Rubicon Peak

Region: Lake Tahoe
Distance: 3 miles
Elevation: 6,900 - 9,100 ft
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: September 2019

Though several nearby peaks are upwards of a thousand feet taller, Rubicon Peak has perhaps the best view of Lake Tahoe of any of them.  The summit is less than two miles from the trailhead, but it's also over 2,000 feet above it, so while this hike isn't far, it can still take a while to get there if your legs aren't in top form.  It's mostly a smooth dirt ramp the entire way up, but the summit is one solid block of bare rock that requires some scrambling to get up.  We elected to keep our dog just below the summit, but particularly sprightly hounds might make it to the top if you take them around the slightly easier route.  Most people seem to just scramble up the northwest face of the summit, but there is a less steep route around the southwest corner.  Start from the sheltered tentsite on the west side of the summit block, then take the smooth ramp up towards the south, pass through a small cleft of rock, then spiral to your left up to the top.

Granite Chief

Region: Lake Tahoe
Distance: 10 miles
Elevation: 6,200 to 9,000 feet
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: September 2018

Granite Chief is the tallest peak on the northwest corner of Lake Tahoe.  It's the shortest of the four major peaks I think of as bracketing the Tahoe Basin - Freel (10881'), Rose (10736'), and Tallac (9735') are all taller.  But only Tallac boasts a better view from the summit and the hike up the Granite Chief trail is at least comparably nice to the ascent of Tallac.  The only thing this hike has going against it is that near the summit you have to pass under and around a ski lift, and the blight of Squaw Valley Ski resort mars part of the view from the summit.

Mt Elwell Loop

Region: Northern Sierra
Distance: 8 miles
Elevation: 5,800 to 7,800 ft
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: Mid July 2019

Mt Elwell Summit Panorama

Mt Elwell is a minor Sierra Peak at the southern end of the Plumas National Forest.  While it's not particularly tall, it still commands an excellent view of the surrounding alpine lakes in the Lakes Basin Recreation Area and the taller peaks of the Sierra Buttes about 9 miles to the south.  If you're just going for views Sierra Buttes is more impressive, but I found Mt. Elwell more pleasant. The scenery is nicer, the trails less crowded and there aren't any ATVs or dirtbikes taring around nearby.  Also instead of the out and back up Sierra Buttes, there are several options to loop over the summit of Mt. Elwell and visit one or more beautiful lakes along the way.

Caribou Lakes

Region: Trinity Alps
Distance: 16 miles
Elevation: 4,900 - 7,200 ft
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: Late June 2019

Dawn over the Klamath National Forest from the overlook over Lower Caribou Lake.

The Caribou Lakes are yet another cluster of beautiful alpine lakes in the Trinity Alps.  The lakes are situated on the northern side of the core peaks of the the Trinity Alps.  From the north there are two access trails to the lakes that can be linked into a loop, though because of snow we were only able to take the lower, newer, Caribou Lakes Trail.  Later in the summer the older, steeper route over a minor side peak of Caribou mountain should offer some epic views of the region.  The lakes also make a good staging area to scramble along Sawtooth Ridge to the south, which also boasts famously great views. We tried to make it up to Sawtooth Ridge, but we were turned back by several feet of steep, barely-stable snow on the north side of the ridge that was just a little too dangerous for some humans and dogs on this trip.  In snow years less epic than 2019, this route will probably be snow free by the last weekend of June, when we visited, but in big snow years it appears waiting till mid-July is advisable to open up all the route options in this area.

Even without making either of the two nearby high points, the views on this hike were excellent.  The Caribou Lakes trail contours around Caribou Mountain along many steep, open hillsides looking out over the steep valley of the South Fork Salmon River below to the north, and the 1,000 foot cascade of the Caribou Creek as it drains from Lower Caribou Creek to the west.  The trail to Canyon Creek Lakes has more waterfalls, and the trailhead is easier to access, so that's probably still my recommendation for a first hike in the Trinity Alps.  But the quality, quantity, and variety of views on the Caribou Lakes Trail make it a strong contender for best hike in the region.  We did this hike as an overnight backpack, which is probably the optimal choice (especially if you want to get up Sawtooth Ridge), but a fit group with an early start could make it as a day hike.

Sapphire Lake via Stuart Fork Creek

Near: Weaverville
Distance: 28 miles
Elevation: 2,800 to 5,900 feet
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: May 2019

Cascades on the Stuart Fork Creek just below Emerald Lake, with Sawtooth Ridge in the background

Sapphire Lake (and on the way, Emerald Lake) is one of the more popular destinations in the Trinity Alps.  The lakes are lovely, they're surrounded by dramatic peaks and ridges, and the trail runs near several cascades and small waterfalls near the lakes.  Along with the slightly more popular Canyon Creek Lakes route, this is one of the lowest-elevation hikes of true alpine character in the state, which means it melts out early and makes a good Memorial Day and early June destination even after a big snow year like 2019.  While theoretically doable as a very long day hike, the lakes are best reached on an overnight, or as 3-day backpack as we took it, camping at Morris Meadows about halfway to the lakes.  While I enjoyed Emerald and Sapphire Lakes as much or maybe more than the Canyon Creek Lakes themselves, views and waterfalls are more abundant in the first half the Canyon Creek Lakes hike, so make that one your first choice for a valley hike in the Trinity Alps.

