Devils Bathtub

Near: Fresno (but not really)
Trip Type: Dayhike
Distance: 8 miles
Elevation: 7,800 to 9,200 feet
Vegetation: Pine Forest, Meadows
Last Visit: August 2018

**Note: the Thomas A Edison Lake and Florence Lake areas were heavily impacted by the Creek Fire of 2020.  Check the Sierra National Forest website for up to date information on trail closures.**

The ominously named Devils Bathtub (in the shadow of Graveyard Peak, no less) is actually a very pleasant alpine lake in the southern Ansel Adams Wilderness.  It's ringed with perfect blocky boulders for sunbathing or launching a nice cannon ball.  Most easily reached from the Mono Creek trailhead just off of Lake Thomas A Edison, the Bathtub is moderate hike on an easily followed trail with just enough climb to get you ready to jump in.

Florence Lake to Thomas A Edison Lake

Near: Fresno (but not really)
Trip Type: Backpack (2-4 days)
Distance: 25 miles
Elevation: 7,300 to 10,900 feet
Vegetation: Pine Forest, Meadows, and Moonscape
Last Visit: July 2018

**Note: the Thomas A Edison Lake and Florence Lake areas were heavily impacted by the Creek Fire of 2020.  Check the Sierra National Forest website for up to date information on trail closures.**

The John Muir Trail, from Mt Whitney to Yosemite Valley along the Pacific Crest, is one of the most famous trails in the world.   Much of this fabulous trail is off limits to dogs as it passes through Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks, but not all of it.   A good 70 miles of continuous trail through the heart of the high Sierra is open to dogs though, as the trail passes through the John Muir Wilderness and Ansel Adam Wilderness between Yosemite and Kings Canyon.  Having already visited (and loved) some sections of the trail in the Ansel Adams Wilderness before, we decided to check out a southerly portion of this dog-friendly section, backpacking from Florence Lake to Thomas A Edison Lake by way of Seldon Pass and Marie Lake (picture above).  Ansel Adams still takes the prize on wow-factor, but this hike was almost as eye-popping and has an extra novelty factor from some optional boat rides at the start and end.  We did it in 4 days (really 3 days and a couple hours) but we spend a middle day goofing off in the high terrain around Mt. Hooper overlooking Lake Marie.  A fit group could do this hike as an overnight or even an epic day-hike, though making the ferries in time might be rough and leaving them out would add and extra 10 miles to the loop.

Mt. Tamalpais Fire Roads Loop

Near: Mill Valley
Trip Type: Trail Run
Distance: 8 miles (or 5 miles to West Point Inn and back)
Elevation: 900 - 2,300 ft (1,800 ft at West Point Inn)
Vegetation: Some pine forest, some scrubby manzanitas
Surface: Dirt with a lot of rock mixed in.
Last Visit: 5/28/18

I lived in the Bay Area for the better part of a decade before I realized that Mt. Tamalpais State Park only covers the bottom half of Mt. Tam and a tiny bit of the summit.  Most of the upper slopes are Marin municipal lands and the trails and fire roads there are open to dogs, provided they're on a leash.  The roads and trails around the summit make for a nice network with a mix of slow gradual climbs on wide fire roads and steeper single-track routes.   This post describes a circuitous tour up to the peak on the old railroad grade for a steady, satisfying trail run with lots of nice views of the San Francisco Bay.  You can also cut this down to a lighter run/hike with modest climb by popping out the the West Point Inn and back.

Carson Pass Cross Country Ski Trails

Near: Carson Pass
Trip type: Cross Country Ski
Distance: 3-4 miles to the lake and back
Elevation: 8,600 to 8,200 feet
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: April 2018

As the 2017-2018 ski season is drawing to a close, we finally got up to the back-country ski trails around Carson Pass.   These trails aren't groomed, but are clearly marked and easy to follow.  They do descend a few hundred feet from the parking areas at the Carson Pass and Meiss Meadow Sno Parks, so in icy conditions they'll be a little challenging for novice skiers.  On warm days with soft, consolidated old snow, they should make for a great intro to back country skiing for novice skiers with a bit of experience on groomed trails.  They end at a satisfying vista of Round Top from across Woods Lake.  We didn't explore any farther than Woods Lake, but the Forest Service Flyer on the trails suggests there's another marked trail leading up towards Winnemucca Lake, which would make a great destination for more intermediate/advanced skiers looking for a longer trip out.

