I did a fantastic hike to Little Bear Lake in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. It started with a steep 3000-foot climb on the trail to Big Bear Lake, followed by a moderate 1-mile cross-country scramble over granite. From my Northern California Hiking Trails Youtube channel: Little Bear Lake in the Trinity Alps: My Video I […]
Hiking the Trail to West Parks Lakes – Lower, Middle, Upper
Lower, Middle, and Upper West Park Lakes lie just a few miles from Mount Eddy and the Deadfall Lakes, yet few people hike the trails to these gems, even though they are fairly easy to reach. I did the West Parks Lakes as a day-hike in late August, the day after I explored the nearby […]
Hiking the Caldwell Lakes along Parks Creek
Here’s all the info you need to hike or backpack the trails to the Caldwell Lakes, including Lower Caldwell Lake and the Upper Caldwell Lakes in the Parks Creek drainage in the Eddy Range west of Mount Shasta. This is Hike 58 in my guidebook Day Hiking: Mount Shasta, Lassen & Trinity Alps Regions. I […]
Hike to Cliff Lake West of Mount Shasta on July 3, 2011
Stephanie and I did one of our favorite Mount Shasta area hikes to Cliff Lake in the Trinity Divide Mountains on Sunday, July 3. As we’ve discussed here (see recent posts), it’s been a heavy snow year. Hiking to Cliff Lake However, except for a few spots below the north-facing slope, Cliff Lake (elevation 5770 […]
When Can You First Hike in the Mount Shasta and Lassen Park Areas this Spring?
When can you first hike the trails Mount Shasta trails and Lassen Volcanic National Park trails this spring? Answer: it depends. Hiking Trails and Snow Levels I received an e-mail today from a gentleman living in the upper Midwest who is planning on spending two weeks this summer hiking the trails in the Mount Shasta […]
Mount Shasta Avalanche Center Offers Free Avalanche Safety Courses and Transceiver Clinics
Whether you hike, backpack, snowshoe or cross-country ski, winter, spring, and early summer in the high country of Mount Shasta, you need to know the important skills for avalanche safety and to maximize the possibility you’ll survive if you do get caught in an avalanche. Mount Shasta Avalanche Safety Courses Enter the Mount Shasta Avalanche […]
Hike to Heart Lake and Castle Spire in Castle Crags with the Mount Shasta Trail Association on Saturday, September 11
Yep, I’m on the board of directors of the Mount Shasta Trail Association. Nope, I won’t be on this one because I’ll be hiking in the southern Sierra Nevada with my partner Stephanie. But here’s the scoop for you: The Mt Shasta Trail Association has added another dimension to the Heart Lake hiked planned for […]
Hiking to Horse Camp on Mount Shasta
The trail from Bunny Flat to Horse Camp is the most common route for folks climbing to the summit of Mount Shasta via Avalanche Gulch. It also makes an excellent short day hike, which is what Stephanie and I did late Thursday afternoon after a delicious lunch at Strings in the town of Mount Shasta. […]
Hiking Gray Rock Lakes Trails West of Mount Shasta
The Gray Rock Lakes lie in the Trinity Divide Mountains just west of Mount Shasta. A moderately easy trail leads to Lower Gray Rock Lake, Upper Gray Rock Lake, and Timber Lake, which all see few hikers while offering good swimming and camping opportunities. Gray Rock Lakes in the Trinity Divide Mountains I love hiking […]
Black Butte Photos from My Recent Hike
Black Butte would be far more prominent if it weren’t dwarfed by Mount Shasta hulking two miles to the east. I still love it and climb it once a year, and last week the snow finally melted off the north side. Last year I wrote a post with an excerpt from one of my hiking […]
More Injured Climbers on Mount Shasta
Last week I had a post about the previous weekend’s climbing accidents on Mount Shasta. Well, this past weekend brought even more accidents and injuries that Mount Shasta Ranger Station rangers responded to, primarily on the Avalanche Gulch route. The Mount Shasta Herald has a good piece by Skye Kincade on exactly what happened on […]
Climbing Accidents on Mount Shasta
Climbing accidents on Mount Shasta are always unfortunate, but the mountain is dangerous, especially the upper reaches where climbers seek the summit. Climbers can fall and they can be hit by falling rocks. NOTE: This post originally appeared in June, 2010. If you’re looking for current information on Mount Shasta climbing accidents, Facebook and Google […]
Hiking Black Butte Trail Near Mount Shasta
