Bolinas Ridge Road

Near: Marin
Trip Type: Hike or Trail Run
Elevation: 350 - 1650 ft
Distance: 11 miles (one way), 10 miles (from north to picnic bench), or 12 miles (from south to picnic bench)
Surface: Dirt
Vegetation: Pasture (north section) and Forest (south section)

Last Visited in June 2014


Bolinas Ridge is one of the few trails you can take dogs on within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  Note a leash is required though.  This route actually comprises two very distinct trips. The north half is a steady (though not steep) climb in open pasture.  The south half is rolling ramble mostly through thick woods.

Sand Flat Road

Near: Mt Shasta
Trip Type: XC-Ski
Elevation: 6800 ft
Distance: ~ 2 mi
Surface: Snow
Vegetation: Forest

Last Visited Feb 2015

Sand Flat is gently graded shelf on the shoulder of Mt. Shasta.  It's nothing special, but in February 2015 there was effectively no snow in the Lake Tahoe Area and it seemed there might not be a chance to XC-ski there until the next year.  It felt like it might never snow again.  So when we heard there was a bit of snow on Mt. Shasta, we headed up to Sand Flat and got our snow fix.  Sand Flat Road makes a short loop out and back from Everitt Memorial Highway.  Near Sand Flat its self is a the Sand Flat Trailhead, the start of a marked trail up the mountain towards Bunny Flat.  We didn't explore very far up this trail (maybe a mile?), so I'm not sure how far its skiable, but even just going a short way up you can find some minor ridges with nice views to the south.

Mt. Eddy

Near: Mt. Shasta
Trip Type: Hike
Elevation: 6800 - 9000 ft
Distance: 11 miles
Surface: Dirt with some rocky sections
Vegetation: Sparse Forest

Last Visited: July 2015


Just across I-5 from Mt. Shasta, Mt. Eddy is one of the highest peaks in the Shasta-Trinity national forest.

Castle Lake to Heart Lake

Near: Mt Shasta
Elevation: 5400 - 6000 (Heart Lake) or 6600 ft (Overlook)
Distance: 2 miles (Heart Lake) or 3 miles (Overlook)
Vegetation: Forest
Last Visit: February 2015

Castle Lake is a lovely alpine lake situated in a small valley just north and west of the Castle Crags and across I-5 from Mt. Shasta.   This hike follows an established trail from Castle Lake to Heart Lake (a smaller, higher lake), then takes a short cross country climb to a nearby highpoint on the ridge, about 600 feet above Heart Lake.  Some nice views down over Castle Lake can be head from minor high points right around Heart Lake, and from the hight of the ridge, there are some excellent views of Mt Shasta, the Castle Crags, and the Trinity Alps.

If you driven up I-5 near Mt. Shasta, you've probably noticed the Castle Crags, which appear as a dramatic cluster of spires looming above the highway to your left as you approach Mt. Shasta from the south.  Sadly, no dogs are allowed on trails in Castle Crags State Park.  This hike was recommended to us by some locals with a truck full of Malamutes as we bumbled around a different trailhead nearby searching out the best dog-legal view of the Crags.  The first rule of hike club is ALWAYS heed the advice of locals at trailheads.

Lion Slide Falls

Near: Redding
Trip Type: Swimming Hole
Elevation: 3000 ft
Distance: < 1/4 Mile
Surface: Mud and creekbed
Vegetation: Forest

Last Visited in July 2015

Image Lifted from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvEdXLlhUvc

Lion Slide Falls is a gem of a swimming hole.  A 25 ft (30 ft?) fall drops vertically into a deep pool that's been enlarged by a low wall of rocks built around the perimeter. An old tree with some steps carved into makes an improvised diving platform and if you're really adventurous you can jump from the the high rocks to the right of the falls.  This spot is so much fun you won't believe it hasn't been shut down yet by some soulless lawyer.  Its not really a hike, but you could add some more adventure by trying to find Lion Wash Falls, supposedly further upstream.  We came here on a hot July 4th weekend and found it quite mobbed, but even so it was still quite fun.

Hat Tip: Found this spot in Tim Joyce's "Swimming Holes of California".

Briones Regional Park

Near: Orinda
Trip Type: Mountain Bike Ride
Elevation: 650-1350 ft
Distance: 8 miles
Surface: Dirt and Gravel
Vegetation: Pasture

Briones Regional Park is an often-overlooked park on the east side of the Berkeley hills.  It's all pasture land and most of the trails are in open fields.  In the summer this means exposed fire roads roasting under the sun surrounded by brown dead grass.  In the spring though, the hills turn green.  The open landscape yields gorgeous views and milder temperatures make for very pleasant hiking, running and biking.  The route posted here is my favorite mountain biking route, as I find that's the most fun way to experience the park.

Royal Gorge: Van Norden Track System

Near: Donner Pass
Trip Type: XC-Ski (groomed)
Elevation: 6700 ft
Distance: 3-5 Kilometers
Surface: Snow
Vegetation: Forest and Meadow

If you want to skate ski with a your dog on a groomed track system, you should move to the midwest.  I mean really, there are a few options in California, but they're not great.  The least bad option we've skied so far is Royal Gorge.  They've opened a few trails in their Van Norden Track system to dogs.  The trails are short and flat so great for beginner skiers and locals out for a half hour of exercise with their dogs, but debatably worth the drive from the Bay Area.  The limited trails are compounded by the fact that the three times we've been there the website has claimed that trails were open that clearly hadn't been groomed in the last few storms.  Grooming in general at Royal Gorge is substandard and I've never seen even half of their trails open when I've been there. So if you plan to split a group up off and on to give the dog-less party a chance to experience some terrain, be warned that you'll have far fewer options than the Royal Gorge website will claim.  That being said, the terrain around Royal Gorge is beautiful, the snow is plentiful and at least the management is making *some* effort to court the dog owner market so they deserve credit for that.

