Berryessa Snow Mountain

Mendocino County
Trip Type: Day Hike
Elevation: 3100 - 7000 ft
Distance: 14 miles
Surface: Dirt
Vegetation: Forest (about to burst into flames any moment)

Trip from summer 2015

Berryessa Snow Mountain was recently named a national monument.  As soon as we heard, we decided to take a hike there at the first opportunity.  I'm afraid with national monument status it's only a matter of time before they ban dogs.  As of winter 2016, they still haven't gotten around to it, though, so you may still be in luck if you want to check this area out.

Lost Coast (Southern Route)

Near: Fort Bragg
Trip Type: Backpack
Elevation: 0 - 10ft (to Miller Flat) 10 - 3500 ft (to King Range)
Distance: 8.5 miles (day 1), 11 miles (day 2), 28 miles total
Vegetation: Beach, forest, coastal scrub, grassy meadows
Last Visit: July 2014

We started from Black Sands Beach near Shelter Cove.   Be sure to arrive early.  Parking is limited at the trailhead and it fills up quickly.  We just barely got the last spot...

The Lost Coast is the longest stretch of California coast without any development.  Thanks to the steep slopes of the King Range, the highway engineers weren't able to ruin it.  The steep cliffs may have saved the coast for us, but it they make it a little tricky to navigate.  Several large sections are impassible at high tide.  There are several detailed guides out there, so I won't recapitulate them here, except to say plan your hike carefully and consult a tide chart so you don't end up stuck somewhere for several hours. Know the impassible sections (usually described by the creek outlets to the north and south) and pick destinations carefully.  There are only a few creek inlets that provide enough shelter to camp for the night.  Also note that while the route along the beach is completely flat, it is not an easy walk.  The beach alternates between coarse dark sand that doesn't provide solid footing and small worn rocks that take a lot of ankle work to navigate.

The trip is worth the work though, as it's just plain beautiful.   The camping at Miller Flat/Big Flat is great too.  Miles from any development, it's about as a remote a spot on the coast as you're going to find.  Several improvised camping areas have been built from drift wood, making for cozy protected spots.  Several other groups shared the area with us, but our sites were dispersed enough not to feel crowded.  Many people hike the whole section from north to south or vice-versa, or make a loop along the beach and back over the ridge of the King Range, up to 4,000 feet above the beach.  We did a 3-day out and back from the south end at Shelter Cove, camping at Miller Flat and spending our middle day hiking with light packs up Rattlesnake Ridge to the main ridgeline of the King Range, not quite making it to King Peak, the high point of the area.

Big Bear Lake

Trinity Alps
Elevation: 3000-5800 ft
Distance: 8 miles
Surface: Dirt
Vegetation: Forest
Post of route hiked in July 2015

Big Bear Lake

Big Bear Lake isn't technically in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, but it's nearby.  For those of us who grew up with trees, this route (and the Trinity Alps in general) is a nice change from the sparse vegetation of the Sierras.  With almost 3,000 feet of climb, this route is no light walk in the park, but at just 5,000 feet Big Bear lake makes a great alpine destination for anyone preferring a bit more oxygen than at the higher summits.

Leavitt Peak

Near: Sonora Pass
Distance: 11 miles
Elevation: 9,500 - 11,500 ft
Vegetation: Moonscape
Last Visit: July 2014

At 11,500 feet, Leavitt Peak isn't quite the true High Sierra, but it's getting there.  If I'm not mistaken, there isn't a taller peak to the north of it all the way to Mt Shasta.  Situated along the crest just south of Sonora Pass, it's eminently reachable in a day hike.  A couple thousand feet of elevation gain in thin air make this a hard climb for those of us coming up from sea level.  The terrain is gobsmacking in that stark Sierra moonscape sort of way and the views are spectacular.

Sunol Regional Wilderness Loop

Near: Freemont
Distance: 3, 7, or 10 miles
Elevation: 400-2200 ft (400, 1600, or 2000 feet of elevation gain)
Vegetation: Grass and Pasture

High Valley Camp in the Sunol Regional Wilderness

**Note: Sunol Regional Wilderness is on the border of the 2020 SCU fire complex check park websites for up to date information on the state of trails there** 

The Sunol Regional Wilderness has become my favorite of the East Bay cow parks.  Its not actually anything like a wilderness, of course, yet after Redwood Regional Park in Oakland, it's probably my second favorite dog legal park in East Bay.  While it's mostly open pasture, there are a few single track trails through picturesque sections, some particularly steep local peaks, and a somewhat aspirationally named section of cataracts on the Alameda Creek called 'Little Yosemite'.  For this post I plotted out some common routes for an easy, medium or strenuous outing hitting some high points of the park.