be no entrance fees on September 27 to celebrate National Public Lands Day and on September 28 to honor […]
Protecting Mount Shasta’s Watersheds
I attended the first of three presentations on Mount Shasta watersheds last night at the Weed Mercantile Mall in Weed. Several representatives from local non-profit agencies, local companies, and government agencies described the groundwater and surface water characteristics of the Shasta Valley watershed, the McCloud River watershed, and the Upper Sacramento River watershed. Moderated by environmental education […]
Walking in Moonlight
Thoughts of all the things that keep me busy these days woke me at 5 A.M. I got up, brewed a quick cup of french roast, and headed outside with my old golden retriever Molly. We walked into the still pre-dawn. No wind, the air soft with the coolness that comes after the last hot day […]
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