Wrights Lake to the Desolation Wilderness

Near: Kyburz
Trip Type: Hike
Distance: up to 7 miles
Elevation: 7,000 - 8,000/8,700 feet (Lowest/Highest Lakes)
Surface: Rocky
Vegetation: Forested around Wright's Lake, sparse trees in the Desolation Wilderness

Last Hiked: September 2014

Sunset on the Crystal Range from Wright's Lake

Wright's lake sits just outside the western border of Desolation Wilderness.  It's easy to access with a low-clearance vehicle, but remote enough from major highways to be great destination in and of itself.  A drive in campground sits at the southern end of the lake and makes a great jumping off point for hikes into the Desolation Wilderness.  Backpacking in Desolation requires a permit and they can be hard to get on short notice, so camping at Wrights makes a good relaxing way to spend a bit more time in the woods than just a day hike.  There are several scenic alpine lakes nearby and reaching them isn't too physically strenuous.  I have used Wrights Lake as a basecamp to get novice hikers into dramatic scenery on a couple of occasions.  The trails are easy to follow for experience route finders, but some novices may find it easy to lose the trail on the open, bouldery terrain. So take care to pay attention and not get lost. When you finish your hike, the lake is fairly shallow, so it makes for a much less frigid dip than the higher lakes.

Oat Hill Mine Trail to Bald Hill

Near: Calistoga (Napa Valley)
Trip Type: Trail Run
Distance: 6.5 miles
Elevation: 300 - 1,800 ft
Surface: Rocky dirt
Vegetation: Forest and grassy sections

View of Napa Valley from a bench ~1/2 mile up the Oat Hill Mine Trail

 

 

 **Note: this hike was impacted by the Glass Fire of 2020.  Check the Robert Louis Stevenson State Park website for up to date information on trails**

 

Brownter is coming.  In most of the world, they've got winter.  The season when, for some people, the cold drives them inside and the snow on bare trees seems a monochrome, icy, deathscape.  Putting aside my own enjoyment of snowy winters, my closest analog is Brownter - the dry season in the bay area when the hills turn brown and the grass fights back.  This weekend you could see it lurking in the hills around Napa Valley.  Bits of light yellow here and there.  The first foxtails of the season. (Watch out) Brownter is coming.

The foxtails are emerging...

Other than the looming specter of a monochrome, spikey, hot, dusty, deathscape... it was a great day for a run.  Mostly the hills were still green and there was a pleasant breeze over the valley.  We went for a trail run up Oat Hill Mine Trail to Bald Hill (1814').  With 1,500 feet of elevation gain, it's not an easy run, but the grade is remarkably steady making for the easiest climb of this height I've done around the bay. The commanding views are well worth the effort.

Freel Peak Via Armstrong Pass

Near: South Lake Tahoe
Trip Type: Hike
Distance: 9 miles (from Armstrong Pass) or 15 miles (from Fountain Place)
Elevation: 7,600 - 10,900 feet
Surface: Smooth soft dirt mostly, rocky at the summit.
Vegetation: Forest mostly, shrub then moonscape near the summit.

Last Hiked: October 2015




Freel Peak is the highest spot in the Lake Tahoe Area.  So clearly even the most casual peak bagger is going to have to climb it eventually.  When you're the tallest thing for miles and miles near lake Tahoe, it goes without saying there are going to be a few nice views.  Honestly, though, it's not the most exciting peak in the area.  The peaks on the western shore of lake Tahoe are more dramatic and fun, and almost as high too. So make sure to hike those first.  When you're looking for something new, or you want to do a massive trail run or mountain bike in the area, head out to Freel peak.  Except for the summit spur, the trails are very smooth and gently ascending, and they're laid out with mountain bikes in mind.

Mt. Rose

Near: Incline Village, NV
Trip Type: Hike
Distance: 10.5 miles
Elevation: 8,900 - 10,800 ft
Surface: Dirt with a rocky summit
Vegetation: Sparse forest and shrub

Last Hiked: June 2015



Mt. Rose is one of the highest peaks in the Lake Tahoe area, just about a hundred feet shorter than Freel Peak.  The barren summit offers sweeping views of the north Tahoe area and east into Nevada.  Lake Tahoe is also visible from the summit, though there is enough intervening terrain that you don't quite get the dramatic views you get from the closer peaks.

Wildcat Canyon

Near: Richmond
Trip Type: Trail Run
Distance: 7.5 miles
Elevation: 300 - 1100 ft
Vegetation: Mostly pasture land
Last Visit: March 2018

Wildcat Canyon is pretty typical East Bay parkland: mostly open pastureland with occasional shaded sections.  The park consists a one creek watershed and the large ridge to the north east of it.  The trails up the creek eventually connect up to the Lake Anza area at Tilden, but run through a no-dog area to get there.  The high trails on the ridge connect up with the paved Nimitz Way bike path in Tilden, though.  So if suitably motivated you could run/walk your dog from here all the way to Volmer Peak and beyond.  The route suggested here climbs steeply to the north end of the ridge and over some minor peaks.  This route won't quite make any of my favorite lists because I'm unexcited about the flora generally, the views on the ridge are actually quite good.  On a clear day you can get a panoramic view including downtown San Francisco, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate, Mt Tamalpais, the north bay, Briones Regional Park, and Mt Diablo... albeit along with some views of the refineries around Richmond.  This park is best visited in the late winter and early spring when the grass is green and the breeze is cool. 

