Category: Activities

Popular Driveup Lakes 

darabylah1 Comment

Popular drive-up lakes:

  1. Trinity Lake – Shasta-Trinity National Forest
  2. Lake Shasta – Shasta-Trinity National Forest
  3. Whiskeytown Lake – Shasta-Trinity National Forest
  4. Ruth Lake – Six Rivers National Forest
  5. Castle Lake – Shasta-Trinity National Forest
  6. Fish Lake – Six Rivers National Forest

Popular drive-up brackish water bodies:

  1. Big Lagoon
  2. Freshwater Lagoon
  3. Stone Lagoon
  4. Lake Earl

 

Hikes to lakes within one mile of the parking area:

  1. Kangaroo Lake – Klamath National Forest
  2. Kelly Lake – Siskiyou Wilderness ().25 miles)
  3. Taylor Lake – Russian Wilderness
  4. Buck lake – Siskiyou Wilderness

Short Hikes to Lakes in Northern California

darabylah1 Comment

Short hikes to lakes:

  1. Eleanor Lake – Trinity Alps (0.1 miles)
  2. Hidden Lake – Trinity Alps (0.8 miles)
  3. East Weaver Lake – Trinity Alps (1.5 miles)
  4. Fish Lake – Trinity Alps (1.8 miles)
  5. Boulder Lakes – Trinity Alps (2 miles)
  6. Buck Lake – Siskiyou Wilderness (1.25 miles)
  7. Kelly Lake – Siskiyou Wilderness (0.25 miles)
  8. Taylor Lake – Russian Wilderness (0.5 miles)
  9. Bingham Lake – Russian Wilderness (1.25 miles)
  10. Paradise Lake – Marbles (1.5 miles)

Difficult or Cross-Country short hikes to lakes:

  1. Cecil Lake – Trinity Alps Wilderness

Sierra Nevada Highlights

darabylahLeave a comment

Blitz through the highlights of the Sierra Nevada while avoiding the crowds…

  1. Drive to Tahoe through Lassen Volcanic National Park (~7 hours driving)
  2. Stay at Manzanita Lake Cabins
  3. Hike to Sierra Buttes Lookout on the way to Tahoe
  4. Stay at Tahoe State Recreational Area
  5. Stay at Emerald Bay Boat-In Campground for two nights and paddleboard/kayak the lake for a day
  6. Stay in Desolation Wilderness for two nights, hike to Lake Aloha and back
  7. Drive straight to Devil’s Postpile
    • Could stay at Grover Hot Springs that night but it burned in the Tamarack Fire of 2011
  8. Drive from Tahoe to Devil’s Postpile (~3.5 hours driving)
  9. Hike Ansel Adams Wilderness from Devil’s Postpile area
  10. Drive Tioga Pass to Yosemite
  11. Drive from Yosemite to Weaverville (~7 hours)
  12. Or Add on Seqouia & Kinds Canyon National Parks
  13. And/Or add on driving back up the Coast

DL Bliss State Park Camping Permits on ReserveCalifornia.com open at 8am PST 6 months before the date:

Note: DL Bliss Campground is not open in 2023 😦

Other Campgrounds to check near DL Bliss:

Desolation Wilderness Permits: https://www.recreation.gov/permits/233261

Desolation Wilderness Planning Guide with Zone Map: http://desowv.org/files/Desolation_Wilderness_Trip_Planning_Guide_2022_08_18.pdf

Best paddleboarding Spots on Tahoe:

  • Carnelian Bay
  • Cave Rock
  • DL Bliss
  • Echo Lakes
  • Emerald Bay

Yosemite Camp Sites are reservable 5 months ahead of the date

Yosemite Wilderness Permits

Yosemite Wilderness Trailhead Maps

Yosemite Trail Information

John Muir Trail permits ARE NO LONGER through the Yosemite Conservancy only Recreation.gov

Top Trailheads for Permits:

  1. Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley or beyond
  2. Glen Aulin to Cold Canyon
  3. Glen Aulin
  4. Sunrise
  5. Lyell Canyon (John Muir Trail and PCT)
  6. White Wolf Campground
  7. Lukens Lake to Yosemite Creek
  8. Cathedral Lakes to Half Dome
  9. Murphy Creek to Clouds Rest
  10. May Lake
  11. Porcupine Creek
  12. Mirror Lake to Snow Creek

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tuolumne-meadows-backpacking-trails.htm