Cuyamaca Rancho State Park comprises one of the largest public parks in Southern California. It features mountains topping out at 6,500', rolling meadows, shady canyons, rare cypresses, and a plethora of wildlife. There is a vast network of trails that can create easy hikes, masochistic hikes, and everything inbetween.Distance: 12 MilesElevation Gained: 1,600'Difficulty: Moderately StrenuousTime: …
Tokopah Falls – Sequoia National Park
Distance: 3.4 MilesElevation Gained: 400'Difficulty: EasyTime: 2 hours?Critters: Deer, marmot, rumors of a bearPros:- Easy hike through a beautiful glacial valley- Enormous cascading waterfall- Towering rock cragsCons:- Close to Lodgepole Campground, which is a noisy madhouse Details:Tokopah Falls is one of the landmark trails in Sequoia National Park. The trailhead is located within Lodgepole Campground …
Redwood Canyon – Kings Canyon National Park
Distance: 7.1 MilesElevation Gained: 1,200'Difficulty: ModerateTime: 2:50Critters: An armada of butterflies, two deer, one bearPros:- Sequoia Trees- Less traveled than Giant Forest- Flowers and butterflies- Cold, clear creeks- Mountain viewsCons:- We can pretty much leave out cons when we're talking about the Sierra Nevadas, okay?Details:Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park are two of my favorite …
Continue reading "Redwood Canyon – Kings Canyon National Park"
Kanaka Flat Loop and 500 Miles
Coast to Crest Trail - Kanaka Flat Loop TrailDistance: 7.4 MilesElevation gained: 800'Difficulty: ModerateTime: 3:00Critters: Deer, wild turkeys, quail, rabbits, squirrels, and enough beef to keep Chicago chubby.Pros:- Lovely, green grass and oak woodland- A vast, rolling, green meadowCons:- Cow crap- I got charged by this cow:Details:Well, maybe the machine gun was a bit of …
Torrey Pines Beach and Preserve
Torrey Pines Beach - Beach Trail - Parry Grove Trail - Guy Fleming TrailDistance: 8 MilesElevation Gained: 300Difficulty: ModerateTime: 2:38Critters: Roadrunners, gulls, hawks, godwits, and a naked man doing jumping jacks Torrey Pines beach and reservehttp://www.everytrail.com/swf/widget.swfEveryTrail - Find the best Hiking near Del Mar, Californiahttp://www.everytrail.com/trip/widgetimpression?trip_id=1531373Pros:- Miles of undisturbed coastline and cliffs- Rare Torrey pinesCons:- Very …
Golden Gate Park and Land’s End Urban Hike
Martin Luther King Jr. Drive - Music Concourse Drive - Japanese Tea Garden - Stow Lake Drive - Strawberry Hill - Transverse Drive - Speedway Meadow - Golden Gate Disc Golf Course - Chain of Lakes Drive - Queen Wilhelmina Windmill and Tulip Garden - Sutro Heights Park - Sutro Bath Ruins - Land's End …
Continue reading "Golden Gate Park and Land’s End Urban Hike"
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
Lookout Fire Road - Burnt Pines Trail - West Mesa Trail - Monument Trail - West Side Trail - Harvey Moore Trail - Granite Springs Trail - East Side Trail - Upper Green Valley Fire Road - Cold Spring Trail - Cold Stream TrailDistance: 20.7Elevation Gained: 3,600'Difficulty: MasochisticTime: 9:15Critters: 17 deer, 7 wild turkeys, one …
Black Mountain
Santa Ysabel Road - Black Mountain Truck TrailDistance: 14.2 MilesElevation Gain: 3100'Difficulty: StrenuousTime: 4:50Critters: A bobcat, a flock of quail, hawks, a momma duck protecting her nest, squirrelsPros:- Unique views of east San Diego County mountains, including Palomar, Volcan, Cuyamaca, Woodson, and Hot Springs Mountain.- Great early spring wildflower display- gentle incline for much of …
Photography – Maui and Oahu
I have a ton of pictures stored up from hikes and trips I've taken over the years. I currently keep them on Facebook, but I don't like having them up there. This will be the new home for whatever photos I deem worthy of sharing.In this collection, I'm putting up some of the pictures I …
Malibu Creek State Park, Pt. 1
Grasslands Trail - Crags Rd. - Lost Cabin Trail - Forest TrailDistance: 9.3 MilesElevation Gain: 700 feetDifficulty: Moderate Time: 3 hours, 20 minutesCritters: hawks, feral parrots, 4 deer, squirrelsThis is part one of a two part, two day exploration of Malibu Creek State Park. This particular hike includes all the above-mentioned trails, done in sequence …