I hiked the Trail Gulch Lake/Long Gulch Lake loop on July 8, 2022. Here’s my report of trail conditions, lake conditions, and how the two drainages and other nearby Trinity Alps regions fared in the 2021 River Complex Fire. Overall, this is still a fantastic hike. The River Complex Fire did burn substantial parts of […]
Hike the High California Mountains Early in 2022 — Before Summer Wildfires and Smoke
Making your 2022 summer plans for backpacking and day hiking in California? I urge you to go earlier rather than later. Why? Two main reasons…
National Forest Closures in Northern California Due to Wildfire Danger
NEWER UPDATE: Most California national forests will reopen on September 16, 2021. Areas impacted by wildfires will still be closed, so check with the specific national forest ranger district before planning hiking and travel. Update: all national forests in all of California, northern and southern, are closed through at least September 17. Due to wildfire […]
Hike the High California Mountains Early — Before the Summer Wildfires Hit
Making your summer plans for backpacking and day hiking in California? I urge you to go earlier rather than later. Why? Two main reasons…
Practical Approaches to Decreasing California Wildfires
The Carr Fire near Redding in Northern California and other recent wildfires like the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa demonstrate the danger of wildfire to property and human lives. But what practical approaches can we adopt individually and collectively to decrease the threat of wildfires? Progressive Fire Management I attended the excellent talk “Progressive […]
Surviving a Wildfire While Hiking: What to Do
Surviving a wildfire you encounter while day hiking or backpacking is definitely possible. This post gives key wildfire-survival hiker safety tips to decrease the chance you’ll be caught in a wildfire — and to increase your chance of survival if you do. I am an avid hiker and also a hiking guidebook writer, and I […]
Wildfire and Smoke Conditions for California Hikers: Best Resources 2024
Hikers, want to go hiking or backpacking in your favorite California wilderness, national forest, national park, or state park, but all those wildfires have you uncertain about smoke conditions and air quality? This post — updated for the 2024 California wildfire season — will help. I list over two dozen ways you can find out […]
2025 California Campfire Permit for Backpacking, Campgrounds, Dispersed Camping, Boondocking
Hikers and backpackers, before backpacking get your 2025 California campfire permit and make sure you understand all the rules and laws pertaining to legally ha1ving a campfire or using a portable gas stove, including summer restrictions and prohibitions. Whether you like to backpack in wildernesses, national forests, national parks, or BLM lands, or you just […]
Campfire Restrictions Removed on Many National Forests in California, 2009
If you’re still willing to camp during these cold and long autumn nights, then I have some welcome news for you: fire restrictions are being lifted on the national forests in many parts of the state, so you can enjoy a cozy and warming campfire after a brisk hike. I know for sure that the […]
Pacific Crest Trail Hikers Urged to Detour Around the Sugarloaf Fire in Section O
Update from Lassen National Forest on August 7, 2009: Pacific Crest Trail section near Hat Creek is closed: The Lassen National Forest is closing a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) through an area that leads into the Hat Creek Fire Complex southeast of Burney along Highways 89 and 44. “We appreciate your patience […]
Hikers, Backpackers, and Campers: New Fire Restrictions on California National Forests
Most of California has been relatively free of major wildfires, at least compared to recent past years. And to help keep it that way, most, and perhaps all, of the national forests have recently imposed restrictions on campfires and other activities that can cause wildfires. I know for sure that Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Klamath National […]
Backbone Fire Closes Several Hiking Trails in the Western Trinity Alps Wilderness
The Backbone Fire on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and Six Rivers National Forest has led officials to close several hiking trails in the western portion of the Trinity Alps Wilderness. (I recently wrote about hiking trail conditions in the Trinity Alps.) These trails are currently closed: Virgin Creek Trail Soldier Creek Trail Lipps Camp Trail […]
“Li’l” Little Smokey the Bear
I wrote about our pal Little Smokey the Bear last month. He’s the cub who was injured in the wildfires on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest last summer and has been in rehab under the loving attention of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care. Well, good things are still happening for the now not-so-little guy: Li’l Smokey is […]
Whiskeytown Falls Trail Reopened
Early last month I wrote about how much I’ve enjoyed exploring Whiskeytown National Recreation Area hiking trails over the course of my life, and how this summer’s fires resulted in the closure of many of those trails due to concerns of slides and other hazards. Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Trails Open: December 2008 Well now […]
Final Tally on Siskiyou County Wildfires in 2008
The Mount Shasta Herald has an article summarizing the wildfires that hit Siskiyou County in 2008. Much of the Klamath National Forest and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest lies within Siskiyou County’s boundaries, and Siskiyou County holds many of my favorite Northern California hiking trails. Siskiyou County Wildfires Acres Burned in 2008 Here’s the pertinent details […]
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 […]
More information on where to hike to avoid smoke from wildfires
The National Weather Service office in Medford and the National Weather Service office in Sacramento are now providing maps that show areas with high concentrations of smoke from the wildfires. Use these to help you determine where to hike and backpack. Sometimes they provide more information on smoke, but it doesn’t seem to be provided […]
Wildfires and Hiking
Up in the Mount Shasta area the various fires have put a crimp on my summer hiking plans. I’ve still done a few, but fewer than I had hoped. I’m fortunate to live in a rural area, so I have lots of hiking and nature right out my front door. So that’s what I’ve […]