Coldstream Creek Canyon by Cross Country Ski

Near: Truckee
Distance: 7 miles
Elevation: 6,000 - 6,250 feet
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: February 2019

Tucked up behind Donner Memorial State Park in Truckee, Coldstream Creek Canyon is a surprisingly serene and scenic valley.  A ridge to the north blocks highway noise from nearby I-80 and traffic is light enough on the active train tracks loop around the valley not to ruin the scene. Overnight guests snowshoeing and skiing up the the Lost Trail Lodge tend to keep a trail broken up the valley and at least occasionally snow-cat service up to the Lodge or surrounding ski runs keep the trail relatively well broken.  The trail climbs about 150 feet in the fist half mile, but then climbs much more gently for the next few miles.  If you hit this trail after a good packing by the snow cat it can be a great intro cross country ski in the back country.

Cross-Country Skiing with Dogs in the Tahoe Region (updated 2019)

With hundreds of kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails around the Lake Tahoe region, it can come as a bit of a shock how few of those kilometers are dog friendly.  Here's a round-up of the best options I've found in the area.

Samuel H Boardman Scenic Corridor (Oregon)

Near: Crescent City, CA
Distance: Up to 12 miles, but the ocean is within a few hundred yards of all parking areas.
Elevation: 0 - 100 feet
Vegetation: Mix of pine and deciduous forest
Last visit: January 2019

A natural rock bridge along the Samuel H Boardman Scenic Corridor

The Samuel H Boardman Scenic Corridor is a narrow strip of land between US 101 and the ocean just north of the Oregon/California border.  Technically you can hike or run as far as 12 miles one-way through the corridor, but most will opt for much shorter trips.  Sadly, the trail between several sections travels directly along the highway, where fast moving traffic spoils the magic on what would otherwise be an epic coastal hike or run.  The corridor is best experienced as a short outing from one of the many small trailheads along 101.  The trails lead through a wooded strip of land to a beautiful series of rocky bluffs and beaches.  We particularly enjoyed the natural rock bridges near the northern end of the corridor.  We took in this section as a trail run, so I left the camera behind and only snapped some pictures from near the car.  The pictures accompanying this post do not do the area justice at all.  It's one of the most scenic bits of coastline I've found in California or Oregon.

Ralston Peak

Near: Echo Summit
Length: 7 Miles
Elevation: 6,400 - 9,200 feet
Vegetation: Pine Forest and Scrubby Meadows
Last Visit: November 2018

The summit of Ralston Peak overlooking Ralston, Tamarack, and Echo Lakes with Mt Tallac and Lake Tahoe in the distance.

Ralston Peak is one of the best 'bang for your buck' hikes in California.  The trailhead is right on US 50 between Kyburz and Echo Summit, making it a relatively direct drive.  It's a nearly 3,000 foot ascent to the summit, but the trail doesn't mess around, reaching the peak in under 4 miles (actually just 3 miles if you take a more direct use-trail on the final climb).  The summit is easily reached without any rock scrambling and provides fantastic views in all directions.  Given all that, I'm a bit surprised this trail isn't completely overrun with hikers.  Likely the steep ascent and a lack of many views on the lower slopes keep away most of the less energetic crowd, opting instead for the often crowded Horsetail Falls trail nearby.  The falls aren't visible from the summit, but we found a secret overlook just off the trail from which you can just see them.

Redwood National and State Parks with a dog

Lori and Presto at the base of a truly massive redwood.

Like most national parks, Redwood National and State Parks on the far northern California coast are fairly hostile to dogs.  No dogs are allowed on any trails anywhere in the park, even the loop that horses use.  It turns out that there a few dirt roads in the park that are open to dogs, though.  We stopped by in the middle of a road trip up the California and Oregon Coast recently and managed to put together a full afternoon at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, then a good morning at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park the next day.  It's a bit frustrating not to be able to go into the best groves, but there are still lots of giant redwoods to find, a pretty nice beach, and a clearing often full wild elk.  So if you find yourself in the area, don't just give up on it and drive by on 101.

Day One (Prairie Creek Redwoods SP):
Cal Barrel Road (3 mile hike)
Elk Prairie (Wild Elk Viewing Area)
Gold Bluffs Beach

Day Two (Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP):
Howland Hill Road (Scenic Drive)
Walker Road (3 mile hike)

Sunset Drive and 17 Mile Drive

Near: Monterey
Distance: Up to 14 miles
Elevation: 0 ft
Vegetation: Coastal Scrub
Last Visit: June 2018

On occasion, we find ourselves out at the Asilomar Conference Center near Monterey for work.   It's a pretty nice place to be forced to stay, just across the road from the Asilomar State Beach.  Only after a few stays did we realize that the beach is dog friendly.  The beach is small, but it's set along an unusually quiet and pleasant slice of coast on the Monterey Peninsula.  Its a thin strip of public land squeezed between the shore, the town of Pacific Grove, and a handful of golf courses.  This is no wilderness, mind you, with a paved road within a hundred yards of the water almost the entire way.  But the road is quiet and a continuous strip of publicly accessible shoreline offers the public 7 miles of beaches, dunes, rocks, and tide pools perfect for a run or a stroll.  Seals, otters and, sea lions are often visible along this coast, especially around Bird Rock at the south-western end.