Sierra Nevada | Lassen | Shasta | Trinity Alps | Redwood Coast | Bay Area
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 … [Continue reading]
Hiking the trail to the summit of Ellis Peak rewards you with views of Lake Tahoe, Desolation Wilderness, Granite Chief Wilderness, and a vast swath of the Northern Sierra Nevada. You'll also see lots of summer wildflowers and you'll walk through a … [Continue reading]
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 … [Continue reading]
Ken DeCamp's all-color Wildflowers of the Trinity Alps is a beautiful book covering 505 wildflower species. Here Ken discusses the book, his favorite Trinity Alps wildflower hikes, and the course of his career as a photographer and writer. Where to … [Continue reading]
Hiking the French Hill Trail in the Smith River National Recreation Area of the Six Rivers National Forest is well worth the effort. You’ll have solitude, you’ll gain good views of Siskiyou Wilderness and nearby ridges and slopes, and you’ll see a … [Continue reading]
Hike the trail to Ruffey Lake and Meeks Meadow Lake for a day, or backpack in and camp overnight. Ruffey Lake and Meeks Meadow Lake lie just below Etna Mountain in Klamath National Forest, just north of the Russian Wilderness. Both are sweet little … [Continue reading]
Lassen Volcanic National Park hosts a wide variety of hiking trails that will appeal to hikers and backpackers of all levels of ability. Some trails are flat, short, and easy, while others are steep, long, and challenging. But all reward you richly … [Continue reading]
Hikers, want to go hiking or backpacking in your favorite California wilderness, national park, or state park, but all those wildfires have you uncertain about smoke conditions and air quality? This post will help. I list nearly two dozen ways you … [Continue reading]
The Pacific Crest Trail travels through the rugged Trinity Alps Wilderness from Scott Mountain Summit to Carter Meadows Summit. This post provides PCT section hikers/backpackers details of lakes, campsites, connecting trails. Highlights: East Boulder … [Continue reading]
I'm proud to announce the arrival of the fourth edition of the all-color 100 Classic Hikes: Northern California! I have been hard at work on this completely revised and updated edition since 2015 and I'm very pleased with the results. Mountaineers … [Continue reading]
I have several presentations coming up about day hiking and backpacking the beautiful trails of Northern California. I'll be discussing my favorite hiking trails (with lots of pictures, of course), and I'll be telling a few tales of the … [Continue reading]
Big Duck Lake and Little Duck Lake are two of my favorite hiking destinations in the Russian Wilderness. Trails lead to both Duck Lakes, and both offer good camping, swimming, and fishing opportunities. This day hike or overnight backpacking … [Continue reading]
Hikers and backpackers, use these hashtags to make your hiking and backpacking posts on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media stand out and get more views. This post discusses why you should use hashtags, best practices for their use, and the … [Continue reading]
Hike the Pacific Crest Trail from Echo Lakes into Desolation Wilderness and to Lake Aloha, Lake of the Woods, and Ropi Lake, all under the jagged granite of Pyramid Peak, Mount Agassiz, and Mount Price. Backpackers and day hikers will find all the … [Continue reading]
Smith Lake, surely one of the most beautiful lakes in the Trinity Alps, rests on the south side of Sawtooth Mountain, just below Morris Lake. Nature writer Tim Sims shares an excerpt from his excellent book that describes how he backpacked … [Continue reading]
Hike peaceful redwood groves and rugged coastline: more info.
Check out the new fourth edition of 100 Classic Hikes in Northern California. Completely updated!