Point Pinole Perimeter Loop

Near: Richmond, CA
Trip Type: Trail Run
Distance: 4 miles
Elevation: 0 - 80 ft
Surface: Mostly Gravel
Vegetation: Grassy Fields and Groves of Eucalyptus



Lori was running an orienteering course today at Point Pinole.  I was a bit leery of poison oak, so I stayed on trail and ran the perimeter of the park.  This loop makes for good easy, but still satisfying run or a light hike.   Point Pinole is a great alternative running/walking spot if you want to get off asphalt but don't feel like climbing a giant hill.  The park offers many fine views of the north bay.  It is also full of dogs.  It seems to be the #1 dog walking spot for miles around, so there's plenty of socializing for more outgoing dogs.  Be sure to bring a leash on your run/walk as all the paved areas are require leashes, but on the gravel/dirt sections voice control is OK.

Carson Pass to Round Top via Winnemucca Lake

Near: Carson Pass
Trip Type: Hike
Distance: 8 miles (5 miles to Winnemucca Lake)
Elevation: 8,500 - 10,400 ft (9,000 feet to Winnemucca Lake)
Vegetation: Forest and alpine meadows
Last Hike: May 2015

Round Top and the sisters are dramatic peaks within easy reach of Carson Pass.  On this trip we made an aborted attempt on the the Round Top summit via the PCT.  Some late May snow slowed us up a bit, though and we were contented with a shorter hike to Winnemucca Lake.  Even without making the summit, the open vegetation made for expansive views of the area.  The peak its self looks quite fun, though word is that it requires a bit of scrambling and might be just a bit too much for most dogs.  We'll come back sometime in the summer and give it a go.

Jackson State Demonstration Forest

Near: Mendocino
Trip Type: Hike
Elevation: 100 - 800 ft
Surface: Dirt
Distance: 2.5 miles
Vegetation: Redwoods

Presto and I joined some friends out mushroom hunting in Mendocino County on Saturday.  The mushroom hunt was a bit of bust, but it was a good excuse to visit some areas we might not make it up to otherwise.  We headed up to Jackson State Demonstration Forest with a the hope of hiking the Trestle trail, which in addition to fungus, was claimed to boast a nice waterfall.  Unfortunately, we got there only to find that the Trestle trail and the entire surrounding area has been closed off due to an outbreak of "Sudden Oak Death".  Apparently the authorities are worried about visitors helping to spread the fungal pathogen and plan to keep the area around the Trestle Trail closed for the wet season (October to May) until "the threat of spreading sudden oak death has been abated".  So don't hold you breath on that one.  So until May the only trail easily accessable by car from the Camp One entrance (most western entrance to the JSDF on CA-20).  It's a short loop with no particularly interesting views, but the forest is quite nice, thick with redwoods and ferns.  This is no destination hike, but a good stop if you're in the area and up for a light, off-leash hike.  It starts and ends at Camp One, which is itself a pleasant picnic spot, by a small dam on the South Fork Noyo River (really just a creek here).

Russian Gulch State Park

Near: Mendocino
Trip Type: Short Walk
Elevation: 0 - 50 ft
Surface: Dirt and Paved Road
Distance: About 1 mile total
Vegetation: Forest and Coastal Scrub

On our recent visit to the Mendocino area, we camped and explored a bit at Russian Gulch State Park.  Most of the park trails are off limits to dogs, but the small park beach and a short trail on ocean side bluffs are open to dogs on leash.  There's not really enough here to be a destination in and of itself, but it's a great stop if you're in the area.  The campgrounds are very pleasantly sited along the small creek through the gulch, and the bluff trail offers some classic dramatic California coast views.

Castle Peak

Near: Donner Pass
Distance: 9 miles (6 miles for winter route)
Elevation: 7200 - 9100 ft
Vegetation: Forest
Last Hike: January 2014

Castle Peak is a prominent summit overlooking Donner Pass.  Its dramatic summit cliffs and easy access to I-80 make it a popular day hike.  I've been a to Castle Peak a few times, mostly in winter.  It makes an especially tempting route in winter because there is an easy to follow, well trodden winter route to the ridge line used by hikers and backcountry skiers alike.  While one should always check weather conditions and avalanche danger carefully, the winter route up Castle Peak is also relatively avalanche safe.  Also if you're looking for a mountain top to get married on, some good friends of mine have no regrets.

Pacific Valley to Bull Run Peak

Near: Ebbetts Pass
Trip Type: Hike
Elevation: 7500 - 9500 ft
Surface: Dirt and some loose scree
Distance: 6.5 miles
Vegetation: Forest and Meadow

Last Hiked: August 2015


We were trying to find a campsite at Lake Alpine to swim and watch the Perseids, but we were a bit slow getting out there and predictably it was packed.  We decided to try heading a bit further up Rt 4 and were well rewarded when we stopped at Pacific Valley.  No lake, but it's a very pleasant and less crowded campsite with some friendly local horses and open fields for excellent stargazing.  Directly from the campsite you can hike up the broad gentle valley, then more steeply up Bull Run Peak, or Peep Site Peak.