Old County Road to Mt Watson

Lake Tahoe
Trip Type: XC-skiing
Elevation: 6600 - 7600 ft
Distance: 6 miles
Surface: Snow
Vegetation: Forest

View from the top of Mt Watson

We're slowly getting to know the best places for easy-to-follow, ungroomed skiing in the Tahoe Area.  Back east, the hiking trails tend to be, you know, marked... so once there's some snow, you can strap on some fishscales and hit a hiking trail with light climbing.  In the Sierras, that lack of any trail marking makes it very difficult to follow most hiking routes in winter unless you're following a well worn trail frequented by locals.  We tried to hit just such an high traffic trailhead over President's Day weekend this year.  We headed up to Tahoe City and set out to ski the Tahoe Rim Trail as it heads southwest out of town.  The trail was indeed easy to follow, but all the foot traffic and freeze-thaw cycles left it icy enough that it was pretty unpleasant to ski.  Lucky for us, we met a local at the trailhead who had better suggestion for us: Old County Road near Tahoe Vista

Mt Tallac

Lake Tahoe
Trip Type: Day Hike
Elevation: 6500 - 9700 ft
Distance: 8.5 Miles
Vegetation: Forest, Shrub and Meadow
Last Visit: November 2014

If you're going to hike just one peak in the Lake Tahoe area, I suggest you make it Mt. Tallac.  The peak is high enough and the approach long enough to feel like an achievement, without feeling like a deathmarch.  The lower reaches of the trail are nothing special, but but pleasant.  You pass some small alpine lakes on the climb and as you gain the main ridge, the views get better and better. By the time you hit the summit, the 360 view over Lake Tahoe and the Desolation Wilderness is spectacular. 

Morgan Territory

Near Mt. Diablo
Trip Type: Trail Run
Elevation: 1200 - 2300
Distance: 8 Miles
Surface: Dirt
Vegetation: Pasture 

This weekend Lori was competing in an orienteering meet in at Morgan Territory.  No dogs were allowed on the race course, so Presto and I took the opportunity to check out the trails around the park.  Spring is definitely the time to explore the east bay hills.  Instead of being coated in brown, mostly-dead grass, bearing an assortment of thorns and spines resembling a medieval armory (think morning stars), the landscape is covered in fresh green grass and wildflowers along with the spotty groves of oak trees that provide some shade here and there.

Berkeley Upper Fire Trail: Flat Section

Berkeley
Trip Type: Day Hike / Trail Run
Elevation: 1200 - 1200 ft
Distance: 1.7 miles one way
Surface: Dirt
Vegetation: Open Woods

This is really part of the routes to Tilden post, but I'm posting it separately for emphasis.  For all the fire trails around the bay, it can actually be quite hard to find a pleasant, flat route on a soft surface.  This upper section of the Strawberry Canyon fire trail (seems to be called the Jordan Trail on some maps) is completely flat, very wide and even.  A quick look about this blog should make it clear that in general, I'm happy to climb a big ole hill (and so is Presto), but sometimes if you or a running/hiking partner are coming back from injury, you really want something pleasant and gentle that's more exciting than taking a few laps around a softball field.   Thankfully Presto is still young and sprightly, but this trail might also be nice for an older dog that's no longer up for climbing any mountains but could use an outing that's more substantial than a trip to the neighborhood park.

Berkeley to Tilden Regional Park: Four Favorite Routes

Berkeley
Trip Type: Day Hike / Trail Run
Elevation: 200 - 1700 ft
Distance: 2 - 15 miles
Surface: Pavement and Dirt
Vegetation: Suburban Streets to Shady Paths to Forested Canyons to Grassy Hills

Sunset over the Golden Gate from Grizzly Peak Road

This isn't so much a trip report as summary of my favorite routes up to Tilden Regional Park from Berkeley.  As far as I'm concerned the best part about living in Berkeley is the great running and walking options up the hill to Tilden.  Between the roads, public stairways, and fire trails there are dozens of good options with a variety of distances, surface types and climb rate to match whatever type of workout or walk you want to get in.  Well... as long as you're ready to do some substantial climbing one way or another.   These are running routes for me, but the scenery merits a hike for those seeking a more relaxing day.

Lucas Valley to Loma Alta

Marin
Trip Type: Day Hike / Trial Run
Elevation: 100 - 1400 ft
Distance: 7.5 miles
Surface: Dirt and Gravel
Vegetation: Sparse Woods and Grassland

Post of a Mountain Bike Ride taken in Summer 2015

We actually did this route on Mountain Bikes, but I'm posting it as a hike/trail run.  The route was great for humans on bikes, but sections of the fire roads were a bit rocky for presto and even with booties on his feet got a bit torn up.  So I can't recommend riding this route with a dog unless they've got paws of steel.  All around a very nice bit of Bay Area hills though.  Marin County has done a good job of combining several open space areas and public easements around Lucas Valley into a nice network of trails for hiking and biking.  We initially wanted to explore this route as the start to a big day all around the valley working our way up to Loma Alta, across the Valley at Big Rock and then up over Rock Ridge.  That would make for over 15 miles and more than 2,000 feet of climb for sure.  Next time we'll start at Big Rock and Explore the higher ground on (hopefully) mostly softer trails.