Update 2019: Yup, there is a marked trail from Woods Lake up to the boundary of the Mokelumne Wilderness and it's easy to navigate from there up an open, sparsely treed valley to Winnemucca Lake.

Hunter Creek Trail

Near: Reno, NV
Distance: 6 miles
Elevation: 5,000 to 6,100 feet
Vegetation: Desert scrub to pine forest
Last Visit: February 2018

Winter 2018 has been pretty sad in the snow department. Well into February we're in that awkward stage where there's enough snow at higher elevations to make lots of trails hard to follow, but not enough for good skiing and snow shoeing except the on the highest trails.  So on a weekend trip up to the Tahoe area we did a day of snowshoeing on Castle Peak and a light day on the Hunter Creek Trail on the west side of Reno at the base of the Mt Rose Wilderness.  This trail starts in the desert scrub at 5,000 feet and follows a canyon up to a modest waterfall just at the tree line around 6,000 feet.  As a real forest chauvinist this hike won't be making an top ten lists for me, but it was a nice change of pace.  The proximity of the trailhead to Reno and the steady, well-graded trail makes it a popular afternoon jaunt, so you'll have some company here.

Jackass Lakes

Near: Oakhurst
Trip Type: Day Hike
Distance: 8 Miles
Elevation: 7,000 - 9,200 ft
Vegetation: Pine Forest to Moonscape
Last Visit: 11/25/17

**Note: the Ansel Adams Wilderness was heavily impacted by the Creek Fire of 2020.  Check the Sierra National Forest website for up to date information on trail closures.**

It was that awkward time in late fall when there's enough snow at higher elevations to make following the trail near impossible, but not enough at lower elevations to go right into ski season.  Poking around on some NOAA snow depth maps, it looked like there was a relative dearth of snow in the far western corner of the Ansel Adams Wilderness, so we resolved to take a trip out there on Thanksgiving weekend.  We decided to hike up to the Jackass Lakes on the southeast side of Madera Peak. As usual Ansel Adams did not disappoint.

At 10,500 feet Madera peak is not particularly outstanding as a high Sierra summit, but it sits on the western edge of a large basin drained by the San Joaquin River. From its eastern slopes you therefore have an unobstructed view across this basin to a dramatic panorama of high Sierra peaks stretching from Mt Ritter and the Minerets in the north to the head of of the Evolution Valley in Kings Canyon to the south.  That's about 50 of some of the most dramatic miles of the Pacific Crest.   This is a view that must be taken in with the human eye to be fully appreciated.  The pictures included in this post are an even more pathetic representation of the real experience than usual.  We didn't have enough daylight to try for the peak, but it looks eminently hikable and should offer further views into Yosemite National Park to the north as well.   A return trip in Summer is on the to-do list for sure.

The only down side to this hike is the trail is a bit sketchy at points and only indicated with tiny cairns here and there.  We were able to find it OK most of the way, but I felt better having a topo map loaded up on my cell in case we needed it.  I very much recommend Backcountry Navigator as cheap emergency off-line GPS option.

Carr Lake to Glacier Lake

Near: Yuba Pass
Trip Type: Day Hike
Distance: 11 Miles
Elevation: 6,700 - 7,600 ft
Vegetation: Pine Forest
Last Visit: 9/24/17

Recently Lori was nursing a sore hip and we went looking for some nice mountain scenery that we didn't have to climb much for.  The Round Lake and Glacier Lakes trails fit the bill.  With only a few hundred feet of climb, the Round Lake trail runs by or near five small alpine lakes in just a few miles.  Lori was doing OK, so we ended up extending all the way to Glacier Lake for a respectable distance and climb in the end but it was nice to have such a scenic easy option.  I think this area would be a great place for an intro backpacking trip, as it's got lots of picturesque camping spots that are attainable without much climb and manages to feel satisfyingly remote even though it's just a short drive from I-80.