Sally the Weimaraner, Fannie the Corgi and I headed up to the glacial-fed Conness Lakes in the Tioga Pass area. I have no doubt they enjoyed their adventure but I especially love to visit these magical lakes that change color before my eyes. Where: Harvey Monroe Hall Research Natural Area, Hoover Wilderness, Inyo National ForestDistance: 9.95 Miles (includes about 2.6 ...

Cooler temperatures, white puffy clouds, a breeze, incredible views, marmots, blooming wildflowers and a great workout. We had a perfect day to escape the heat at home as we hiked up and around Dana Plateau in the Tioga Pass. Where: Ansel Adams Wilderness Area, Inyo National ForestDistance: 6.94 Miles (5.69 miles to the Mono Lake overlook)Difficulty: StrenuousElevation Range: 9,653′ – ...

Sally the Weimaraner and Fannie the Corgi loved their adventure on the 20 Lakes Loop Trail, especially the part where they got to play in the snow! Located in the Hoover Wilderness, this trail led us by beautiful lakes, small tarns and mountains still streaked with snow. Where: Inyo National Forest, Hoover WildernessDistance: 8.7 MilesDifficulty: ModerateElevation Range: 10,092′ – 10,359′Date: ...

Views of Mono Pass, Parker Pass and Kuna Crest surrounded me as I hiked up Yosemite National Park’s Mono Pass Trail. I made a short cross country hike up above Spillway Lake, through some snow up to Helen Lake. A 20% chance of thunderstorms isn’t much of a chance but it all comes down to what cloud you are standing ...

I really missed those wonderful hikes with the Sierra Foothill Conservancy and when they listed a few of them recently as part of fundraising for land conservation efforts, I jumped at the chance. I had been on several hikes to and up on top of the Table Tops in the spring but never when the wildflowers weren’t the star of ...

Whose footsteps did I walk in this week? I sure didn’t expect to discover a connection to Hite’s Cove on my looped hike along Sunny Meadows and through O’Neil’s Meadows. Distance: 12.12 Miles (but you can go shorter or longer)Difficulty: ModerateElevation Range: 3,417′ to 4,862′Date: May 18, 2021CALTOPO: Worman’s Mill to Sonny Meadows and O’Neil Meadows LoopDog Hike: Maybe As ...

That day when Tioga Road opens up in spring should be an official holiday. I celebrated that special day by taking a road trip from Entrance Gate to Entrance Gate, admiring the views and saying hello to old friends like Tenaya Lake and Tioga Pass. I also had a wonderful hike to the Gaylor Basin with icy lakes and Pikas, ...

Free day-use passes for Lakes McClure and McSwain now available at Mariposa County Library MARIPOSA – Library cards in Mariposa County will now let you check out a lot more than books. Under a new program, card-holders can now check out Lakes McClure and McSwain for fishing, biking, boating, picnicking and more. Beginning in June single day-use passes for Lakes ...

I had been walking the old wagon roads near my house for a while from the Nipinnawasee side, exploring the old homesteads from the 1880s. Many of them tie in with the old Miami Mill area and I was curious how the Sugar Pine side of Miami Mountain Road looked after our January Mono Wind event, especially the Westfall Burial ...

Armed with an old Topographic Map and homestead records, I followed the old wagon and stagecoach roads above Nipinnawasee through 1880’s era homesteads. I climbed over, under and around about a million down trees from January’s Mono Wind Event as I tried to figure out the routes of travel, neighbor relationships and a few stories from back in the day. ...