The Black Butte Trail climbs steeply up volcanic Black Butte just west of Mount Shasta in Siskiyou County. It’s a day hike that will give you a good workout, and it features stunning views of Mount Shasta, Mount Eddy, Castle Crags, and the Trinity Divide. Black Butte was practically in my backyard when I lived […]
Where I’ve Been Hiking This Summer
I’ve actually done quite a few hikes this summer, though only a few have so far made it into this blog. Why? It takes a lot of time to process and resize the photos with Adobe Photoshop Elements, and also write the text and do all the other things it takes to make a decent […]
Castle Lake Clean-Up This Saturday, July 25, 2009
Castle Lake, nestled in the Trinity Divide mountains near Castle Crags Wilderness, ranks as one of my favorite Mount Shasta spots. I get up there several times a year, swimming in the lake on hot days or hiking the trail up to Heart Lake or further away to Little Castle Lake and Mount Bradley Ridge. […]
Hiking Seven Lakes Basin Trails in the Trinity Divide Mountains
Seven Lakes Basin in the Trinity Divide Mountains west of Mount Shasta is easily reached by the Pacific Crest Trail, and it’s one of Northern California’s hidden treasures. It holds Upper Seven Lake, Lower Seven Lake, and several smaller lakes, with swimming the best in Upper Seven Lake. On the way to Seven Lakes Basin, […]
Party in Hiking Paradise: Mount Shasta on July da Fourth
This is a great week to visit the Mount Shasta area. The town of Mount Shasta is well-known for putting on a great Fourth of July bash that brings thousands of visitors to the tiny mountain town. Here are the main events: several great bands and lots of booths downtown July 2 and 3 Fourth […]
Trinity Alps Hiking Trails Update
Note: Get the weekly updates on Trinity Alps trail conditions from the Forest Service. The Shasta-Trinity National Forest recently released an update on trail conditions for the Trinity Alps. Overall the outlook is quite good for summer backpacking in the Trinities, assuming we don’t have another nasty fire season. However, the report is still incomplete, […]
Hiking Trinity Divide Trails: Cliff Lakes and the Pacific Crest Trail
My sweetheart Stephanie and I spent the Memorial Day weekend camping and hiking in the Trinity Divide mountains just west of Mount Shasta, including the Cliff Lakes and the Pacific Crest Trail. What Are the Trinity Divide Mountains? What’s the Trinity Divide? It’s a range of mountains that stretches from Shasta Bally west of Redding […]
Snow Pack Update for the Mount Shasta Region
Some good news about all the rough weather we had in early March–the snow pack in the Mount Shasta region is way up from the dismal numbers of earlier in the winter. Here’s the main snow pack info courtesy of the Mount Shasta Herald: The Fire Management Department of the Shasta McCloud Management Unit collected […]
Promoting Avalanche Safety for Mount Shasta Climbers and Hikers
Avalanches are common on Mount Shasta and they are a substantial threat to climbers. Recently a climber died in a fall on Mount Shasta’s Avalanche Gulch climbing route, likely of major head injuries. She was not wearing a helmet. Mount Shasta climbing accidents are all too common. Mount Shasta Avalanche Center Courses The Mount Shasta […]
Mount Shasta with Autumn Snow
OK, I’m finally joining the long parade of local bloggers who have posted pictures of Mount Shasta with snow. This past winter and spring were so dry that our beloved mountain’s southern slopes were devoid of the white stuff, which usually sticks around at the highest elevations year-round. (I live on the north side of […]
San Francisco Chronicle Loves My Heart Lake
Ever since my first visit in the 1980s, Heart Lake has been one of my top wilderness spots in Northern California. It’s an easy hike up from Castle Lake and the shallow waters offer a perfect reflection of Mount Shasta. I live in the area, and it’s the hike I do the most often. Here’s […]
Late Autumn Hike from Castle Lake
Sweetheart Stephanie and I headed up to Castle Lake just outside of Mount Shasta last Friday to see the glacial lake and its cirque with the last touches of autumn color and before the big winter snows bury the landscape white. In summer, the parking lot is full and area visitors (and a few locals) are […]
Little Smokey the Bear: Improving from 2008 Wildfire Injuries
Little Smokey is a bear who was rescued from the devastating wildfires that ravaged the Shasta-Trinity National Forest last summer. He’s improving and plans are underway for his release back into the wilderness: Lil’ Smokey was found by a firefighter in the Shasta trinity national forest with burns on his paws and ears. Amazingly, he […]
